HEALTHCARE RECRUITING LEXICON

Hiring the right candidates is critical for any healthcare organization looking to stay
ahead of the challenges facing the healthcare industry. However, the terminology
and processes involved in the world of healthcare recruiting and talent acquisition
can seem daunting. Below, we provide a healthcare recruiting reference glossary to
help you decipher healthcare recruiting terminology.

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 HEALTHCARE RECRUITING TERMINOLOGY

Allied Health Personnel

Allied health personnel are trained and licensed health workers other than physicians, dentists,
optometrists, chiropractors, podiatrists and nurses. The term is sometimes used synonymously with
paramedical personnel- all health workers who perform tasks that must otherwise be performed by a
physician or health workers who do not usually engage in independent practice.

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

An ATS is a software application that enables the electronic management of recruitment functions. An
ATS stores candidate data to allow recruiters or hiring managers to search, filter and route
applications. ATS software can also be known as Talent Management Software (TMS), a Candidate
Management System (CMS) or a Recruitment Management System (RMS), with some ATS platforms
being tailored or designed specifically for healthcare recruiting. ATS solutions are often used in
conjunction with an RPO program for more efficient hiring.

Assignment
An assignment is a temporary task, project or job performed by a contingent worker. Assignments may
also refer to the length of time a temporary employee, such as a traveling nurse, will be working for a
healthcare organization.

Blended Workforce
A blended healthcare workforce uses both full-time and contingent, or temporary, workers. Blended
healthcare workforce planning uses both RPO and MSP programs to fill positions and manage talent and
vendor services.

Business Intelligence (BI)

BI tools provide powerful analysis of program-specific data and metrics. BI tools are used with RPO, MSP
and Total Workforce Solutions programs and provide transparency between a healthcare organization
and healthcare staffing providers.

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Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
BPO uses third-party business service providers to perform business activities and functions vital for
running an efficient healthcare organization. BPO services may include payroll, medical coders,
insurance specialists, healthcare IT, HR, accounting or customer service.

Candidate
A candidate is a person who has applied for a job and is qualified for temporary or full-time consideration
by a healthcare organization.

Consultant
A consultant is another term used for temporary employees or contingent workers. Consultants often
perform professional work for healthcare departments such as IT, medical billing, revenue cycle
management, policy, project management and clinical roles.

Clinical Staff
Clinical roles often have face-to-face contact with patients for the purpose of diagnosis, treatment and
ongoing care. Some clinical professions are behind-the-scenes, such as laboratory professionals whose
work supports diagnosis and treatment. Clinical roles often require certification or licensing by the state
and local government.

Contingent Workforce Management (CWM)

CWM is the strategic approach to managing an organization’s contingent workforce.

Contract Worker
A contract worker is also known as a 1099 or independent contractor. There are very specific guidelines
for classifying workers as independent contractors, including whether the worker controls when and
where work is to be completed, if the worker provides their own work equipment and supplies, and how
the workers are compensated.

Customer (or Contact) Relationship Management (CRM)

CRM systems manage an organization’s interaction with current and prospective customers or
contacts – including employees.

Direct Hire
Direct hire positions are permanent, usually full-time with benefits.

Diversity Supplier
Diversity suppliers are staffing suppliers that are owned by minorities, women, veterans or disabled
individuals.

Employee
An employee works directly for an organization in a job with no specific end date. Employees may be
full-time or part-time.

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Employer Branding
Employer branding is a talent acquisition strategy designed to market a healthcare organization as an
appealing place to work.

Employer Value Proposition (EVP)

An EVP is a unique set of offerings, associations and values that positively influence target candidates
and employees. An EVP benefits recruiting, healthcare employee engagement and retention and reduces
the need to pay a premium wage for top talent.

Exempt Workers
An exempt worker must be paid at least $23,600 per year on a salary basis and perform exempt job
duties. Exempt workers are not entitled to overtime pay for hours worked outside of a normal 40-hour
work week.

Healthcare Locum Tenens Staffing

Locum tenens is a type of staffing where physicians, advanced practitioners, physician assistants, nurse
practitioners, nurse anesthetists and dentists take temporary assignments that involve temporary
relocation, and staffing firms cover the housing expenses.

Healthcare Skills Gap

The healthcare skills gap is the difference between the skills required for a healthcare job and the actual
skills possessed by candidates.

Healthcare Staffing Services

These services provide temporary workers that include supplemental staffing to medical facilities such
as hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient clinics as well as the provision of licensed nursing
personnel RNs, trained medical technologists, and unlicensed staff, home health aides, homemakers,
personal assistants, etc.

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Healthcare Workforce Planning
Healthcare workforce planning is the process a healthcare organization takes to develop a holistic,
long-term and proactive approach to strategically assessing and accessing all forms of talent.

Non-Exempt Workers
Non-exempt workers are entitled to overtime pay for work done outside of a standard 40-hour work
week.

Independent Contractor (1099)

The general rule, according to the IRS, is that an individual is an independent contractor if the
employer has the right to control or direct only the result of the work and not what will be done and how
it will be done. Independent contractors are also known as contractors, freelancers or gig workers.

Job Board
Job boards are websites that aggregate local, national or international job postings.

