Hiring in Healthcare – You can take the Nurse out of Nursing, or Can You?

Here is Cassidy’s Story 

If we can put a person in a role that resonates with their skills, abilities, motivations, and future growth, we all benefit. Employee engagement is higher, ownership, and investment increases (with the support of a well-equipped manager). Our Partners feel the impact of it. It’s something that transcends industries whether that’s tackling the nuances of the SaaS space, or the challenges felt in the world of healthcare. In this case, especially healthcare. 

As a team who sits on our Partner’s side of the table, we are focused on delivering an experience that is connecting, understanding, generates results and does so with excellence and empathy. 

That means we need consultants who understand; consultants who have been there. Experts with heart knowledge as well as head knowledge.  

Webster defines an expert as: 

Expert: 

1. a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area. 

“a financial expert” 

Similar: 

adjective 

      2. having or involving authoritative knowledge. 

“He had received expert academic advice” 

Cassidy Burmeister is one of our healthcare experts. Having worked as a nurse, Cassidy is well placed to meet the challenges of hiring in healthcare and putting the right people in the right seats. Cassidy gets it. 

You can take the nurse out of nursing, put her in recruiting but she is well, still a nurse 

Here is what a day in the life looks like for Cassidy and for the candidates we connect with (and by connect we mean share a connection with). 

A Day in the Life – Cassidy Burmeister, Healthcare Consultant 

I (Cassidy) was recently speaking to a Physician. We had previously connected over the opportunity our Partner had available and this was our agreed-upon time to reconnect and move forward with our process of pursuing this position. 

I called promptly at our scheduled time and as the phone was ringing; I had received a text message from her.  

“Sorry, running a little behind. Busy day at the clinic. Can we push back 30 min?” 

“Of course! Take your time. Let me know when you are ready.” 

When we finally connect on the phone, she frantically begins by apologizing and explaining her lateness. What I heard was more than the words she was speaking. I heard the stress, the strain, and the trials of the day she was still carrying in her voice. I could sense the effort she was putting forth in switching her focus from the chaos of the day to the next item on her to-do list: speaking to me about a new job opportunity.  

After I insisted no apology was necessary, I simply told her, “Take a breath. If you need to take some time to decompress that’s perfectly okay. I’m a nurse.” No sooner than those words came out of my mouth, she immediately responded, “OH, so you understand!”  

Yes, I do. I truly do.  

I understand what it feels like to be so overwhelmed after focusing on taking care of other people all day long, you don’t even know what you need to do to take care of yourself anymore. I understand what it’s like after being pulled in a million different directions because of the vast size of your literal life-saving to-do list that you don’t know which way is up. I know what it’s like to feel disconnected from yourself after a long shift because you’ve switched parts of yourself off to be fully present for your patients.  

Take a breath. Decompress. It’s Okay. 

This candidate went on to debrief the rockiest parts of her day to me and I could acknowledge her frustration and validate her struggles. We could connect while speaking the language that only healthcare professionals understand. I could sense the tension slowly release as she was able to clear her mind and let go of some of the weight from the day. We then continued our conversation as planned and she is currently in the interview process for a new opportunity.  

A large part of being a nurse is assessing, critically thinking, and prioritizing your actions all in one swift motion. Overtime, this skill seeps into your DNA, and after seven years of acute care experience, it’s in my bones. In this case, I could assess this physician struggling to move on from whatever hardship she had experienced with her patients during her workday and instead of pushing my agenda, I chose to prioritize her needs in that moment. What she needed was a listening ear and someone to give her permission: It’s okay to take a breath. 

Everything matters. What you say. How you say it. When you say it. The who. What. The why. It all matters in your approach. It matters to know your audience. And what the audience of healthcare professionals need is to be seen, acknowledged, validated, heard.  

People first. Empathetic Engagement. Courageous Candor. Personal Professionalism.  

These are phrases we practice day in and day out at Titus, but we don’t just say it, we live it. This is why culture matters. Being a part of a group that focuses on shared values and acts on these values doesn’t just happen. If you want genuine results, then allow space for genuine connection.  

 These are crucial factors that are being frequently overlooked in the healthcare industry right now. Without dismissing the reality of everyday struggles that understandably take priority in providing patient care. Let’s not forget that recognizing your clinicians for what they do and listening to their concerns, also impacts patient care. 

Recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals are massive issues the healthcare industry is dealing with. They are large and complex and variable from system to system. Partnering with someone who not only knows the industry but knows your target audience, could make all the difference in navigating the ongoing battle of recruitment and retainment. I’m Cassidy Burmeister, RN. Consultant at Titus Talent Strategies and a healthcare professional, please reach out to the Titus team for help with any of your healthcare hiring needs.