Overcoming Recruitment Challenges in Rural Healthcare Settings

Healthcare recruiting is challenging across the board, but especially in rural settings, where hospitals routinely face higher vacancy rates, lower retention rates and longer recruitment cycles.

But it doesn’t need to be that way, and some rural hospitals are finding ways to beat the odds. Some strategies involve sweetening job offers, but others are simply about showcasing their setting in a positive light. Like these!

Great Quality of Life? Flaunt It!

According to one recruitment survey, 46% of rural physicians cited better work-life balance as a key reason behind their choice of practice setting. At a time when healthcare professionals are struggling with record levels of burnout, quality of life is a priority.

Flexible hours, a slower lifestyle, pastoral settings, family-friendly communities…whatever you’ve got to offer, broadcast it loud and clear. 

Link Compensation to Cost of Living

You may have a tighter budget, but you also have something big-city hospitals don’t: a lower cost-of-living. When discussing compensation, provide candidates with cost-of-living calculators and comparisons that bring home the difference—especially with regards to housing. Because given the current housing crunch, an open, affordable real estate market has powerful appeal, particularly to younger professionals. 

Get Creative on Benefits

Beyond compensation, incentives like signing bonuses, low-interest mortgages and student loan repayment programs add excitement to job offers without breaking the bank.

In Montana, for example, rural hospitals partner with the state to offer student loan repayments of up to $37,500 per year (for 2-4 years) to healthcare professionals who are willing to work in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)—and it’s getting attention.  

Promote “Small Pond” Perks 

Healthcare professionals who’d rather be a big fish in a small pond than vice versa are your kind of candidate. To attract them, and nurture them through their candidate journey you can leverage UrbanBound Candidate, pre-decision and highlight the following:

  • Organization Pages: Share insight into your hospital, location and more to help candidates make well-informed decisions. Include access to FAQs, links and documents pertinent to your company.
  • Co-worker Insights: Provide key data into where co-workers live, favorite restaurants and city specifics with first-hand data from your employees.
  • Area Guides: Share hyper-local content with information on schools, housing market & area demographics.
  • Travel & Expense Management: Make the process transparent and timely. Easily set travel budgets and manage expenses, including direct expense reimbursements straight to candidates’ bank accounts in 5 to 7 days.
  • Real Estate: Connect candidates with local real estate experts to provide home finding assistance, area tours and expertise during their onsite visit.  

Maximize Candidate Onsite Visits

When healthcare professionals come in for onsite visits, it’s a two-way deal: you’re evaluating them—and they’re evaluating you.

So, make sure they see your facility and area at its best. Host them a warm reception. Time their visits to coincide with local events and festivals. Set them up with a primo tour of the area—and, if they’d like, a realtor.

Not only will this help sell them on the community, it will help sell them on your organization—because you’re showing that you value them.

Of course, repay them promptly for their travel expenses. If that’s not easy for your operation, we can help.

Showcase Personal Fulfillment

Rural healthcare professionals often experience a greater sense of mission because they treat underserved communities. They also develop stronger bonds with their patients and colleagues, which can be extremely fulfilling.

One university study found that medical students who score high on service orientation tests are more likely to practice in rural areas. Make sure your job posts are crafted to speak to them—because these are the kinds of caring people you want on your team. 

Offer a Steller Relocation Experience

Want to make your job offers dazzle? Include impressive relocation benefits—i.e., not just an allowance, but extensive support in planning their move. Trust us, it makes a difference.

How do we know? Well, to date, we’ve helped more than 10,000 healthcare professionals happily relocate while saving healthcare organizations thousands of dollars per move.

Our software-based relocation solution enables organizations to offer candidates and new hires:

  • Easy-to-use online tools for planning a low-stress relocation  
  • Access to current, curated information about your community, schools, housing market and more
  • Onboarding info about your hospital to help newbies feel at home faster—including tips from coworkers   
  • A pre-screened network of top-performing movers, real-estate agents and mortgage lenders—all offering their services at discounted rates
  • Personalized assistance from professional relocation specialists 
  • Exclusive supplier discounts only available through UrbanBound 
  • A faster, easier reimbursement process and detailed reports that make your life easier 

And guess what? Thanks to the cost-saving benefits of technology, you’ll cut your overall relocation costs and admin burden significantly! Learn more

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