The history of healthcare in America is tied to the history of academic healthcare systems. These healthcare centers have always been leaders in the healthcare sector. This leadership flows from their combined research, education, and clinical care focus. This efficient combination of healthcare initiatives ensures that academic healthcare systems can provide more than just patient care; they can also provide innovation and workforce development critical to healthcare.
Collaboration as a Path to Efficiency
One of the chief benefits that academic healthcare systems offer patients and staff is synergy and collaboration. These staffing models can ensure that researchers, clinicians, and educators work together. Their partnership advances healthcare discoveries and provides patients with better healthcare. In the long run, they can also provide more efficient and effective ways of producing healthcare while potentially bending the healthcare cost curve.
There are many ways in which academic healthcare centers can achieve these important goals:
- Academic healthcare centers will have access to the tools, expertise, and staff needed to carry out vital research. By being situated in a healthcare facility, these higher-ed centers will always be able to work with a growing field of patients who need treatment. They will consent to participate in studies that may address their illnesses while advancing the cause of treatment.
- Research specialists working within these centers can access college or graduate students who can design and execute critical studies.
- By developing a reputation for innovation and expertise, an academic healthcare center can recruit additional students to further the institution’s healthcare and research goals.
This collaborative approach thus builds a foundation of continuous improvement and adaptability. By conducting research, academic healthcare centers can learn from their experiments. Centers can then use the knowledge gained to advance patient care.
Differentiation: What Sets Academic Healthcare Apart
Academic research centers have unique strengths that are not found in other healthcare centers. These include:
- Access to cutting-edge research and staff who know how to apply this research to patients.
- The ability to execute critical clinical trials enables these centers to lead the way for better patient care.
- Specialized education programs are constantly needed in higher education, thus ensuring that these healthcare facilities can recruit the best and brightest from around the world.
Academic healthcare systems can position themselves as “better” than their stand-alone counterparts. They can execute cutting-edge research and immediately integrate that research into real-world practice. Thus, staff are easier to recruit since they will want to work at a facility that is perceived as cutting-edge. Furthermore, patients will always want the best care and are more likely to seek out these centers.
While the value of these programs may be apparent to healthcare experts, academic healthcare facilities must communicate this value to patients, partners, and the wider healthcare market.
Building the Right Staffing Model to Support Collaboration
The staffing model for these academic healthcare centers requires more effort than most other models. The reason for this is simple: More staff, with higher levels of training and additional knowledge, is needed. The specific types of staff that an academic healthcare center needs may vary. Generally speaking, a center will need to hire for roles that bridge gaps between research, clinical care, and education. These centers must hire clinician-researchers, medical professors, and interdisciplinary project managers.
Academic healthcare centers must hire individuals with a specific eye on certain traits. Hiring the “most qualified” staff member will not adequately serve your needs. Instead, academic healthcare centers must hire staff with a collaborative mindset. Staff will also need experience in adapting their medical skills to combine research and patient care. Finally, prospective staff will need a working knowledge of transitioning academic research into patient care.
By their very nature, the care provided by an academic research center constantly shifts. After all, new research — including research developed by the center in question — means changing the level of care given. As such, recruiting high-quality staff means emphasizing continuous learning and professional development opportunities. These opportunities must be aligned with current and emerging healthcare. These learning opportunities ensure that staff can provide the best possible healthcare and help recruit education-centered staff by appealing to staff looking to grow their skills.
Key Takeaway: The Future of Academic Healthcare Systems is Bright
Academic Healthcare Systems have a unique opportunity to lead the future of healthcare. They can do so by embracing cooperation and differentiation. In embracing these values, an academic healthcare center can enhance its recruitment efforts. At the same time, these centers can find new ways to innovate and address future financial challenges.
However, establishing a staffing model that can work in these circumstances is no easy task. To succeed, an academic healthcare center must adopt a staffing model that prioritizes collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to improving patient outcomes. At the same time, the model must find new ways to stand out in a competitive market. Doing so requires relying on incentives and recruitment plans that can provide appropriate differentiation.
Indeed, fulfilling a staffing model under these circumstances may be the greatest challenge. Fortunately, you aren’t alone in trying to meet this moment. If you need help with healthcare recruiting, MRINetwork is available and has ample resources to ensure you can meet the challenges of the future. Contact us today for additional information.