Strategic planning for MRI Technologist hiring

MRI  technologists play a significant role in diagnosing diseases, aiding physicians in making accurate and timely medical interventions. The demand for MRI technologists is steadily rising year on year, driven by several factors. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job openings for MRI tech hiring are expected to increase by 6% in the next decade. On analyzing the MRI tech job outlook, it was noted that the key drivers of this growing demand are caused by the retiring workforce and the burned-out staff. The MRI technologists are experiencing a greater workload due to the aging population, rising cases of chronic diseases, and increased demand for early disease prognosis among the US population. Moreover, the advancing research in the MRI technology field poses a demand for skilled MRI technologists. 

The growing MRI tech demand has created the need for healthcare facilities to implement effective strategies for MRI technologist hiring. It has become essential that the facilities understand and proactively address the challenges and shortcomings associated with MRI tech hiring to maintain high standards of patient care and operational efficiency. Read through this blog to gain insights on how to plan strategies for MRI technologist hiring.  

Strategies for MRI Tech recruitment: attracting top talent to your facility

Framing a customized MRI tech recruitment strategy begins with understanding the unique requirements of your facility. Gaining sufficient market knowledge and collecting feedback from the existing staff is the crucial first step toward strategizing MRI tech recruitment. Given below are the strategic changes you can make in each stage of the recruitment process to hire and retain the top talent for your facility.

• Define clear job requirements and hiring goals: Create a detailed job description defining the skillsets, qualifications, experience, MRI tech certifications, and expectations for the role. Rather than providing generic job descriptions, explain the requirements in your facility. Moreover, setting proper hiring goals on the number of candidates to be hired, specialization, etc in advance can greatly impact the MRI tech hiring process. 
• Offer a comprehensive benefits plan: It is essential to ensure that you provide attractive salary packages in line with the market standards while hiring MRI technologists. In addition to fair compensation, a comprehensive benefits plan will include additional perks such as paid time off, flexible shifts, retirement plans, etc to retain the top MRI technologists in your facility.
• Foster a supportive work environment: Always make sure that you provide a supportive and inclusive work environment for the hired staff in your facility. Take feedback from the staff regularly to get insights into the areas of improvement. Also, implement rewards and recognition programs to reward high-performing employees. 
• Offer flexible schedules: Provide flexible shift options for the employees and make sure that you have adequate staff to work on shifts. It is necessary to ensure that your staff is not overworked as burned-out staff can reduce the work efficiency as well.
• Implement referral programs: The simplest yet efficient way to hire MRI technologists is by taking referrals from your existing employees. Providing referral bonuses and rewards for successful referrals can greatly help streamline the process.
• Utilize technology to ease the recruitment process: Using tools like the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can help you simplify the resume screening and shortlisting process based on the skillsets, experience level, and qualifications of the candidates.
• Provide continuous learning opportunities: This strategy is useful in retaining the MRI technologists hired in your facility. Providing continuous learning opportunities for upskilling MRI technologists and creating opportunities for learning are crucial steps to improve staff retention.
• Partner with MRI tech staffing providers: By partnering with MRI tech staffing companies like MedSquirrels, you can alleviate a large extent of your administrative processes associated with MRI technologist hiring. 

Essential qualities to look for when hiring MRI Technologists

When hiring MRI technologists, the following are some of the skill sets that facilities need to consider while shortlisting potential candidates. 

• Technical proficiency in operating and maintaining the MRI equipment
• Skills to troubleshoot issues with the MRI machine
• Clinical expertise in generating high-quality MRI scan reports while adhering to safety standards
• Strong interpersonal skills to communicate with the patients
• Detail-oriented while setting up the scanning device
• Problem-solving skills 
• Adaptable to learning and improve the skill 
• Empathy and compassion for the patients
• Ability to collaborate with other allied health professionals