Medical employment is a changing landscape of which you need to stay on top of to remain competitive as you pursue careers in healthcare. While you can watch the medical job boards for recent openings and stay abreast of the healthcare jobs that are in greatest demand, you’ve got to read and keep up with the medical jobs news and trends even when you’re not actively involved in a healthcare job search.

Medical jobs become available at certain times and you have to be ready to take advantage of healthcare management jobs when they appear. By reading industry newsletters and online publications, as well as blogs and other industry communications stay on the alert for the jobs in health care that are changing and evolving so that you can be ready to for healthcare employment. Protect your career in a number of ways by keeping up with healthcare jobs news and trends.

1. Participate in medical job boards

2. Read about healthcare careers

3. Follow careers in healthcare

Action Steps for Effective Healthcare Job Hiring
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take part in healthcare job agency blogs

Whenever you have the opportunity to chat online with other healthcare professionals, make sure to indicate if you are interested in furthering your career in a certain field Often, you can sort through the gossip and find gems that will assist you in your healthcare employment search. Look for healthcare job boards that offer response opportunities.

I recommend: Onward Healthcare is a traveling nurses staffing agency that has a blog site to interact with a learn about the industry and the opportunities that are available. Learn about trends in the industry through their informative articles and industry reports. Get involved with an exciting and well-used blogging site called the Healthcare Blog. Find out about the job landscape and other issues affecting healthcare around the world.

Subscribe to medical employment publications

Whether you participate in a trade group or are relying on medical staffing agencies to help you find a career in the healthcare industry, you should take responsibility for educating yourself and creating your own avenues for developing a career network. By reading the medical job listings and watching the healthcare job boards, you can stay on top of the emerging trends affecting the industry.

I recommend: Healthcare Jobs is a website that offers information through books and newsletters that can keep you current on the healthcare news and trends affecting the job market. In addition to job posting for job seekers and employers, Job Bank USA provides newsletters and reports that track the industry news and trends.

Keep the lines of information open with healthcare job search websites

If you are looking to advance your career in the healthcare industry or need to fill jobs, you should stay tuned in to the latest news and trends that you'll find on the websites of medical staffing agencies and through the advice columns that are often part of healthcare employment listings.

I recommend: Stay in touch with trends and news as well as job postings and career guides at the Riley Guide. Through MedHunters you can stay in touch with job opportunities at the group’s job board and read up on changes in the market through one of the group’s publications, by going to events and through networking.

Tips & Tactics for Hiring the Best Candidates for Careers in Healthcare

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Attend trade shows and events sponsored by the medical trade groups you belong to in order to network and see first-hand the healthcare jobs news and trends in action.

The current shortage of viable candidates in medical employment is just one hurdle you’re likely to face when attempting a healthcare job search. Too many job openings versus the number of qualified candidates vying for careers in healthcare make things difficult for potential employers. Medical employment is the second fastest growing wage and salary employment growth occupation. So finding quality employees is challenging, but not impossible.

To hire the best employees:
1. Find candidates through search firms, e-recruiting, networking, conferences and associations.
2. Prepare for a successful interview by studying various interviewing techniques.
3. Do your homework on potential employees – companies can pay over $100,000 in damages resulting from incidents involving healthcare workers with criminal records.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hire staffing agencies and search firms to help fill your healthcare jobs

Look for candidates interested in health service jobs through staffing agencies that specialize in careers in healthcare. The advantage is that the agencies can pre-screen your candidates and provide you with a short list of the best applicants, saving you time and money in the process.

I recommend: Try healthcare job search firms such as HCRNetwork.com. Find directories for healthcare staffing agencies, nurse search firms and physician search firms at Business.com.

Advertise your healthcare jobs online

Web sites and Web-based recruitment management software focussed on careers in healthcare can help you identify potential candidates and process their applications more quickly. This can also shave dollars off your search.

I recommend: Post openings at sites that specialize in healthcare jobs, including HCJobsOnline.com, MedHunters.com, Medzilla.com or MedicalWorkers.com. Save even more money by posting healthcare jobs on your own company website. Invest in e-recruitment software to help automate your selection process.

Take your healthcare job search on the road

Many healthcare events offer networking and meet-and-greet opportunities for medical employment recruiters.

I recommend: Hospitalconnect.com offers a searchable list of healthcare conferences. Find sources for more healthcare events at Business.com. Check with various healthcare-related associations and organizations, which often provide information on professional meetings and conferences where you can connect with members. Also, check with local nursing schools—you can search for schools near you at AllNursingSchools.com—to see about participating in Career Fairs that the schools may sponsor.

Advertise your healthcare jobs in industry publications

Many healthcare organizations have professional publications where employers can place advertisements for medical employment opportunities.

I recommend: Find a list of print and online healthcare publications at Pohly.com.

Medical employment interviewing tips

Hiring those interested in careers in healthcare requires a bit more diligence on your part. For example, when interviewing the healthcare job candidate, ask questions regarding interaction with patients and staff and make sure to listen for responses that would indicate the following:empathy; good work ethic; ability to prioritize and act quickly; likes/dislikes that may fit or not fit in with the current position; work experience and time spent in jobs with similar functions; any indications that the candidate will or will not follow procedures for health service jobs.

I recommend: Find sample interview questions for a variety of careers in healthcare at Job-Interview.net. Review the top 10 questions to ask candidate for health service jobs at CharacterBasedLeadership.com.

Negotiate salaries for your healthcare jobs

Medical employment salaries are on the rise, and candidates have the edge given the ratio of jobs to candidates. However, you can still negotiate a fair and attractive salary.

