Starting a Health Care Staffing Agency
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Research
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Hospitals, clinics and private practices are always looking for temporary staff to fill vacation voids, take up the slack during staff shortages and cover unexpected peaks in admissions. Many health care institutions have turned to outside staffing agencies for all of their employee needs, turning over the recruitment and human resource duties to the contractor. As the industry continues to grow and change, more facilities will be turning to a health care staffing agency for employees. Look into the needs of the community that you intend to serve. Find out which organizations regularly utilize outside contractors for their staffing needs. Consider employment trends and average salaries for the types of professionals you plan to recruit. Decide which specialties might be most needed, and build a business plan. Specialty staffing agencies, such as those for registered nurses, can direct marketing and recruiting efforts to a designated population. Agencies with a broader scope that include aides, office workers and physicians could require a vast network to fulfill the needs of the business.
Recruit
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Start by talking to nurses or doctors who may be interested in contract work. Those who have worked in the field in some capacity and have a ready list of contacts in the field often start health care staffing agencies. Visit local chapters of health care associations or groups, such as the American Nurses Association, to put out the word about the new staffing agency you plan to start. Run a classified ad in the newspaper or through Craigslist to begin gathering a roster of potential employees. Collect resumes and interview candidates to find out their specialties and experience so that you'll be armed with a slate of workers ready to go once you've landed a contract.
Marketing
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Make appointments with local health care facilities to talk with the heads of human resource departments, office managers and recruiters. Introduce your company and its services through these meetings. Hand out brochures highlighting the availability of your staff and specialties you can cover. If you've recruited anesthesiologist nurses, for example, make sure that is clear in the presentation. Set up a phone line to handle the requests for staff on a 24-hour basis. Consider buying software that is designed for health care staffing agencies that can help you track staff, record hours and payroll and client requests. Nursing Biz Guide is one provider of a variety of staffing agencies programs. Create a website that clients can use to enter staffing requests and learn more about your company.
Expansion
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Recruiting and marketing are duties that a staffing agency owner must continue as the business grows. Being unable to fill a request when it comes can be disastrous for a business trying to establish a solid clientele. Hire additional staff as needed. A commercial office space is not always a necessity, as most of the work can be done by phone and online. Staffing agency clients don't typically visit an office and once on board, the professional staff should have no reason to report to an office, either. As the business grows, expand geographically to other facilities, following the same procedures that worked with your first clients.
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