Increasingly the feeling is the pandemic is behind us.  The Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation Health System Tracker shows that as of December 2022, healthcare sector jobs are 1.2% higher than in February 2020 which was the previous peak.  All other job sectors are 0.8% higher in the same time span.   However, the pandemic’s impacts linger in many areas, particularly and acutely in Healthcare. 

The Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation Health System Tracker shows Healthcare is nearly 4% under projected levels based on pre-pandemic growth rates. The Great Resignation hit Healthcare Providers very hard.  So too, many staff members resigned.  Patients are noticing.  A recent HealthDay/Harris Poll shows 25% of Americans have noticed or personally experienced the impact of staffing shortages in health care and more than half of respondents blamed staffing shortages for delaying them from receiving needed care.  Any Podiatry practice which is hiring for healthcare jobs is experiencing both existing staffing issues and recruitment challenges.  

Podiatry practices face several challenges in recruiting for any position.  Let’s just consider just four challenges practices have in hiring:

1. Aging Workforce

According to the US Department of Labor, workers 55 and over now make up 25 percent of the labor force — up from 13 percent in 2000.  Every resignation of a cherished “elder” employee stings.  Significant tribal knowledge is lost.  This impacts healthcare delivery in all facets of a Podiatry practice.  Medical experience is lost, and the reduced administrative prowess of front-office and back-office staff noticeably impacts day-to-day operations.

2. Burnout

There is unprecedented pressure on Podiatry facilities and staff.   The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment reports one-third of physicians are considering retiring early which would exacerbate aging-related retirements.  Administrative burnout is real, too.  Burned out administrative staff are less proficient at their jobs and this leaves patients feeling overlooked and unhappy BEFORE they even get to see the Podiatrist.

3. Shortage of Qualified Individuals

Hiring for every role in a Podiatry practice is faced with a shortage of qualified individuals.  Data from the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM) shows decreasing enrollment in Podiatry school since 2015.  Finding qualified associates can be a challenge, as a result.  Post-secondary vocational or technical education in administrative work is not as common as it once was.  Many Podiatry practices are faced with hiring people with no experience in healthcare administrative roles hoping they can develop into the dynamic, multi-tasking gatekeepers who greet patients in a positive and friendly manner.  A secondary impact of the shortage of qualified potential hires is longer hiring timelines. 

4. Hiring Costs

Months and months of inflation, the movement of calling for an increased minimum wage of $15 per hour, educational debt, and many other factors have driven up hiring costs for administrative staff who can make more in warehouse jobs.  The average medical school graduate owes $250,990 in total student loan debt.  This fact drives the decision making of potential Podiatry associates. Salaries are a significant portion of expenses for a practice.  All of this rests against the reality that when adjusted for inflation in practice costs, Medicare physician pay declined 20% from 2001 to 2021 according to the Federal Register, Medicare Trustee’s Reports and US. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Podiatry practices cannot function well without addressing hiring issues.  No doubt, this is made more challenging in an environment where candidates overwhelmingly hold most of the leverage.  

Here are four tips for creating a mindful and calculated approach to deal with the hiring process:

1. Recommit to Your Purpose

Podiatry practices furnish good work opportunities in a rewarding space.  Few medical specialties present the opportunity to see and connect so frequently with patients as Podiatry does. The patient base for Podiatry practices skews older in age. Podiatry practices are places of healing, but also social hubs for elderly patients.  The Podiatrist and their staff often are frequently the only social interaction some elders get.  It is important, enriching work for Podiatrist and staff.  That should shine through in job descriptions and interviews.  This recommitment emotionally helps with burnout. 

2. Work Can Be Ageless

As much as the aging workforce presents challenges, it is simultaneously presenting opportunities.  Workers are aging and CHOOSING to remain in the workforce longer as life expectancies grow, and inflation erodes Social Security and other fixed income assets.  Workers over the age of 65 comprise 7% of the workforce currently.  That is expected to grow to 23% in 2028.  The AARP and other organizations offer programs for connecting older workers to jobs.  In many cases, these older workers possess skill and experience in the highly complex administrative roles which benefit a Podiatry practice.

3.Permit Flexibility

Don’t unnecessarily fetter yourself to old paradigms.  For example, can a former full-time position be handled with two part-time hires?  This can build in resiliency in your workforce.  Your organizational knowledge won’t be one person deep.  Time off is built into two roles offsetting burnout.  Does a hire have to have healthcare experience?  Perhaps that over 55, former law firm receptionist trains up easily enough to be the friendly face your patients love and a multi-tasking beast of an employee administratively.  Can the former Vet Tech make a great Medical Assistant?  Challenge every assumption you’ve ever had regarding how you have executed hiring in the past. 

4. Be Candid and Direct with Job Descriptions

Too much focus can be placed on relevant experience as a surrogate for job qualifications.  Be clear about the specific responsibilities.  Make sure job descriptions reflect what your brand is (1. Recommit to your purpose).  Explain what you need from the role for which you are hiring and what the practice can provide them in return.  This will help you get focused batches of resumes for review. 

The challenges faced by Podiatry practices in hiring go beyond these scant few mentioned and are many.  Regardless of which negative, even panicky, feelings these challenges present, Podiatrists and Practice Managers will continue to have hiring needs and must develop plans to appropriately meet those needs.  It is perfectly fine and appropriate to feel stressed and overwrought with the task.  Acknowledge the difficulty and remember successfully negotiating the hiring process is essential to increasing your own morale, your employees’ morale and creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, more productive and engaged. 

That is a business which has better attractiveness to current and potential talent.