How to hire physician assistants for long-term success
With the endless changes that come with healthcare advancement, the role of physician assistants (PA) is growing in importance. As healthcare systems face increasing service provision requirements from patients and decreasing workforce availability, PAs are stepping in to fill in the patient care gaps. It is vital to hire physician assistants as each medical team requires a high-performing member to ensure that patient expectations are met and the bar for the general quality of care rendered is raised.
This blog aims to articulate the PA’s role in healthcare and its effect on healthcare organizations from the perspective of patient care. Healthcare providers are looking to hire top physician assistants suitable for employment on either a contract basis or full-time. By understanding the multifaceted contributions of PAs, facilities can better navigate the complexities of healthcare staffing and enhance their operational efficiency while improving patient outcomes. The blog concludes with how MedSquirrels, a physician assistant recruitment partner, can assist your facility in hiring the best physician assistants quickly and cost-efficiently.
The impact of physician assistants on patient satisfaction and care quality
Physician assistants are integral to providing patient care and satisfaction. According to a study presented to the National Library of Medicine, the presence of a Physician Assistant in a clinic can raise the level of patient satisfaction remarkably, and even if other factors are involved, most patients will prefer to get referred to a PA. This is because the PAs are trained in the holistic treatment model, which allows them to take their patients’ medical history, conduct physical examinations, diagnose the real cause of diseases, and develop an effective treatment plan.
Since physician assistants have more time to spend with patients, they can establish a successful therapeutic alliance, which aids a lot in patients’ trust and communication towards them. The study conducted by National Library of Medicine also found that almost 98% of the respondents expressed their satisfaction towards PAs in the fulfillment of their medical needs and would be able to refer them as primary care providers. Based on this analysis, we can say that the option to hire a physician assistant will be the best practice to ensure the highest quality of care and patient satisfaction.
Willingness to see a PA for medical needs: 2018 vs. 2022
Moreover, to enhance the quality of care, PA efficiency aims to eliminate excessive processes and waiting periods. This way, the collaborative care model with other healthcare providers guarantees that patients are well taken care of without unnecessary delays, which is important in the current dispensation of healthcare. If PAs, as healthcare providers, are included in the practice, they help achieve better patient results at lowered costs.
Traits of top-performing physician assistants: what to look for in hiring
When you hire physician assistants, certain traits indicate whether or not the candidate has the potential to be a beneficial member of your healthcare team. Here are key characteristics to consider:
- Communication skills: The PA’s efficiency in communicating is important for developing relationships with patients and ensuring they follow treatment recommendations.
- Empathy: This quality allows PAs to comprehend and feel for patients, thereby increasing positive sentiments.
- Clinical competence: When you hire physician assistants, look for expertise in clinical diagnosis, treatment planning, and outcome assessment.
- Teamwork: You must see that they can cooperate and work alongside other healthcare providers as part of a unified and diverse team.
- Flexibility: In healthcare, it is important to be able to take into account the changes in the situation and the needs of the patients.
In this way, facilities can screen candidates during the physician assistant hiring process who are well qualified for the position on offer and, more importantly, specifically oriented toward patient care.
How to attract top physician assistant talent to your facility
Attracting or hiring the best physician assistant talent requires a strategic healthcare recruiting strategy. Highly competitive compensation and benefits and opportunities for advancement can also become extremely important. Adding a commitment to a positive work-life balance with a supportive work environment would make a workplace more attractive.
- Competitive compensation: When you hire physician assistants, offering attractive salary packages and benefits can make your facility stand out.
- PA work-life balance: Emphasizing flexible scheduling can help attract and hire physician assistants who can enjoy both professional and personal life.
- Career growth opportunities: Offering opportunities for professional advancement, such as ongoing education or enabling them to take leadership positions, tends to attract driven individuals.
Applying these strategies allows healthcare organizations to fill physician assistant vacancies with individuals who will interact well with patients and other team members.
Contract vs. permanent physician assistants: what is suitable for your facility?
Whether to hire contract or permanent physician assistants depends on various factors, such as your facility’s needs, the length of support needed, and budget concerns. Contract PAs can be more flexible and cost-effective when only short-term needs are required, but permanent PA staffing offers more stability and long-term benefits. So, whichever it is, it must strategically fit into your facility’s goals.
- Contract physician assistants: These are highly versatile. If you need extra support for a short period to manage your workload or fill in for absent staff, hiring physician assistants as contractors can help. And, your cost of investment will likely be lower than hiring full-time employees.
- Permanent physician assistants: These individuals grant stability, and a balanced team ensures continuity of care to the patients. It is also easy to train and develop people if they will be around for the long haul.
Ultimately, the appropriate choice should complement your practice’s long-term objectives in the areas of continuity of care and team stability.
Outsourcing vs. in-house hiring: which physician assistant recruitment model works best for you?
Whether hiring through your in-house HR team or outsourcing to a third party, there are advantages and disadvantages associated with recruiting a physician assistant through both strategies. The notable aspects that determine which of the two can be said to be better are financial capacity, the degree of urgency of the hiring exercise, and the type of facility requirements. However, most challenges and advantages posed by one method or the other are found in both methods and are relatively unique.
Using a staffing agency to find your permanent hire
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Using internal teams to find your permanent hire
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How can MedSquirrels help you build a high-performing team of pharmacists?
As mentioned earlier, hiring permanent physician assistants, whether in-house or through a staffing agency, involves significant complexities. You can leverage MedSquirrels’ staffing platform to eliminate physician assistant hiring challenges by choosing our Blue Plan. While most staffing agencies charge 20-25% of the physician assistant’s annual pay as their service fees, our platform charges only 15% of the annual pay of the hired physician assistant, thereby making the process cost-effective for you.
If you are looking to hire physician assistants on a contract basis, then you can choose our Orange and Purple plans. The Orange plan will find and hire top contractor talent based on your job description and handle credentialling, HR responsibilities, payroll, and benefits. Whereas, the Purple plan will help you quickly onboard the talent you have already sourced and we take care of credentialling, HR responsibilities, payroll, and benefits. For both of these plan, you will only pay a flat license fee and the payroll cost. This pricing model ensures competitive compensation for contract PAs and lower bill rates for your facility.
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