Hire Allied Health Professionals

Many healthcare facilities are looking for ways to improve patient care and reduce costs. One way to do that is to hire allied health professionals. This broad term covers a wide range of careers, including medical assistants, clinical documentation specialists, and therapist assistants.

As the demand for quality healthcare continues to rise, employers need to be able to provide the best services possible. This means hiring qualified professionals and ensuring they have adequate training to perform their jobs well. That’s why you can’t wing it when you need to hire allied professionals. Below, we’ll discuss what it takes to hire allied health practitioners that best fit your needs. After all, they’ll provide your patients with care, so you need to hire wisely!

What is Allied Healthcare?

Allied health professionals are defined as a group of professionals who provide services in support of the healthcare team. The term “allied health” was developed to encompass the many professions that do not fall under the traditional medical model. Allied healthcare professionals work alongside other healthcare providers to help patients live healthier lifestyles and lead better lives.

The need for these health professionals has grown over time due to technological advancements and increasing life expectancy rates. These advances have led to more people living with chronic conditions or disabilities that require ongoing treatment and support throughout their lives. Allied health professionals can help patients by providing them with this support and managing their care plans so they can continue living at home or in the community for as long as possible.

Although the definition of “allied health” varies globally, some researchers have hypothesized that as much as 60% of the American healthcare workforce may be comprised of allied healthcare professionals. The allied health field is crucial to providing medical and associated services in the United States and elsewhere.

In the United States, more than 20 million people work in the allied health field. There are many jobs available for those in this field; we’ll cover just a few in detail in the next section.

Different Types of Allied Healthcare Professionals

All health professionals are not created equal. The healthcare industry is an ever-evolving, high-tech field that requires a variety of different types of allied health professionals to keep it running smoothly.

If you need to hire allied professionals, the first step is to identify the exact type of allied professional that fits your needs.

The following are some examples of the many types of allied healthcare professionals:

Physical Therapist: These healthcare providers help patients regain mobility and function after an injury or illness. They utilize therapeutic exercises, manual therapy, and modalities such as ultrasound to help patients recover quickly from injuries or illnesses.

Occupational Therapist: Occupational therapists work with patients with physical or mental limitations preventing them from conducting their daily activities independently. These include people recovering from strokes, head injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other disorders affecting their movement. Occupational therapists assess, diagnose and treat these patients so they can live as independently as possible while still receiving treatment at home or in a hospital setting.

Speech-Language Pathologist: Speech-language pathologists treat people with speech, language, or swallowing disorders caused by brain injury, neurological disease, or congenital conditions such as cerebral palsy. Cases can range from helping children learn how to speak after suffering severe head trauma during birth to diagnosing adults who suffer brain damage during accidents.

Physician Assistant: Physician assistants are healthcare workers who have completed a degree from an accredited physician assistant program. They work with doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to diagnose and treat illnesses. Physician assistants work in hospitals, clinics, private practices, schools, and other settings.

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): CNAs provide basic nursing care under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN). CNAs are trained to understand a patient’s condition, follow treatment instructions, and administer medications. In addition, CNAs can help patients bathe and dress, take vital signs, and change bandages. They may also be responsible for feeding patients who cannot feed themselves.

Medical Assistant: Medical assistants perform various administrative tasks in healthcare facilities such as clinics and doctor’s offices. They may prepare patients for examination, assist with minor medical procedures, maintain medical records, and may have many other responsibilities depending on their work setting.

Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA): OTAs provide rehabilitation services to patients who’ve suffered injuries or illnesses that affect their ability to perform everyday activities such as dressing, bathing, or using the toilet independently. OTAs often work under the supervision of an occupational therapist, but they may also work independently with the guidance of an RN, LPN, physician assistant, or physical therapist.

Dietitian: Dietitians use their training to provide nutritional advice on a wide range of topics, including weight loss and obesity management. They also provide information on how diet impacts health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Audiologist: Audiologists diagnose hearing loss and test for balance problems that can affect hearing ability, as well as provide care for people with tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and vertigo (a sensation of spinning).

