In this two-part article, Wingspan founder Cristina Castaneda writes how the healthcare recruitment industry has changed over the last two decades since she first joined. In part 2, she shares how COVID-19 has changed the way the industry works.
When I joined the healthcare recruitment industry in the Philippines two decades ago, I remember having a bit of a culture shock.
I was pulled in to manage a recruitment agency that deployed nurses to the United Kingdom. With my background in quality assurance and working with international companies and governments, I was not prepared for dealing with underdeveloped systems, unclear policies, rampant bribery and corruption, and red tape, which often threw a wrench in our operations and the aspirations of many of our nurse applicants.
It’s easy to simply go with the flow and be reactive in an industry where policies change as quickly as you’re able to comply with them, and you find yourself in an endless stop-go cycle. But in my mind, I thought, If we can’t beat the system, change it.
I was fortunate to have surrounded myself with a team of expert healthcare recruitment professionals who share the same mindset and vision. As I stayed in the industry, I crossed paths with other players who shared my grievances and frustrations. I realized that there is strength in number. One can confidently be an outlier when you have the support of other outliers like yourself!
The industry has evolved so much over the years. Here are three things that have changed:
1. Clearer rules and requirements
Healthcare recruiters and consultants in the Philippines have put in time and effort into understanding the needs of medical institutions in the UK to ensure they find the right talent. In the same way, health boards and agencies abroad have also standardized their testing and hiring practices to ensure quality recruits. Foreign nurses being deployed to the UK are now fairly compensated and enjoy the same salary grades, benefits, and working hours as local hires.
2. Aid in transition
Working collectively with stakeholders in the industry, “adaptation program” was put in place. This aims to strengthen the competencies of nurses being deployed to the UK. Part of this adaptation is focusing on ensuring that the care they provide meets UK standards.
3. Sustainability
More players are starting to be more aware of and understand the idea of sustainability. When the industry was fairly new, recruitment agencies were focused on deploying as many nurses as they could. Today, we are more knowledgeable about ethical hiring practices and careful that we don’t drain our talent pool. However, we have a lot of catching up to do in terms of maintaining a sustainable workforce, especially as more than 75% of cities and towns in the Philippines are lacking in healthcare workers.
At Wingspan, the core of what we do focuses on long-term sustainability. We advocate ethical and socially responsible workforce solutions, and we make sure to adhere to these values when we carry out our recruitment and deployment activities. We aim to promote human capital formation and equitable economic growth in both sending and receiving countries. These are the essence of who we are and embedded in every decision we make.
Hospitals that have worked with Wingspan know that when they partner with us, we apply our due diligence in thoroughly understanding their hiring requirements and screening local partner agencies so that the recruitment and selection process stays compliant with local and international laws and regulations.
Over the years we’ve lobbied for certain issues and spoken up to protect industry players, clients abroad, and our nurses who wanted to explore greener pastures. While we’ve seen real change happened, there’s still much that needs to be done to improve the industry so it’s beneficial to all parties involved.