Maintaining a fully staffed rehabilitation department presents huge challenges for every Rehabilitation Director.  Employee turnover and a shortage of specialized talent make for a perfect storm when it comes to filling openings and covering short term leaves. Most Directors of Rehabilitation wear many hats and don’t have time to focus solely on recruiting their next therapist. Human Resource Departments, which recruit for a whole facility, may lack the focus needed to passively recruit hard to find physical and occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists.

That’s where a staffing agency comes in. Staffing agencies focus 100% of its energy on recruiting therapists. They come alongside a facility to help find new talent quickly, saving the rehabilitation department time and lost revenue.   In addition, working with an Allied Health Staffing Agency gives your department access to a much deeper pool of talented physical, occupational, and speech therapists and therapist assistants, than if you only searched locally for candidates.

When looking for a staffing partner, it’s important that you find the right agency for your organization. After all, the skill and experience of your workers will directly affect the level of care your rehab facility provides, as well as the safety and satisfaction of your patients. In the end, your success lies in finding the right supplemental staffing partner.

Allied Health Staffing Essentials

There are several things you’ll want to look into. These include:

• The values and specialties of the staffing agency. You’ll want to choose a staffing partner that specializes in travel staff for rehabilitation services, including physical and occupational therapy and speech language pathology. The better the agency knows the industry, the higher the quality of candidates you’ll receive. Also, what are the mission and values of the staffing company, and do they align with those of your facility? You can check its website to learn all of this and more.
• What service options does the agency offer? Depending on whether you have to cover a maternity leave, replace a permanent employee, or cover weekends, the type of service that you want to contract for will vary. You need an agency that provides a variety of service options to fit your current need.  If you build a long-term relationship with an agency, their ability to understand your needs and create flexible options to meet those needs, will be enhanced.
• How the agency screens its candidates. When you speak with a representative from a healthcare staffing agency, ask plenty of questions about how they find, screen and credential their travel candidates. Do they ensure proper education, experience and licensure? Does the firm conduct background checks and drug screens? The more you can find out about the recruiting process, the more likely you’ll be to find candidates who are right for your facility — ensuring the success of your placements.
• What others are saying about the agency’s services. The opinion of others who have used the agency can speak volumes about the quality of its candidates and services. You can look for online reviews, or talk with colleagues familiar with the firm. It can also help to ask your colleagues to recommend staffing agencies they’ve used and liked.
• How comprehensive the agency’s offerings are. If you’re looking for physical and occupational therapists as well as speech language pathologists, it can help to work with an agency that can supply you with all three. This will help to streamline your staffing process. You’ll avoid having to maintain contracts with multiple staffing firms. Check the agency’s website to learn more.
• How much support the agency provides to its travel workers. Travel staff arrive in a new city and must assimilate to a new culture and facility. Support services, such as assistance finding housing and transportation, can greatly enhance the productivity of your travel staff as they get used to their surroundings. If you can’t find this information on the website, you should be able to find out from one of their recruiters.

It’s important to take time and cover your bases

When your facility is running smoothly with qualified, well-prepared contract rehab staff, you’ll be glad you did your research and asked the right questions.

Are you looking to supplement your staff with travel employees?

myPTsolutions provides facilities across the country with qualified physical and occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists and therapist assistants. We’ll work with you to place candidates that are well-matched to your facility. To learn more about our travel staffing services, contact myPTsolutions today.