In the healthcare industry, hiring the right employees is critical to ensuring the safety and well-being of patients. With the shortage of nurses and healthcare professionals in Canada, HR leaders are under immense pressure to secure top talent quickly. As a result, companies sometimes prioritize speed over accuracy when it comes to reference checks. However, experience shows that accurate reference checks are crucial to the hiring process and making informed hiring decisions that avoid costly hiring mistakes.

HR leaders in healthcare must take a strategic approach to recruitment to ensure they secure top talent while maintaining high standards. While speed is crucial, it should not come at the cost of accuracy. HR professionals must ensure they are partnering with a reliable reference check provider with experience in the healthcare industry.

There are several reasons why it is crucial to ensure accurate reference checks when it comes to hiring in the healthcare industry. Without reliable and accurate reference checks, it becomes difficult to verify the validity of a prospective hire’s experience and credentials. While an employment history verification will validate where a candidate worked and their role etc., and an education history verification will validate schools, degrees etc., reference checks add a personal element because the information is often coming from people who have worked with the candidate. In fact, a third-party employment history verification + education verification + reference checks will result in a complete validation of the information the applicant has included in their resume.

Another important thing to consider is the ethics and professional conduct of the prospective employee. A proper reference check can help to reveal glaring red flags, such as incidents with former colleagues/superiors, a lack of interpersonal skills/bedside manner, as well as the employee’s ability (or lack thereof) to work as part of a team. On the flipside it can also highlight a candidate is a perfect fit, meaning act fast now and make that hire!

Overall, accurate reference checks are critical to making informed hiring decisions in the healthcare industry. HR professionals must prioritize speed without compromising accuracy or security. A reputation takes a lifetime to build and a minute to destroy. That might sound cliché, but when it comes to the integrity of your organization, protecting your organization, its staff and patients starts and ends with accurate reference checks — it really is that simple.

For more information about Triton’s background checks for the healthcare industry please visit Background Check Solutions for the Healthcare Industry (tritoncanada.ca).