Developing effective hiring strategies for surgical technologists

Surgical technologists play a pivotal role in equipping the operation theatre and patients for surgery as per the safety standards. However, the nature of their work and rotatable shifts are impeding the work-life balance of most surgical technologists, leading them to exit the labor force due to burnout issues. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average of around 8,700 job openings are projected each year in the next decade. Most healthcare facilities struggle to fill the surgical technologist position with a skilled professional. To navigate the challenges faced by surgical technologists and hire the right candidates for your facility, effective strategies need to be developed for surgical technologist hiring as well as retention. 

The first and foremost thing to strategize is the mode of recruitment to fill the surgical technologist gap in your facility. You can recruit a full-time candidate yourself or a contractor through a surgical technologist hiring agency that will act as your employer of record (EOR). Notably, both have their advantages and disadvantages. After assessing your budget levels and staffing requirements, you have to decide on the mode of hiring. MedSquirrels, a SaaS staffing platform, offers flexible recruitment solutions for you to choose from different hiring plans. The staffing platform can help you find a full-time provider or act as the EOR by recruiting and taking care of payroll and benefits for the contractors. More details on our Orange and Purple Plans can be found here. 

Creating a competitive job offer for surgical technologist hiring

The rising demand for surgical technologists has made the job market for surgical technologists competitive. This has made it difficult for facilities to attract the right talent without having a strategy in place. The first and foremost thing in attracting a surgical technologist is tailoring a competitive job offer customized for your facility. Let us see how a competitive yet compelling job offer can be crafted for surgical tech hiring.

• Offer competitive salary and benefits: Thoroughly research the job outlook and pay scale for skilled surgical technologists in your state and offer competitive salaries based on the market standards. On top of salary, providing additional perks like vacation, flexible shifts, retirement plans, etc can make your job offer more appealing.  
• Provide a clear and detailed job description: It is essential to list the detailed job duties and expectations of a surgical technologist clearly in the job description. Also, provide transparent information on the performance evaluation criteria for career progression.
• Foster a positive work environment: Encouraging team collaboration and cultivating a supportive work environment can be highly beneficial not only for recruiting talent but also for retaining the current surgical tech workforce in your facility. Promoting policies supporting work-life balance can also prevent staff burnout to a larger extent.
• Supporting diversity and inclusiveness: By supporting diversity and having proper diversity, and equity and inclusion (D&I) policies in your facility, you will be able to include diverse candidates in your hiring process. This extends your chance to recruit the right skilled surgical technologist for your facility.

Navigating regulatory and certification requirements for surgical technologist hiring

Various regulatory and certification requirements need to be adhered to during surgical technologist hiring. Even though the surgical technologist certification requirement remains the same across most states in the USA, the compliance criteria are determined by the state where the facility is located. Some general regulatory and certification requirements that need to be verified during surgical technologist hiring pertain to educational qualifications, job duties, certification requirements, and licensure. The candidate needs to have a certificate or associate degree in surgical technology from an accredited institution along with on-the-job training to be considered a qualified surgical technologist. Along with education, though not mandatory, it is always good to hire surgical technologists who have completed specialized surgical technologist training and have certifications from authorized boards. This ensures that the candidate is up-to-date in the field. Some of the common certifications include Certified Surgical Technologist (CST), Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA), and Certified Surgical Technologist-Perioperative Educator (CST-POE).

Another important criterion that needs careful evaluation is the candidate’s license to practice as a surgical technologist in the state where your facility is residing. Though the license requirements vary from state to state, continuing education is mostly the primary criterion for license renewal. Understanding these regulatory requirements is essential to successfully navigate the legal complications that may arise in the future. Here is a list of guidelines to help you navigate the regulatory requirements for surgical tech hiring.

• Understand the requirements specifically imposed by your state.
• Check for the license of the candidate. If licensed, verify the license renewal history.
• Do a detailed background verification and credentialing to understand whether a candidate is the right fit for the role.
• Check the educational qualifications of the candidate.
• Communicate the job requirements of the candidate properly.
• Document every stage of the recruitment process.
• Have fair evaluation criteria for all the candidates.
• Evaluate the practical expertise of the candidate while interviewing.