Staffing Excellence: Transforming Clinical Talent Acquisition for a Major Academic Medical Group

Situation

A prestigious academic medical group was facing significant staffing challenges with their outpatient clinics. The organization struggled with high volume and high turnover positions, particularly Medical Assistants and Registered Nurses. For Medical Assistants, the primary issues involved finding qualified candidates who remained engaged and demonstrated consistent attendance and punctuality. For Registered Nurses, the challenge was attracting qualified professionals willing to accept the compensation package, which was somewhat lower than market rates—especially following the COVID-19 pandemic when nurses had grown accustomed to premium pay rates in hospital settings but expected similar compensation in outpatient environments.

Challenge

The medical group urgently needed to address clinical staffing shortages across their specialty practice groups. They had initially engaged multiple staffing agencies but required a more reliable, high-quality staffing partner capable of:

• Filling numerous positions quickly to minimize care disruption
• Providing candidates who would remain engaged and committed
• Supplying qualified nursing talent willing to work within their compensation structure
• Reducing the administrative burden of managing multiple staffing vendors
• Establishing a sustainable talent pipeline to address ongoing staffing needs

Solution

Networks Connect implemented a comprehensive staffing strategy tailored to the medical group’s specific needs:

1. Rapid Response Recruitment: We established a dedicated team focused on quickly filling roles, typically sourcing and placing qualified candidates within days of receiving a new position request.
2. Enhanced Screening Process: We implemented a rigorous two-step interview process before presenting candidates to the client, providing an additional layer of quality assurance beyond what other agencies offered.
3. Relationship Development: We built strong relationships with leadership, clinic managers, and HR personnel, gaining deeper insight into the organization’s culture and specific needs for each role.
4. Candidate Quality Focus: Rather than prioritizing quantity, we emphasized presenting fewer, higher-quality candidates who would succeed long-term in the organization’s environment.
5. Consistent Talent Pipeline: We maintained an active pipeline of qualified Medical Assistants and Registered Nurses to ensure immediate response to new staffing requests.

Results

The partnership between Networks Connect and the academic medical group yielded exceptional outcomes:

• We successfully placed approximately 150 contractors over a three-year period, with a remarkable 75% conversion rate to permanent employees—meaning 3 out of every 4 placed candidates were eventually hired directly by the client.
• We consistently filled 4-5 roles per month throughout the partnership, enabling the medical group to maintain consistent clinical operations.
• We emerged as the preferred staffing vendor, ultimately capturing 80% of all contract placements across the organization despite initially competing with four other agencies.
• The medical group streamlined their vendor relationships, primarily working with Networks Connect while maintaining only one other agency relationship that produced significantly fewer placements.
• Our rigorous pre-screening process resulted in higher-quality placements that demonstrated better long-term performance and retention.

Client Feedback

Why It Matters

In today’s competitive healthcare staffing environment, finding and retaining qualified clinical talent is challenging but essential for maintaining quality patient care. Networks Connect’s success with this academic medical group demonstrates how a strategic staffing partnership can transform an organization’s approach to talent acquisition.

What sets Networks Connect apart is our commitment to understanding each client’s unique needs and culture, coupled with a rigorous screening process that ensures only the most qualified candidates move forward. This approach not only fills positions quickly but creates sustainable staffing solutions that improve retention and operational performance.

Is your healthcare organization struggling with clinical staffing challenges? Networks Connect specializes in identifying and securing top-tier talent for even the most challenging roles. Contact us today to learn how we can help you build your dream team and calculate your potential ROI using our Recruiting ROI Calculator.