Hiring a Healthcare Agency Nursing Professional: Know the facts

Healthcare employers often wonder, "How did this healthcare professional get a job here?" Many directors of nursing (DON) and human resources managers (HR) have challenges that leave them asking, "How did this nurse get their license?" Healthcare employers are aware of the shortages in the healthcare field, and think that because of the shortage, they have to settle for incompetencyor more intolerable, disrespect. This is not the case. In the following paragraphs, ASAL, Inc. will inform the employer on creative ways to hire a nurse or a healthcare professional.

There is a shortage of qualified nurses. Qualified nurses are in demand not only in NYC, but also in many regions in the United States and elsewhere throughout the world. There are many nurses in the field, but there are not many quality nurses. This epiphany creates many questions that unfortunately go unanswered. Let us explore some of those questions. "Are the heathcare professionals qualified? Do they provide healthcare with a human touch? Is the client or patient comfortable with the healthcare they implement? Are the healthcare professionals reliable? Are they safe? How would you rate their bedside manner?" These are all questions that the DON and the HR director have pondered in the last few years. Times are changing in the healthcare arena and the demand for qualified nurses is increasing. There are important requirements that should be met before hiring a healthcare agency nursing professional.

Hiring an outstanding healthcare professional begins with the employer. The employer can either be the DON, the HR director, a family member of the patient, or even the patient. The titles do not end there. Many persons can assume the role of employer; however, they have to accept the responsibilities that are encompassed in the process of hiring a qualified healthcare professional.

The employer needs to have a clear understanding of what the patient or client is requesting. The employer has to understand the stage of patient’s illness, the dynamics of the patient’s illness, the patient’s non-clicinal issues that need to be addressed, and other spheres of healthcare to include the cultural issues of that client. The employer also explores the personality trait of the client. Interviewing skills are essential in this instance. The patient needs to be interviewed, as does the potential nurse being hired for the position. The agency should send you profiles of the potential nurse. It is up to the employer to request an interview and screen these healthcare nurses directly or indirectly. Make an informed decision based on knowledge, experience, appearance, and bedside manner. Bedside manner would not necessarily matter if you were a nursing journalist, but when working with a special population of direct patient contact, bedside manner is important.

There are many qualifications that an employer must primarily assess before a partnership between the healthcare professional and the patient is established. Once the employer meets these directives, she or he can go into detail about the requested particulars. Qualifications, legal and occupational, must be adhered to in any healthcare industry. These are certifications like professional licenses and registrations, to include nursing, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), et al. Without the minimum legal and occupational requirements, a match is not probable. A lack of these qualifications is called dealbreakers.

Professional accreditation corporations can accredit healthcare agencies. These professional accreditation organizations screen for certain requirements. The accreditation process ascertains certain compliance requirements are met. These organizations also place the healthcare agency or edifice in a database that track its performance. This will give the employer peace of mind, without having to do the investigative work. The agency chosen to staff the healthcare organization or care for the patient should understand the facility’s compliance requirements. The facility should have a registered nurse manager on duty to answer the questions the employer or patient may have regarding compliance.

The prospective healthcare agency should conduct complete criminal background checks of their professional staff. It is important to conduct criminal background checks. People that have been in trouble with the law can change; and a prison sentence is repayment of the crime that was committed; however, the employer should be fully aware of the healthcare professional’s criminal background before making a decision to hire one with a criminal record. This is a significant risk, and one needs to have all the information before making a hiring decision.

Once the employer has a clear understanding of the services needed by the patient, she or he can move on to the screening of healthcare providers to match the needs and other dynamics of the patient. It is the employer’s responsibility to employ patients compatible in personality, professionalism and gender.

The employer ascertains the gender of the patient in order to match the nurse and patient appropriately. Gender is very important in some cultures. Under normal conditions, the nurse, aid, or healthcare professional and the patient should have the same sex (no pun intended). There are exceptions to every rule; however, the same gender rule is the normalcy.

Nursing professionals tend to think it is their primary job to change a person’s belief system. This is not the case. The patient should be matched as closely to their cultural identity as the employer is able. Similiarly, the patient should be matched as close to their personal and medical requests as possible. For example, a patient with a laguage barrier or nutritional barrier is prime reason to match a patient as closely as possible. The familiarility with culture entails many aspects of the patient’s life. It speaks to the rehabilitation process, as it assists the patient to have better results within a given timeframe. The healthcare provider that shares the same culture as the patient would be better able to maintain the patient’s nutritional need compliance due to cultural familiarity.

In situations where a family member without healthcare experience has to hire a nurse or another healthcare professional, they may not know what the best choice is for their loved one. It is difficult to make important decisions like this alone. When in this situation, it is good to solicit asistance from the hospital. Usually if working with a hospital they usually attempt to have the resources ready for your loved one upon discharge. If this is not the case, a social worker can usually be of assistance. If the social worker cannot answer your questions, she or he can direct you to the proper resource.

It is not always the best idea to request the highest level of healthcare professional individual to assist in your needs. Let me explain. Although a registered nurse is qualified to do the work of a certified nursing assistant, for example the task of bathing a patient, she or he does not normally complete those tasks. Another healthcare professional would be assigned these tasks. The result is the tasks may not be done with the ease and diligence as one who does the task all the time. Consequently, the client or patient will be paying a higher-level healthcare professional to do a job that may be better suited for a more financially reasonable caretaker.

Conversely, hiring a certified nursing assistant will not be the professional needed when attempting to administer medications and explain them to the patient. This is out of the professional’s scope of practice. This means that they are not legally qualified to perform this task. The inexperienced client or patient may also speak to a registered nurse and ask questions. It will enable the client or patient to hire the right healthcare professional.

These are a few tenets are necessary in order to have a positive experience hirings heathcare professionals. The way to a healthy patient begins with a healthy nurse. I hope that this information will help employers hire quality healthcare professionals.

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