The Bureau of Labor Statistics has gone on record as stating that in the next 10 years, more jobs will be created in health care than in any other industry.

The reasons for the projection are numerous and well documented, including greater access to health care through the Affordable Care Act, a more intense focus on public/community health, an aging population, and the impact of technology.

If you’re in health care and haven’t already developed a solid talent acquisitions strategy, now is definitely the time.

However, even if your strategy is in place it’s imperative to keep on top of talent best practices. We’ll help.

Sourcing Health Care Talent

Regardless of the industry, personal referrals remain an excellent way to discover and secure new talent. Encourage your current employees to introduce you to their skilled friends, acquaintances, and neighbors by implementing a dynamic employee referral program that rewards employees when they do the recruiting for you.

Other good sources of health care talent include:

• Local institutions of learning, including colleges, universities, and proprietary schools known for the quality of their health care programs.
• Professional networking events, such as job and career fairs; annual association meetings; and workshops.
• Staffing agencies that specialize in health care, such as AMN Healthcare, Maxim Staffing Solutions, and Hirevue.
• Niche job boards, such as com and nurse.com.

Landing Health Care Talent

When it comes to landing talent, there are no magic tricks. Everyone is different, but ultimately we’re all the same in that we’ll accept a job offer we perceive as improving our situation.

Of course, what one person views as an improvement another may view with indifference. When recruiting, it’s important to know what’s motivating your job seeker beyond the need to make a living.

You’ll significantly improve your chances of finding the best talent for your company’s needs when you’re clear on this point. Asking the question directly is key, but understand that some candidates will be reluctant to tell you about a conflict with a previous boss or that they want more money or better benefits.

However, carefully reviewing multiple employment references is one way to more thoroughly assess a candidate’s motivation, whether that be more flexibility, shorter hours, fewer or no weekend shifts, higher wages, less responsibility, less stress, more development opportunities, more structure, or better retirement benefits.

An automated reference checking tool like Checkster will make this process more efficient, too.

Here’s the bottom line: Landing health care talent is like landing any other type of talent. Know what a prospect wants, and give it to him.

Retaining Health Care Talent

Whether the venue is a hospital, nursing home, community health center, or somewhere else, working in health care is stressful. Often workers aren’t merely dealing with patients but family members of patients, and in trying situations to boot.

In fact, a 2014 survey by CareerBuilder found that health care workers reported the greatest levels of stress (69 percent), with 17 percent rating themselves as “highly stressed.”

Employers who take steps to help their employees manage stress, or even reduce or eliminate stress where feasible (such as through intelligent scheduling, mindful communication, and supportive management), will create an environment workers will find hard to leave.

Make no mistake, though -- stress isn’t all that ails health care workers.

According to a survey by Health ecareers, stagnate wages are causing 68 percent of employees — some of whom reported earning less at the time of the survey than in the year previous — to consider greener pastures elsewhere. To keep your employees satisfied with their pay, make sure wages are in line with the market and workers’ contributions to your company.

Finally, and as in all industries, disrespectful management will send workers straight to the job boards, but caring and respectful management will cause workers to think twice about the benefits of another workplace.

Health care workers are in demand and now have more opportunities for alternate employment. Still, many employers have been slow to alter their hiring and retention policies in response.

Fortunately, however, you don’t have to be one of those employers. Instead, follow our tips for sourcing, landing, and retaining the health care talent your organization needs to meet its goals.

What are some other resources you use to source, land and retain your top health care talent?