As you can see, the list of allied healthcare professionals is quite long, and this isn’t even all of them! So, research the role you are looking for before starting the hiring process.

Benefits of Hiring Allied Healthcare Professionals

An allied healthcare professional can help patients with a variety of services. For example, they can help them with their physical, occupational, and speech therapy needs. These professionals are highly trained and can offer the best possible care. The goal is to help patients live a life that is as normal as possible despite any limitations that they may have experienced due to injury or illness.

Allied healthcare professionals work closely with doctors and other medical professionals to ensure that patients get the individualized care and the attention needed to recover from injuries or illnesses. They also work closely with family members and loved ones to ensure they understand their role and how they can help their family members focus on their health.

How to Hire Allied Healthcare Professionals: Before You Post the Job Ad
If you need to hire allied healthcare professionals in the near future, you should do a few things before posting the job ad or scheduling interviews.

Consider the Job Requirements

Get a firm grasp of the qualifications needed for the position and the type of worker who would thrive in your company before you begin your search for applicants.

You need to nail down the answers to these questions:

• What are the duties of this position?
• What type of hours will be required for this position?
• Does a person require a certain professional
• background to succeed in this position?
• Do they need specialized training or expertise (with a given population or set of equipment)?
• Can you describe the ideal employee you would hire?
  What does it mean to have a good cultural fit with the company?

This information is necessary for the following phase, which is the job description.

Write the Job Description
A job description is a document that outlines all of the duties and responsibilities associated with a specific position. It should include information about the tasks the employee will carry out on a day-to-day basis, as well as any other requirements necessary for the role.

When writing your job description, ensure it is detailed without being too long or complicated. Try to avoid using jargon whenever possible, as this can make it harder for potential candidates to understand exactly what they’re getting into before accepting an offer.

A good job description should:

1. Define exactly what the person will be doing on a day-to-day basis.
2. Outline specific job duties and responsibilities.
3. Include a list of qualifications required for the position.
4. Give examples of previous work experience and client population experience that would be helpful for candidates to have.
5. Include salary estimates for the role along with additional benefits (like health insurance or a 401K plan).

How to Hire Allied Healthcare Professionals: The Interview

Ready to hire allied professionals for your team? Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Look for experience

Allied professionals have a wide range of skills and experience, but it’s important that you hire someone who has the experience to handle your position. For example, if you’re hiring a medical assistant or therapist, make sure they’ve worked with patients in similar situations. This experience will help you determine whether this candidate can handle your particular patient population and the tasks associated with the position.

2. Ask about certifications

Before hiring allied professionals, you should ask your candidate whether they have any certifications or licenses. This is especially important if you’re hiring someone working directly with patients, as certain states require allied professionals to be certified.

3. Consider their personality

When you hire allied health professionals, it’s important that they have a good personality. This is especially true if you’re looking to hire someone working directly with patients. You want them to have a pleasant demeanor to help put your patients at ease during their treatment sessions.

4. Check references

After the interview, it’s important to check references as part of your hiring process, especially when hiring allied professionals. Ask for references from former employers or clients to better understand how well they’ve performed in the past and how well they work with others. This is important, considering they may be part of a team that provides care to patients.

Final Words on Hiring Allied Healthcare Professionals

There are a variety of approaches you may take to streamline your search for qualified allied healthcare professionals. First of all, the job description is important. However, in order to write a clear and comprehensive job description, you must first have a firm grasp of the qualifications necessary for success in this role.

The next step is to begin sifting through available applicants until you find a good match. Obviously, you want them to meet all relevant educational and certification requirements before hiring them. You should also consider their experience, as it can determine how well they will perform in the role you are hiring. Finally, don’t forget personality. If you hire allied health practitioners that work directly with clients, then personality can make or break the patients’ care experience.

If you need to hire allied health professionals and find yourself in need of assistance, High5 provides a simplified, streamlined process for putting you in touch with qualified allied healthcare professionals. Reach out to High5 today to get started!