This year’s autumnal equinox, or first day of the fall season, begins at 7:20 p.m. PDT on Sept. 22. (If you’re curious, you can find a converter here for when it will occur in your area.) And the onset of cooler temperatures means various things depending on who you ask: a new school year, Sunday Night Football, the early onset of the flu season.
For healthcare facilities, the fall and winter months typically yield more patient visits thanks to flu outbreaks and exacerbated respiratory issues, especially in the elderly population. And by extension, these facilities often need to bulk up their staff to accommodate seasonal needs.
Dr. Heather Wick, M.D., is a senior recruiter with De Vore Recruiting, a healthcare staffing agency that fills management-level positions via direct recruiting. In her 2.5 years with the company, Dr. Wick has noticed an increase in placement needs in the fall and winter months.
“Summer tends to be the slower season,” she said. “My first seven placements (with De Vore) were in the winter of (November) 2012 to (March) 2013.”
With more reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid coming in during these seasons, facilities are able to hire recruiters to manage the often detailed and time-consuming process of finding skilled candidates for hard-to-fill managerial positions.
Dr. Wick, a graduate of Dartmouth College and Albany Medical College, encourages professionals who may be looking to take advantage of the busier healthcare hiring season to polish their resumes in preparation.
“Everyone should always have an updated resume on hand,” she said.
As a recruiter for director-level positions, Dr. Wick is looking for candidates with compatible skills.
“They have to have experience already in the job that I’m trying to fill. I don’t think I’ve ever filled a job with someone who hasn’t had that job before,” she said.
Dr. Wick also looks for candidates with work histories that display stability and longevity. “Our favorite candidates have been at day jobs for 3 to 5 years and have a solid history of not leaving their positions (too early),” she said. “A superstar will stay at the same job for seven to 10 years.
In her experience, filling these positions can take as little as two weeks to upwards of two months.
To submit your information and/or resume as a potential candidate for current or future job openings through De Vore, click here. View the latest career opportunities through De Vore here.
