What Does Stronger Economy Mean for Healthcare?

As 2010 winds to a close, it looks like the U.S. economy is finally picking up steam. Recent reports from the U.S. Labor Department, economic analysts and national payroll processor ADP all point to a strong upturn in the job market this fall. For instance, ADP reported a jump of 93,000 new private sector jobs in November, the largest gain in three years. That increase included 79,000 service jobs – including healthcare services.

What does this turnaround on the jobs front mean for the U.S. healthcare industry? One of the most important changes will be an increased competition for administrative, professional and clerical talent.  Many dedicated, hard-working individuals have been attracted to the healthcare sector in recent years because of its perceived job security and stability. While most of these employees will stay in their current positions, others may seek “greener pastures” as the economic recovery moves into business services, financial, real estate and other sectors. Therefore, healthcare organizations can expect to experience slightly higher turnover rates in the coming years.

As the nation’s employment picture gradually improves, there will also be increased competition for new hires. It will become increasingly important for healthcare organizations to enhance their recruitment strategies in order to attract top candidates. Then, those candidates must be carefully screened, tested and interviewed to be sure they are a good match for that position. In working with healthcare clients for more than 20 years, All Medical Personnel believes that effective staffing partnerships are one of the best ways to recruit and screen highly qualified candidates, allowing organizations to focus on their core businesses.  Those partnerships will become even more important in a growing national marketplace.

A Solution to the HR Training Dilemma

What’s the biggest concern for HR managers today?  A number of independent studies put training and development first on the list. A recent study showed that professionals of all ages value ongoing education, while another found training was the biggest issue, followed by retaining top performers and recruiting new talent.

Healthcare organizations also recognize the need for career training and professional development, as physicians, nurses, therapists, laboratory technicians and other personnel seek to improve their skills and broaden their horizons. Advances in medical treatments, surgical techniques, laboratory testing, electronic medical records (EMR) and communications technology are among the many reasons that ongoing training is essential for today’s healthcare professionals. However, many HR managers face a dilemma: “How can I spare a professional who provides critical services for several days of off-site training at a time when demand for our services is rising?”

Fortunately, there is a simple answer to that problem. Bring in a temporary employee to provide those day-to-day services while the physician, nurse or other professional is learning new career skills.  That’s a win-win solution that benefits both the healthcare organization and the individual professional, without disrupting care to patients or clients.  Based on our 20+ years of experience in healthcare staffing, this is a highly effective solution for the HR training and development dilemma.

Helping Nurses Stretch Their Skills

With all that nurses do on a daily basis, it’s hard to believe that their work could ever become routine. But nurses, like other healthcare workers, enjoy learning new tasks, improving their abilities and advancing their careers.  It’s all about “stretching” their skills. Since healthcare organizations from hospitals to medical practices rely on their nurses to provide patient care under a physician’s direction, there are plenty of opportunities for personal and professional growth.

As a national staffing firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry, All Medical Personnel offers a wide range of positions for nurses seeking to move forward in their careers. We regularly receive staffing requests from our clients for nurses who can provide pediatric, trauma, geriatric, Emergency Room, cardiology or oncology care, as well as home health care positions.  In turn, we strive to “open the door” for nurses who are interested in providing specialty care in a hospital, outpatient or in-home setting.  We also have staffing positions for nurses who enjoy their current duties, but would like to transfer to a new position. At All Medical Personnel, we recognize that every nurse has a unique set of personal and professional goals.  If you are considering a change in your job, send us an email and let us know how we can help!

It’s Not Just Physicians Who Benefit from locum tenens

With fall just around the corner, many doctors are considering where they would like to spend the autumn and winter months. As locum tenens physicians with All Medical Personnel Locum Tenens, they appreciate the many benefits of having a flexible schedule.

We’re a big believer in locum tenens – and not just for physicians. Our flexible staffing program includes CRNA locum tenens and other professional nursing locum tenens positions. That’s because we recognize the important advantages of a locum tenens lifestyle on a temporary or long-term basis:

• Adaptability. As a locum tenens physician or nurse, you can choose from a wide array of work locations throughout the country. That means provides exposure to new working environments and healthcare systems, providing greater opportunities to advance your career.

• Autonomy. Working locum tenens allows you to enjoy a higher level of independence. You can visit new locations and select the best employment opportunities for you as an individual physician.

• Fulfillment. Many locum tenens physicians and nurses enjoy having more variety in their day-to-day clinical experiences, as well as the opportunity to diagnose and treat different types of cases and patient populations.

• Flexibility. The locum tenens lifestyle provides far greater flexibility with your schedule. You can choose to work for six months and take a six-month hiatus, or work year-round in half a dozen locations – or any other schedule that meets your needs.

If you are interested in locum tenens, click here to send us an email or call at 1.877.267.5628 to discuss these flexible career opportunities.

Serving All Healthcare Organizations

For more than 20 years, All Medical Personnel has provided professional, technical, administrative and clerical staffing services to some of the nation’s largest healthcare organizations.  Our team also takes a great deal of pride in delivering the same high caliber of service to smaller clients, including individual physicians and physician groups,  community hospitals, therapists and ancillary service providers.

Whether your healthcare organization has one location or multiple facilities, it’s essential to have a consistent approach to staffing. That means screening each candidate to be sure that he or she has the proper credentials and training. It also means orienting the candidate, and ensuring the employee understands his or her role, as well as the organization clinical and business priorities. This can be a time-consuming process for internal HR staffers who must multitask every minute of the day.

