Despite great salaries, the medical industry is having trouble attracting enough qualified staff, which puts hospitals and clinics at a continuous employee deficit. To make matters worse, we’re facing an aging population that has a need for support.
Similar to other developed countries, the US healthcare sector is heavily reliant on foreign workers. America is hiring people from all over the place, including India, the Philippines, and South America. Through proactive international hiring, clinics are able to fill employee gaps and ensure a high quality of service.
How Do Immigrants Help US Healthcare?
The great thing about immigrants and temporary employed staffers is that you can hire them for a limited period. They’re able to fill gaps in your staff or provide temporary relief. They’re especially valuable in rural areas, as most Americans have escaped to large cities.
“Immigrants help fulfill the unique needs of local communities,” according to the international nurse recrutiment agency, Connetics USA. “These workers are usually cheaper than the US doctors and nurses, which significantly enhances hospitals’ profitability.
Aside from their willingness to work in remote locations, immigrants are also willing to work in high-risk environments. For example, they are often hired for work in prisons, oil rigs, remote research centers, rehab facilities, and other places that have trouble attracting local medical professionals.
8 Benefits of Foreign Healthcare Workers
Immigrant doctors and nurses are invaluable to the US clinics and the entire healthcare system. Over the last few decades, they have become an integral part of the workforce, which isn’t surprising given all the benefits they provide.
1. Meeting Staff Requirements
The first and most important reason why clinics and hospitals hire foreign workers is so they can fulfill employee requirements. Many businesses are understaffed nowadays, especially those in rural areas.
Doctors are especially valued in specific, deficitary segments. For example, some hospitals have a really hard time finding affordable yet proficient surgeons. By working with hiring agencies, your organization can streamline the hiring process and find amazing experts abroad.
2. Fulfilling Seasonal Needs
Some hospitals hire foreign-born professionals during seasonal peaks. Although hiring a domestic workforce is logistically simpler, many employers don’t have enough talent at their disposal. The most common reasons why hospitals hire additional staff are during flu season and epidemics.
Temporary hires are also a good solution during natural disasters. In these situations, clinics have to tend to thousands of patients in limited facilities. Although they can’t expand their premises as easily, they can at least onboard new staffers to help them out.
3. Filling Roles
As mentioned, immigrants are a fantastic solution for deficitary specialization. Besides the previously mentioned surgery, they can also be highly sought after in pediatrics, emergency rooms, intensive care units, and radiology.
Given that most immigrants initially sign short-term contracts, this gives medical institutions a lot of wiggle room. An immigrant can work on a probation-like basis until the hospital decides whether the person is worth it.
We had a good example of deficitary roles during the COVID-19 crisis. Pulmonary departments lost a lot of staff in a short time, either due to contracting the sickness or dying from it. During this time, many US hospitals and clinics relied on foreign experts to help them out.
4. Introducing Quick Solution
Hiring a freelancer in your state usually takes a lot of time. You need to go through all these documents and make sure that the person has the right specialization. You also have to abide by strict domestic regulations.
On the other hand, hiring immigrants often takes less time despite the fact that these individuals hail from a different country. Hiring agencies streamline the entire process, ensuring that you get a ready-made solution. The US government has also done a great job of improving the onboarding process and providing the necessary local IDs and permits.
5. Improving Staff Skills
The great thing about these foreign professionals is that they bring experience and knowledge from their home country. They share methods that help them tackle various ailments, which would ultimately benefit your existing team.
Depending on the foreign country’s educational system, you might even hire someone with multidisciplinary knowledge. With such a person at your side, you can improve the clinic’s processes, streamline daily operations, solve common challenges, and introduce different technologies.
6. Reducing Turnover
One of the biggest challenges US hospitals are facing is high employee turnover. Even if an institution offers great conditions, American workers might change their position quite often, seeking better paychecks. They might also leave your hospital as they’re looking for work closer to home.
Whatever the reason might be, you won’t have similar issues with an international workforce. You can lock some of these employees with long-term contracts, ensuring that your investment is worthwhile. Most of them will be more than happy to stick with you as this beats the alternative in their home country.
7. Managing Costs
Due to the reasons mentioned in the previous section, it is much easier to manage your costs with international doctors and nurses. As someone who has just come to the US, these experts don’t have as much leverage negotiating salaries, nor can they easily change jobs.
Furthermore, most of them are willing to work at a major discount. Depending on the deal you sign, you might not even have to cover certain costs such as remuneration, bonuses, or extra work.
8. Boosting Morale
People working in understaffed hospitals usually deal with a lot of stress. Many of the doctors and nurses are burned out due to a constant influx of new patients. By introducing a cheap, expert labor force from abroad, you’re able to alleviate some of that burden and bring a breath of fresh air into your clinic.
Conclusion
Despite what you might think, bringing in immigrant experts is much easier than you might think. There are a lot of agencies that can bring these guys and girls to the US, so all you need to figure out is what kind of contract you’re going to sign with them.