New Approaches to HR to Attract Millennials

Medical Staffing.

Senior doctors and medical staff, looking to hire millennial health care professionals, are finding it a bit perplexing. Those who have come of age in the last 20 years have an entirely different idea about the ideal workplace. As their priorities are markedly different than the baby boomers they are replacing, medical organizations need to properly assess their requirements in order to attract and hire the best of the new doctors and healthcare professionals.

While post-World War 2 doctors epitomized the term “workaholic”, millennials are instead striving for work-life balance. They are looking for flexible hours, vacation allowance and time with their families.  Some of the changing qualities that characterize the millennial healthcare professional include:

  • They work hard during work hours, but when they are off, they are off. They are not looking for 24/7 call responsibility. They also prefer to treat fewer patients that they can really connect with, rather than operating in a medical production line.
  • They are very team-oriented, but they don’t simply obey commands. Explain how their position fits into the structure, and why certain tasks are necessary so that they see the big picture; once they see their contribution, they will work as hard as anyone in your organization.
  • They look at their career as a long path with lots of possibility, rather than a one-time choice that must be adhered to. With the world wide open to them, they are less likely to be satisfied to do the same job, day in and day out for decades.
  • They prefer to be employees rather than owners, realizing the consuming time commitment of the latter. A full 50% of millennial healthcare professionals do not desire their own practice, and instead look to be a part of something meaningful.
  • Because they desire an active life outside of work, they tend to be more concerned with the culture of the city they will be living in, than the culture of the practice. An avid fisherman will want to be near water; a painter will want to be surrounded by a vibrant arts community.

While a very different approach to practice, experts insist it is not a negative situation – simply one to which medical practices need to adapt. Doctors with more balance in their lives will likely suffer less burnout and more peace of mind. Millennial doctors are bright, eager and bring a fresh perspective to the field. By identifying those things that are important to this generation, hiring professionals in the medical field will attract the best of the best.