One of the consistently fascinating aspects of new and emerging technology in any sector is the way it can be applied to a seemingly endless array of challenges.
For example, while it’s pretty common to encounter discussions of the value of AI in healthcare as it relates to clinical insights and administrative efficiencies, another challenge to which AI is being applied may seem a little further afield: staff recruitment.
Given the predictions of serious shortages of providers and healthcare workers in the near future, AI is being tapped by recruiters to help them take a more innovative approach to finding and hiring critically important workers at all levels of the healthcare economy.
According to a recent article, for example, “AI software allows recruiters to extend their candidate sourcing to social media networks, professional communities, portfolio sites, resume databases and job boards. This software can review millions of profiles within seconds and identify more candidates than manual sourcing.”
Interestingly, says the writer, “(t)apping into the pool of healthcare providers who are not actively searching for a job could move the needle on supply versus demand,” a challenge worth tackling at a time when surveys show many providers who don’t consider themselves on the market “would be willing to discuss a job opportunity if one were offered.”
In addition, healthcare recruiters can use AI to update the way they look at the recruiting process. For example, the article explains, AI can be used to leverage “social media and online employer rating sources (that) will help (them) enhance their employee brands as well. Candidates will look at current employee opinions, posts and reviews, so it’s imperative to understand the employee culture. Healthcare providers should work to increase the number of employee brand advocates working in their favor.”
A bit further into the recruiting process, AI can be used to help recruiters “draw upon data points to predict the cultural fit of a candidate, allowing recruiters to consider facets beyond the skills and talents of a prospective hirer. Predictive analytics can help recruiters find candidates who have the potential to meet the expectations for the job who wouldn’t otherwise have been considered, such as hiring an OR Assistant instead of an OR Nurse.”
The bottom line, says the writer, is customization for both recruiters and candidates alike.
“Quality candidates are keeping their options open and interviewing with many employers,” and healthcare organizations are working hard, with increasing use of AI, to identify and attract those candidates who can help them with both their patient experience and their bottom line.