Best practices for hiring surgical technologists: a guide for facilities

Surgical technologists are allied healthcare professionals working full-time in operation theatres and assisting surgeons by equipping the operation room and patients to have surgery. Though the role of a surgical technologist is not directly hands-on like that of surgical assistants, they do all the preparatory arrangements, including safety checks, monitoring patient vital signs, and handing over sterilized surgical instruments to surgeons as needed. 

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the demand for surgical technologists to rise by 6% in the upcoming decade due to the increasing demand for surgical procedures caused by the aging baby boom generation and refinements in medical technologies. There is also a high chance of burnout among surgical technologists as they work on extended shifts for emergency surgical procedures. This blog delves into the best practices and effective strategies for surgical technologist hiring. 

Developing effective hiring strategies for surgical technologists

Surgical technologists play an essential role in ambulatory surgery centers and outpatient clinics to guarantee a safe and precise surgical procedure. Hence, there is considerable pressure on the healthcare facilities from surgeons and surgical assistants to fill the vacant surgical technologist job openings. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 8500 job openings are projected each year on average, while most remain unfilled. This implies the necessity of evaluating the surgical technologist’s job outlook and crafting effective strategies for surgical tech hiring in your facility to recruit top talents from the competitive medical staffing industry. Here is an outline of the strategy that can be implemented for successful surgical technologist hiring.

• Specify the qualifications, skills, and experience expected from a potential candidate in the job description.
• Make the job description clear and relevant to the duties in your facility.
• Talented candidates can be attracted and recruited by proposing a comprehensive benefits package along with salary and additional perks.
• Along with technical expertise, soft skills such as attention to detail and team collaboration are also essential for this role.
• Use software like Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to screen the candidate profiles based on your requirements.
• Check the practical expertise of the candidates during the screening process with the help of simulations or other technologies.
• Establish clear career progression pathways and provide opportunities for career development to your staff.
• Promoting a positive work environment and prioritizing employee wellbeing and work-life balance can aid in reducing staff burnout.
• While executing surgical technologist hiring strategies, developing a retention strategy is also important to prevent staff attrition.

Challenges of recruiting surgical technologists in a competitive market

The healthcare domain is fast evolving with modern healthcare provisions and advanced technologies. Due to the competitive market scenario, this has impacted the hiring of various allied healthcare professionals, including surgical technologists. Understanding the recruiting challenges of surgical technologist hiring is required to streamline the process and build effective recruitment strategies. A notable challenge is the limited availability of specialists to accommodate the high demand in various regions. This limited talent availability might be due to geographical factors, inflated living costs, and strict regulatory policies by the state. This urges healthcare facilities to provide higher compensation packages and compelling benefits above their budgets to attract skilled surgical technologists.

Another challenge is staff retention, as the surgical technologist’s job role demands working on weekends and long shifts in case of emergencies. This impedes the work-life balance of the employees, leading them to exit the workforce. Facilities need to take proper measures to retain existing staff by fostering a supportive work environment, promoting work-life balance, and ensuring inclusivity. 

Best practices for hiring surgical technologists in high-demand regions

Geographical factors impact the demand for surgical technologists. For instance, there might be a heightened surgical technologist demand in urban areas due to the large population size and the presence of multiple competitive healthcare facilities. Nevertheless, rural areas also pose a high demand for surgical technologists due to the limited availability of skilled surgical technologists in rural healthcare settings. Here is a list of the best practices that can be followed while hiring surgical technologists in these high-demand areas.

• Do detailed market research and explore why there is a massive demand for surgical tech hiring. Being familiar with the competitors, salary trends, etc can aid in making better hiring decisions.
• Craft an attractive job description listing the unique features, surgical technologist benefits, and testimonials of your facility. This can readily increase the credibility and brand of your healthcare facility, which in turn attracts candidates.
• Advertise the job openings in various local job portals and social media to increase its reach to potential candidates. Having employee referral policies to promote referrals from existing employees can be highly beneficial for surgical technologists hiring.
• Standardize the interview process to check the technical skills and aptitude of the candidate. It is also important to have a practical assessment to understand the practical knowledge of the surgical technologist.
• Adhere to legal and compliance regulatory policies throughout the recruitment process. A thorough credentialing of the candidate and having a quick compliance checklist can help prevent the regulatory implications that may arise.
• Retaining existing staff is a best practice to control the increasing staff demand. Ensuring cultural fit while surgical technologist hiring can be a huge plus, as candidates whose values and beliefs align with the values and motto of the facility tend to stay long.
• In areas of high demand, consider hiring new surgical tech graduates from local training institutions to fill the staff shortage. However, it is essential to ensure that you provide adequate onboarding training and on-the-job mentorship opportunities to the new graduates by utilizing the existing experienced professionals in your facility. This reduces the chances of any mishaps during the surgical procedures as the surgical technologist has a critical job role.

To relieve your administrative team from the hectic surgical technologists’ hiring process in high-demand areas, collaborating with professional surgical tech staffing solutions providers like MedSquirrels can be highly beneficial. They help interpret the demand-supply gap in the area and suggest strategies based on it.