High turnover rates and small selection pools make it more difficult to hire entry-level healthcare employees, according to a task force report. Although healthcare jobs offer room for growth, the number of current employees is insufficient.
Turnover can be reduced if new workers see room for growth within the industry, the task force found. Programs such as tuition assistance or a visible career trajectory path may be options.
“Following this type of career pathway is the American dream,” report authors wrote. “But this dream is not achieved often enough.”
Institutions should consider ideas such as an internship program or revising minimum qualifications, they advised. Employers can also use standardized interview questions in the hiring process.
Entry-level positions are important to the current employees, too. “Work such as stocking rooms with supplies and transporting patients is important and needs to be done — but not by a physician or registered nurse,” wrote report authors.
The Advisory Board Company led the task force as part of the Health Careers Pathway Initiative.
From the August 01, 2017 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