Job Requisition
A job requisition is a document used to request a hire, explain why it is needed, and determine the budget
available for the role. Hiring managers fill out a job requisition when they wish to create a new position or
refill an existing, vacated position.

Per Diem Nurse Staffing

Per diem nurse staffing is the staffing of registered nurses, licensed practical and licensed vocational
nurses and nursing assistants on assignments of less than four weeks. These assignments do not
typically involve relocating the worker.

Permanent Physician Staffing

Permanent physician staffing involves filling an open physician position with a permanent hire.

Predictive Analytics
In an HR and healthcare recruiting context, this refers to the ability a healthcare organization to use
information and analytics to determine future outcomes for better workforce management. For example,
predictive analytics may be used to analyze data from resumes, job descriptions, ATS and HRIS systems
to predict various talent management outcomes.

Pre-employment screening
Pre-employment screening services are critical to healthcare staffing and include background
verification, drug screening, skills assessment and behavioral assessment tools. A thorough background
check verifies important factual information about a prospective employee (i.e. identity, employment
history, education credentials). It also helps gain critical information about an applicant’s character and
past history that isn’t always apparent in an interview or application, such as criminal history, credit
history, driving record, etc.

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Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
A KPI is a measurable goal that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business
objectives. Organizations use KPIs to evaluate their success related to specific business metrics.

Machine Learning
Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that provides computers the ability to learn
without being explicitly programmed. In an HR setting, an example of machine learning is the ability for
a computer program to identify patterns and relationships in data to predict a specific outcome such as
the likelihood of a candidate changing jobs within a certain period of time.

Managed Service Provider (MSP)

MSP programs provide end-to-end workforce and vendor management for users of contingent labor.

Non-Clinical Healthcare Staffing

Non-clinical staffing encompasses positions in a healthcare setting such as front and back-office roles
across a variety of departments and patient care settings.

Non-Traditional versus Traditional Employee Benefits

Traditional benefits include life, retirement, health and disability benefits. Non-traditional benefits
include various types of perks such as child and elder care options, work-from-home days, casual dress
code, lunch allowances, etc.

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)

RPO programs provide direct-hire talent acquisition services for professional and non-professional
positions that solve compliance, scalability, cost, quality or other recruiting challenges.

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

An SLA is a commitment between a service provider and customer. Aspects of the partnership – quality,
availability, responsibilities – are agreed upon between the service provider and the service user.

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Social Media Healthcare Recruiting
Social media recruiting is a technique that sources or recruits candidates through the use of social
media platforms as promotional and/or advertising channels.

Statement of Work (SOW)

An SOW is a document that captures the work activities and deliverables to be supplied as part of a
contract or project timeline. SOW arrangements are used in contingent workforce programs.

Supplemental Staffing
Supplemental staffing is the provision of temporary workers to a company to supplement the current
workforce for peak loads, special projects or planned and unplanned worker absences. It also describes
the regular practice of using contract healthcare staff in hospitals and other medical institution settings.

Temporary Workers
Temporary workers are generally hired to fill short-term positions or to complete specific projects with
a set time frame. Temporary workers also fill positions that have irregular or seasonal work schedules.

Temp-to-Hire Workers
A temp-to-hire worker is hired as a temporary worker with the knowledge that the short-term position
may transition to a full-time job. Temp-to-hire workers can be managed by an MSP program and then
transitioned to the employer once they become permanent employees.

Total Workforce Solutions

Total Workforce Solutions blend Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) and Managed Service Provider
(MSP) capabilities in one integrated program.

Travel Nurse Staffing

Staffing of primarily registered nurses (RNs) on assignments of four weeks or more. A traveling nurse
assignment can involve temporary relocation and housing expenses that are paid for by an employer, but
not always. Despite the use of the word “travel,” local nurses are sometimes used for travel
assignments. The most common assignment length is 13 weeks, which may be renewed.

Vendor Management System (VMS)

VMS platforms help businesses manage and procure staffing services – temporary, and, in some cases,
permanent placement services – as well as outside contract or contingent labor. VMS platforms are
generally used with MSP programs.

Workplace Diversity
Workplace diversity refers to a collective mixture of differences and similarities that may include:
individual and organizational characteristics, values, beliefs, experiences, backgrounds, preferences
and behaviors.

Regardless of the size of a healthcare organization, recruiting the right candidates is an integral part
of growth and sustainability. By understanding some of the most commonly used terms in healthcare
recruiting, you will be better equipped to meet with healthcare recruiting service providers and more
efficient in sourcing, screening and hiring top healthcare talent.

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ABOUT PEOPLESCOUT
PeopleScout, a TrueBlue company, is the world’s largest RPO provider managing talent solutions that span
the global economy, with end-to-end MSP capabilities supporting total workforce needs. PeopleScout boasts
98 percent client retention managing the most complex programs in the industry. The company’s thousands
of forward-looking talent professionals provide clients with the edge in the people business by consistently
delivering now while anticipating what’s next. Affinix™, PeopleScout’s proprietary talent acquisition
platform, empowers faster engagement with the best talent through an AI-driven, consumer-like candidate
experience with one point ATS and VMS integration and single sign-on. Leveraging the power of data gleaned
from engaging millions of candidates and contingent associates every year, PeopleScout enhances talent
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delivery centers in Charlotte, Toronto, Montreal, Krakow, Gurgaon and Bangalore. For more information
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