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TR FILE PHOTo Health care systems nationwide are experiencing a shortage of skilled providers, but UnityPoint in Marshalltown is countering this trend.
As businesses and industries struggle to hire people to fill vacancies, healthcare systems face the same challenge. But UnityPoint – Marshalltown is going against the trend.
Hospital administrator Shari King said there was a national shortage of nurses and providers in every state and had persisted since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The National Association of Physician Recruiters tracks the percentage of contracts signed and returned” she said. “I know UnityPoint Health is about 20% above the national average in this region. This tells us that when providers engage with UnityPoint Health, we provide a memorable experience and an engaging opportunity.
The pandemic only made the fight harder, which was felt by UnityPoint.
“The sad reality is that the pandemic has been tough on those working in health care, and finding skilled and compassionate caregivers is now more daunting than ever,” she said.
However, UnityPoint has certain programs, philosophies and attributes in place to attract and retain desirable employees. To address the provider shortage, UnityPoint Health is developing providers through residency programs.
There is a dedicated physician recruiting service at Marshalltown Hospital, and members work on behalf of all communities to attract qualified providers and place them in facilities that match needs, abilities and preferences. King saw the program provide research benefits in Marshalltown. UnityPoint also offers a physician referral bonus of $ 5,000. Any member of the community can refer a qualified family doctor. If this doctor is then hired to practice at UnityPoint, the person who referred him receives the bonus.
“We realize word of mouth is truly the best form of advertising, and we know our community has family, friends and other connections with talented doctors who would love to come and work in Marshalltown.” said the king. “I think that’s especially true if it’s in our new hospital and our clinics that will open next year.”
The physician referral bonus was launched in June. Although there have been a few referrals, it takes a long time to recruit and integrate doctors. King said it takes several months. Once a doctor is hired, any bonus would be paid up to $ 2,500 after the first 30 days of work and $ 2,500 after six months of work.
King likes the idea of the community helping with research.
“We are very encouraged by these programs”, she said.
Attracting specialist suppliers is a bigger challenge for UnityPoint.
“While Marshalltown is not a small town, it is not a particularly large community either, and we find that the size of a community can impact the choice of specialist suppliers in demand to plant roots.” said the king.
To compensate for the lack of specialized care, UnityPoint takes advantage of larger systems nearby. If anyone here needs a higher level of care, they are quickly transferred to a larger partner nearby for higher level attention, like Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Waterloo.
“So this is an integrated benefit that the people of Marshalltown can tap into our valuable network of specialties and services,” said the king. “We are continually evaluating ways to attract talent to Marshalltown. However, the most important guideline is the commitment we have made to this community to remain financially viable. Financial margins in healthcare are generally slim, and it’s imperative that we stay focused on what we’re here to do: provide patient care.
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Contact Lana Bradstream
at 641-753-6611 or [email protected].
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