A Health Workforce Crisis – Executive Recruitment in Canadian Healthcare
Vital leadership – executive recruitment – in Canadian healthcare is vital post-pandemic to help transform all levels of healthcare.
As we move through the seemingly insurmountable challenges presented by COVID-19, a post-pandemic future looms large. There are a number of factors that continue to pose extraordinary challenges to the healthcare industry as we move forward. Chief among them is the health workforce crisis we, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), and other health care partners, currently face.
We all watched as healthcare workers around the world were overwhelmed by the ravages of the pandemic. Systems and healthcare workers alike were pushed to the brink. But, it’s not over and many of the problems aren’t new.
COVID-19 amplified problems that existed before the pandemic. For instance, pre-pandemic, as many as 30 per cent of doctors reported high levels of burnout, struggling with anxiety and depression. Then and now, healthcare workers work long, grueling hours. They bear the burden of the increased workloads and staff shortages that push hospitals to their limits. Congested emergency rooms, backlogs for surgery, and tremendous stress made that much worse by over two years of a global pandemic.
The crisis Canadian healthcare faces highlights how much we need transformation at all levels of healthcare staffing, from our under-valued front-line staff to the executives in the C-suite.
For our leaders in healthcare, we require them to do and give more. Despite the many strains that result from shrinking budgets, we expect them to produce better outcomes.
But, it’s not all doom and gloom! The leaders we need to transform our hospitals, clinics, and systems are out there, ready to lead. Particularly in times of change.
Executive recruitment in Canadian healthcare is essential
More important than simply reacting to new challenges and circumstances, skilled and talented leaders in healthcare administration understand how to strategize and communicate, acting before and during change as it occurs. Here’s how it looks :
- A hospital CAO can identify and implement a strategy to manage the stress of healthcare providers in their organization.
- Amidst ever-changing workforce conditions, a Director of a long-term care facility establishes an effective recruitment and retention strategy to ensure the facility is always adequately staffed.
- To help withstand forecasted economic shifts, the leader of a government health agency or NGO keeps staff in the loop, always communicating possible effects to the organization.
Only thanks to their expertise, experience, and skills in organizational leadership, healthcare policy and systems and policy, data analytics and information technology, not to mention change management, can administrators in healthcare lead their institutions to meet the demands of an ever-changing world.
Who are today’s healthcare executives?
Healthcare executives or administrators typically fall into one of two camps: specialists and generalists. Specialists take care of specific departments such as policy analysis, finance, or human resources, for instance. A generalist, on the other hand, manage the entire facility operation.
And, while hospitals and long-term care facilities may be the first organizations that come to mind, there are other settings where we need executive recruitment in Canadian healthcare. We require healthcare administrators for:
- Hospitals
- Private practices
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Government-subsidized long-term care facilities
- Health departments
All of these organizations need the leadership of skilled and talented healthcare executives who can also lead teams in these vital areas:
- Prioritizing patient safety and experience, strategic planning, and sound financial decisions through organizational leadership
- To navigate the Canadian health system whether that means policy, ethical decision-making, or quality standards
- Problem-solving and decision-making through data analysis while leveraging information technology
Managing changes and transitions within the organization, its teams, and cultural norms in healthcare. Executives in healthcare administration respond to and create change in the broader healthcare culture. Inherent to the role, healthcare administrators make critical decisions regarding strategy, governance, and ethics in healthcare.
And, while specific tasks may vary, health executives draw on their skills and expertise to manage the complicated intersection between healthcare and business every day.
Mirams Becker is a leader in healthcare executive recruitment in Canadian healthcare. We want to do what we can to help you find the perfect leadership candidate for your organization. Talk to us!