I recommend: Check Business.com for a directory of healthcare salary tools that can give you an idea of what is fair within the industry, within your region and even within your particular medical facility. Also, check with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and their wages summary for national and regional salary figures on medical employment.

Perform background checks before filling your health service jobs

Most basic background checks look only at drug testing, credit reports and employment histories. For just a few dollars more, you can have the company screen potential employees for healthcare sanctions, criminal records, work history, credit history, outstanding warrants, and more red flags for careers in healthcare. That’s critical for a healthcare job search. Medical employees, especially physicians and nurses, need to have clean records in order to reflect the values of your healthcare facility.

I recommend: Screen Now Employment searches for healthcare sanctions in addition to basic background info for health service jobs. Other background check firms include Intelius and Background Information Services.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ask current employees for recommendations to fill your healthcare jobs.
• •  Always check references for candidates seeking healthcare jobs, especially references from former employers.
• •  If you’re having trouble filling your medical employment openings, consider promoting from within.

Medical jobs abound if you come to the medical employment table with the right credentials. While entry-level healthcare jobs are prolific, the better paying jobs in medicine require knowledge that only comes from training and experience. To pursue careers in healthcare you should accumulate as many certificates and degrees as you can. Jobs in health care will continue to flourish for those who bring a multitude of skills to the job.

Look for healthcare careers through online healthcare job boards and through contacts and connections you can make in the industry. A healthcare job agency can be helpful for some positions, particularly for traveling nurses or if you are moving to a new area. Use all the tools available to find the best healthcare careers. There are a number of avenues you should pursue as you continually upgrade your training for healthcare jobs.

1. Peruse online training and medical job boards

2. Find training and jobs in health care through trade groups

3. Gather certificates for health care jobs

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Watch for training and careers in healthcare online

Take the time to regularly watch the healthcare job boards, as you look for opportunities online to advance your career in medicine. You'll find a number of online medical training programs that will be most helpful in your search for employment in healthcare. Check out the requirements and look for training to make you more suitable for the position you seek.

I recommend: Find a number of training opportunities through the Healthcare Training Institute so that you can add specialties to your resume and further your career. The Pima Medical Institute offers a wide range of courses that can help you advance your career or assist you land that first job with quick, affordable certification classes.

Look for medical jobs and professional development through associations

While you are pursuing a career in the healthcare industry you should also be accruing a list of connections that will help you throughout your career. Trade associations are great places to get involved with more senior level professionals and make those important contacts. At the same time, most associations offer a wide variety of professional development courses that will look good on your resume.

I recommend: Find a number of certification options through the American Association of Pediatrics. Get involved with a wide variety of training options and continuing education certifications as a member of the American Psychiatric Association.

Enroll with a specialty school for training for healthcare jobs

Armed with a variety of special certificates and training, you will open up the options available to you in the healthcare field. Try different areas before landing on the position that works best for you. Continue to pursue your education to get better paying jobs and add to the experience that will make you a better candidate for other career moves.

I recommend: Advance into management or the tech side of healthcare with a certificate or degree from Drexel University online. Advance your career with a healthcare Masters degree from American Sentinel University.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure that your resume is top notch and error-free. Get someone with experience in medical employment to go over your CV to see if you've got the right targets highlighted.

All industries have key terms that might not be familiar to an outsider, and the health care industry is no exception. Whether you are just considering going into the medical field or you are about to embark on your education and training, it's important to know the jargon commonly used by health care professionals.

Take the time to learn not only the basic definitions of these key terms, but also how they are used within the many specialized practices of health care.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Preceptorship

Many medical students and newcomers to the health care field participate in preceptorships. During a preceptorship, a highly experienced medical professional provides one-on-one training to the student or trainee. Preceptorships typically combine hands-on training and observation.

I recommend: For an example of a precetorship structure, visit Moraine Park Technical College's website for the school's associate degree nursing program. Visit the Texas Chiropractic College for examples of different preceptorship levels.

Phlebotomy

Phlebotomy, sometimes called venipuncture, is the act of drawing blood samples from veins and then preparing the samples for laboratory testing. Many professionals in the health care industry must be trained in phlebotomy.

I recommend: Find the answers to frequently asked questions about phlebotomy at the College of DuPage website. To learn more about a career in phlebotomy and educational requirements, visit the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Locum tenens

Locum tenens is a Latin phrase meaning 'to hold the place of.' In the medical field, locum tenens refers to a temporary employment opportunity for a physician. Recent medical school graduates often take advantage of locum tenens because it allows them to work in several different kinds of practices before committing to one.

I recommend: For a more in-depth explanation of locum tenens, visit StudentDoc. LocumTenens.com also offers a detailed explanation of locum tenens, including the average pay for various specialties.

Mid-level provider

Mid-level providers are also referred to as non-physician practitioners, or NPPs. This term is often used to describe physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

I recommend: To learn more about mid-level providers, including salary information and practice issues, visit the American Academy of Family Physicians.

National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX)

The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) is a term commonly used among the nursing community. All nurses must pass the NCLEX before joining the workforce.

I recommend: To learn more about the NCLEX, visit the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. For more information about what is included on the exam, as well as eligibility requirements and testing fees, visit All Nursing Schools.

Ambulatory care

Ambulatory care, or outpatient care, is a broad term used to describe health care in which the patient is not admitted into the facility. Typically, if the patient walks into the health care facility, receives care, and then walks out, the type of care administered is categorized as ambulatory.

I recommend: For a detailed explanation of what nurses can expect when working in ambulatory care, visit American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing. The Joint Commission offers a list of frequently asked questions regarding accredited ambulatory care.