Recruitment
From time to time, practice groups will have the need to grow or replace workers, whether midwives, second attendants, or administrators. This can be stressful when also balancing other work and the uncertainty involved in finding someone to join the group. It also presents an opportunity for the group to identify its needs and expectations and to find someone who will be a good fit to join the practice.
The practice group can leverage any previous human resource planning exercises to guide recruitment opportunities. If there have not been any recent discussions, an open position is a terrific catalyst to have this type of discussion. Even if the opening is a replacement, it does not automatically mean that the practice should simply try to replicate the person vacating the role.
After having identified needed skills, the practice is ready to plan and execute its recruitment processes which generally involve:
- Developing a job description;
- Advertise a position;
- Interviewing possible candidates;
- Conducting reference and background checks; and
- Contracting with the successful candidate;
- Giving additional consideration to the recruitment of new registrants.
Equity warrants particular consideration throughout these recruitment processes. Seemingly innocuous considerations may have an inequitable, or discriminatory, effect. Preferring Ontario over international experience may disadvantage newcomers to Canada. Determining that a candidate is “overqualified” may disadvantage newcomers to Canada, workers re-entering the workplace after a leave (e.g., familial or medical), or older workers. Questions about familial support for the on-call demands of midwifery may disadvantage single parents. Questions about past sick leaves or medical absences may disadvantage individuals with disabilities or health conditions. For more details, see the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s document on human rights in the recruitment process.