In that regard, All Medical Personnel can relieve these organizational stresses by recruiting, screening, qualifying and training job candidates. In that way, our dedicated healthcare staffing firm becomes a valued extension of the HR department, regardless of the size of client.  If you would like to learn more about our healthcare staffing services, please click here.

Living the Lippie Lifestyle!

Are you a Lippie?

For those of you who aren’t up on the latest acronyms, a Lippie is a Location Independent Professional – a physician, nurse, technician, lawyer or accountant with the ability to work anywhere in the country, or around the world. In other words, “have laptop, will travel”!

In the healthcare sector, an experienced professional with the right qualifications can enjoy the many benefits of a Lippie lifestyle, beginning with the freedom to choose where to work. For instance, a Lippie could work in the Midwest or Northeast during the warm summer months, enjoy the scenic foliage in the fall and spend the winter in Florida, Texas or the Carolinas.

A newly single professional might decide to start fresh in a new community, without necessarily making a permanent commitment. Other healthcare professionals find becoming a Lippie allows them to leave an unfulfilling position, make a lateral career move or explore a new job opportunity. It’s an ideal way to enjoy the security of a regular paycheck while moving ahead with your professional and personal life.

While the term “Lippie” is brand new, All Medical Personnel has been working closely with mobile professionals for more than two decades. Today, we connect Lippies with U.S. hospitals, physician groups, laboratories and other healthcare organizations seeking quality professionals to work for a few weeks, several months or a year or longer. If you’re considering a change, just Contact Us for more information about our placement services.

With the Fourth of July just a couple of weeks away, now is an ideal time for healthcare organizations to re-assess their summer staffing plans. After all, fireworks should be enjoyed outdoors – not inside the office!

Among the key questions to ask: Is there an adequate level of fill-in coverage when your employees go on their vacations? Has there been any change in demand for your organization’s patient-related services?

Many hospitals, physician groups, laboratories and other healthcare service providers find it a challenge to anticipate their summer staffing requirements – particularly in prime vacation destinations.  An unexpected influx of visitors to a beach or mountain resort can create a spike in demand for services, for example.

That’s why All Medical Personnel, as a national leader in healthcare staffing services, works closely with its clients to review their immediate, seasonal and long-term requirements. If conditions change unexpectedly, our team can respond quickly, helping you continue to meet your patient or client service objectives.

Based on our two decades of experience, summer staffing for North American healthcare organizations is both an art and a science.  Advance planning is essential to prepare a solid foundation. Then, those plans may need to be adjusted as the summer season rolls along. In both cases, All Medical Personnel is ready to assist with your temporary or project-related staffing needs.

While healthcare staffing has always been a people business, technology is becoming a key differentiator for firms like All Medical Personnel. Being able to provide customized usage reports, sophisticated compliance systems, and real-time information on the contingent workforce are valuable services for today’s healthcare organizations.  At the same time, job candidates rely on search technology to find a suitable position.

This year, staffing firms across the country are investing in information technology (IT) services, according to a recent report by Staffing Industry Analysts. In its 2010 Staffing Company Survey, firms were asked: “Over the next 12 months, what are your expectations regarding your company’s spend on:

• Technology,

• Internal staff development/training

• Marketing/advertising

• Branded materials/promotional items

• Insurance/risk management

• Job boards/career sites

• Tradeshows/conferences

First on the firms’ list was technology, followed by training, marketing and promotional items. The survey also found that firms on the professional side of staffing were most likely to increase their spend on technology this year.

All Medical Personnel is definitely among the major technology spenders. Since our founding in 1990, we have constantly invested in our database, reporting, search, compliance and communications tools to remain ahead of the technology curve.

In recent months, we have focused on updating our website, adding new services, features and functions for our clients. We understand the special training, licensing and compliance requirements in healthcare, as well as the need for skilled, motivated and productive employees – and our website reflects that knowledge and experience.

Our site also has enhanced search functions to assist physicians, nurses, laboratory technicians and other healthcare professionals search for jobs in their local communities or in different areas of the country.   We invite you to keep checking our website regularly for future developments.

1.800.706.2378

Tell us what you think.

We are ecstatic about the launch of our new website. What adjectives best describe it? Glad you asked:

• Powerful: Job Search Tool with Save, Notification features
• Convenient: Resume Submission and Request Staff Tools
• Accessible: Contact Us – There’s so many ways!
• Social: Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, RSS
• Organized: Candidate and Client Sections
• Detailed: Improved explanation of our services

We’re not done with the site yet – this is only the beginning. In the meantime, tell us what you think by taking this short survey: http://www.formstack.com/forms/allmedicalpersonnel-new_website_survey

You may be aware that physician licenses issued in Texas typically take six months plus. As of January 1, 2010, the Texas Medical Board began granting limited provisional licenses for providers that practice in an area designated as a health professional shortage area (HPSA) or an area designated by the federal or state government as a medically under-served area (MUA).  The provisional license is valid for a maximum of 270 days and cannot be extended.  There are certain qualifications that must be met by a provider, as required by the board.

This is exciting news for qualified areas that need provider coverage.  It is also exciting news for physicians who are working on their Texas licensure, and would like to practice in the interim. Several states have similar licenses such as New Hampshire and Maine.

To learn more please visit : http://www.tmb.state.tx.us/professionals/physicians/applicants/provisionalLicense.php