Hiring high-quality clinical and non-clinical staff
In Practice
Faiza Wasif, MPH, is the AAD's practice management manager. Her column offers tips on an area she commonly receives questions about from members.
By Faiza Wasif, MPH, August 1, 2018
Every aspect of a physician practice is important to delivering the highest quality of care to patients — and this includes both the clinical and non-clinical staff that work alongside you. These individuals make up the “care team” that ensures the patient’s entire experience is welcoming, seamless, and effective. Therefore, it is important that you hire staff who are competent and compassionate. Follow these best practices to hire high-quality clinical and non-clinical staff.
When you are ready to start looking for candidates:
- Determine need: Deciding how many and what mix of staff to have in your office is one of the most difficult decisions a practice makes. Consider the type of practice you have (e.g., solo, group), the size of the practice, the number of patients seen, and how many claims are processed in a week.
- Draft the job description: Formulate a concise and thorough job description including a job title, summary of responsibilities, and required and desired qualifications.
> Clinical positions: Be sure to require proper licensing or certification depending on the nature of the job; outline specific clinical responsibilities in accordance with their level of training; and emphasize the importance of the patient-clinician relationship.
> Non-clinical positions: Outline the minimum education/qualifications needed and identify specific characteristics and skills needed to succeed on the job.
- Plan to advertise: Advertising a position online is the most common method for recruitment. The Academy offers a job-posting site for clinical positions through AADCareerCompass; practices also hire for general positions through indeed.com or linkedin.com. There are also numerous staffing agencies that can help recruit top talent.
After you have attracted some potential candidates:
- Review resumes: When reviewing resumes watch for typos, grammatical errors, gaps in employment, and/or false information. Work with an outside agency to verify the applicant’s education and be sure to check references. Remember to review the resumes in accordance with the nature of the job — clinical or non-clinical.
- Conduct phone interviews: This is a great screening tool to further narrow down your pool of candidates. You can learn why the applicant is interested in the job; what their salary preference is; their strengths and weakness; and if they are willing to work flexible hours. You can even perform this as a video interview to get a better sense of the applicant.
- Set up an in-person interview: Be prepared with a standard list of questions relevant to the position but also let the interview flow and generate questions throughout the conversation. Never ask questions regarding age, sex, race, national origin, religion, health or disabilities, military service, or conviction records due to federal and state employment laws.
- Verify employment: Once candidates are further narrowed down, verify their employment history and speak with their references. Make sure you speak with at least three references who either worked with the individual in the past or serve as professional acquaintances.
When you have identified your ideal candidate:
- Make the offer: Offering a position can be done through verbal or non-verbal means. All offer letters should include salary information, work hours, job title, supervisor’s name, benefits, a brief synopsis of orientation, and a statement about whether the offer is at-will or a contract. Most offers are also conditional on an interim period, typically 90 days.
> Clinical position: Clinical staff — such as physicians — are typically hired on a contract basis. Be sure to carefully draft the provisions of the contract including salary compensation, benefits, schedule/call expectations, terms and termination provisions, and any state-specific restrictive covenants. It is wise to have this drafted and/or reviewed by an attorney.
> Non-clinical position: These positions are typically at-will in which an employee can be dismissed by an employer for any reason (that is, without having to establish “just cause” for termination), and without warning, as long as the reason is not illegal (e.g., firing because of the employee’s race or religion). A contract is not typically required for these positions.
Once the ideal candidate has reviewed and accepted the offer letter or signed the contract, it is time to welcome them on board! Remember, taking the time to plan for, recruit, and hire the most qualified staff who best fit your practice environment will help to ensure optimal patient care and high practice efficiency. Continue to assess your new employees on a regular basis to make sure they are fitting your practice culture and receiving the training they need to be successful.
