The Dwindling Healthcare Workforce: Where Do We Go From Here?

  “Ask any nursing leader about their greatest challenge and they’ll likely point to staffing. If hospitals weren’t already feeling the effects of a severe nursing shortage, a nationwide rise in hospitalizations fueled by the highly contagious COVID-19 delta variant has made the effects of it unmistakable.” —Erica Carbajal and Gabrielle Masson, Becker’s Hospital Review.  [continue reading…]

Compassionate Leadership Practice through Diversity & Inclusion

  Jane Fitzsimmons, MSN, RN, Executive Vice President, Executive Search Services Ena Williams, MBA, RN, CENP, Nurse Executive & DEI Researcher Joy Parchment, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, Nurse Executive & AONL Committee on DEI Based on a panel discussion moderated by Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, The DAISY Foundation. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are not something that  [continue reading…]

8 Smart Practices for Fostering Diverse Leadership Advancement

Our nation’s increasingly diverse community will result in a more diverse patient population moving toward a majority-minority balance by 2043, according to projections from the U.S. Census Bureau. Currently, those changing demographics are reflected in hospital patient populations. And yet, this increasing diversity is not reflected in healthcare leadership. How do you retain and develop  [continue reading…]

Maximizing Executive Success in the First Year

According to Michael Watkins, professor at International Institute for Management Development (IMD), “On average, 25% to 40% of new hires are either terminated, self-selected out of the new position or assessed as not meeting expectations (disappointing performance) after six to twelve months in the new position. Some organizations report even higher rates.” Watkins also emphasizes  [continue reading…]

Getting the Most Out of an Executive Search: 12 Best Practices for Healthcare Executives

  One of the most crucial responsibilities of healthcare executives is selecting the mission-critical leadership team. While having the right talent has always been important, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has placed an increased emphasis on conducting an expeditious search for the nation’s top talent. COVID-19 has accelerated everything—including senior leaders retiring early. Balancing an organization’s  [continue reading…]

Building an Inclusive Search Process

  Our country’s increasingly diverse community will result in a more diverse patient population moving toward a majority-minority balance by 2043, according to projections from the U.S. Census Bureau. Currently, those changing demographics are reflected in hospital patient populations. And yet, this increasing diversity is not reflected in healthcare executive leadership. Indeed, healthcare’s most notable  [continue reading…]

Building Cultural Competence in Healthcare Organizations

The recent COVID-19 pandemic serves to underscore the growing body of evidence confirming racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare access and clinical outcomes. The Institute of Medicine Report, IOM, (2004)  states that diversity among healthcare professionals is associated with improved access, provider-patient communication, and patient satisfaction. As the knowledge and understanding of these relationships grow,  [continue reading…]

Recruiting for Critical Roles During the COVID-19 Crisis

  Filling mission critical roles during the pandemic is essential – yet traditional recruitment processes have been suspended. With social distancing, healthcare organizations must employ creative ways to recruit, interview and fill necessary roles. Since many leaders are redeployed to command centers, testing sites  and other roles on the frontline, bringing critical talent on board  [continue reading…]

What Our Clients Say: KBA Executive Search

  Finding top leadership talent in all areas of healthcare is increasingly difficult – and nursing is certainly no exception. Upfront evaluation of organizational needs and stakeholder consensus can save time and money and builds team engagement. For more than 30 years, Kirby Bates Associates has provided cost-effective solutions for healthcare clients seeking exceptional leaders and  [continue reading…]

2019 ASHHRA Survey: The Evolving Landscape of Healthcare Hiring

  Everyone knows that healthcare is changing but what about hiring? Is technology the answer? At this year’s American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administrators Annual Conference (ASHHRA 2019) in Chicago, we surveyed our colleagues about search strategies. Here’s what we uncovered. Understanding Passive Candidates First, we asked about passive candidates – those who are  [continue reading…]

Diversity in Healthcare Leadership: Breaking the Glass Ceiling

  Despite decades of attention, there has been very little progress toward increasing diversity in healthcare leadership. Data published by the American College of Healthcare Executives confirms that minorities are underrepresented in executive leadership, and are paid less when compared to their white counterparts. According to the American Hospital Association, 31% of patients nationally are  [continue reading…]

How the Retained Search Process Can Add Value for Healthcare Organizations

  Choosing the most effective approach to recruit talented executive healthcare leaders who will redesign care delivery is one of the most critical contributions of the human resource team. Where does the human resource team begin?  With uncertain reimbursement and neverending financial challenges, healthcare professionals must walk a tightrope—balancing the need to cut expenses while  [continue reading…]

How to Maintain Empathy in Healthcare

  What it means and why it matters. Showing empathy in healthcare is an important driver of patient satisfaction.   Communication is the key – both receiving and sharing information.  As a member of the healthcare team, the quality of your communication with patients should be consistent and aim to build relationships with patients and  [continue reading…]

Top Trends in the Executive Search Process

  Today’s healthcare executives face unique leadership challenges that are driven by health system consolidation; shifts in organizational culture; changes in employee composition; and redesign from the bedside to the boardroom. Organizations are faced with recruiting leaders for emerging roles that align with new healthcare structures and replacing an entire generation of baby boomers. Successful  [continue reading…]