2 Things To Look For When Hiring for your Hearing Health Clinic
Finding someone with experience as a Patient Care Coordinator (PCC) can feel a bit like finding a unicorn. It’s not as common a position as, say, an administrator or a receptionist, and there are some very distinct nuances to the role that don’t come into play with those more generalized career paths. It can feel overwhelming to think about hiring and training someone “with no experience”, but there are some qualities and experiences that have proven over and over again to go hand in hand with an individual who is well suited to and easily trainable as a Patient Care Coordinator in a Hearing Health Clinic.
Hospitality and Service Industry experience
One thing that is true of any busy clinic - you need someone at the helm who is not easily rattled. An ability to hold and appropriately handle the many details and moving parts that are involved in day to day clinic management is essential.
This quality is consistently one that is seen in individuals who have worked as servers, bartenders, hostesses, etc. They are equipped to handle multiple requests simultaneously, while making the individual in front of them feel like they are the only thing that matters - which is exactly what is required for an effective PCC!
Health Care Experience
Individuals with experience in other healthcare settings can bring a great amount of value to your hearing care practice. Whether they have worked as front desk staff in other medical or wellness clinics, or they have been patient facing, as in a PSW or Nursing role, this type of experience is very transferable to the role of PCC for a hearing health clinic.
Individuals who have worked with Medical, Physiotherapy. Chiropractic, or Massage clinics will likely have an understanding of third party billing practices, specifically WSIB and the Telus system. They also bring experience in the important tasks of strategic scheduling, performing recalls, etc.
Similarly, Nurses and PSWs have skills that can transfer into added value for your practice. Experience working with individuals who are “older” and who may be slightly resistant to care is a great thing to have as part of your clinic’s front end team. There is also a very clear path toward these candidates participating in clinical practices like wax removals, and taking ear molds. This can offer more flexibility for your HISs and Audiologists to focus on more in depth testing and higher revenue generating appointments.
So, the next time you are looking to hire for a Patient Care Coordinator role consider expanding the set of criteria you measure applicants against. There are many transferable skills that your ideal candidate might have that don’t include direct PCC experience - you don’t want to miss a gem just because of that!