Recruitment teams face an increasing number of challenges, especially when it comes to recruiting highly sought-after providers like Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). While many organizations blame the shortage of qualified providers, a real culprit often lies within their internal recruitment processes.
CRNAs, in particular, are experiencing frustrating gaps in the recruitment pipeline—situations where they feel misled, ignored, or outright ghosted by internal teams. These missteps can damage not only the reputation of the recruitment team but the entire healthcare organization. The good news? These gaps are fixable, and Lokum App is helping to lead the charge.
Common Pitfalls in Healthcare Recruitment: What CRNAs Are Saying
We’ve heard it all—from stories of bait-and-switch tactics to complete silence after initial contact. Here’s what some CRNAs had to say about their experiences with outdated recruitment practices:
- “I had a great initial conversation, but I never heard back. Eventually, I had to move on and commit to another facility. It made me question how they run their practice.”
- “I don’t think you should allow this type of behavior on your app as I’m sure you want to build a solid reputation for honest direct contract sources.”
- “[Talent Sourcing Manager] ghosted me again. It’s fine I already gave my days for next year to another agency. Do they need the help or not?”
These quotes reflect the reality that CRNAs have options and think of the recruitment process as their introduction to the anesthesia practice’s competence. When internal recruitment teams fail to communicate effectively or leave candidates in limbo, they lose top talent to competitors who have faster, more streamlined processes.
Case Study: How Lokum App Helped a National Anesthesia Group Overcome Recruitment Challenges
One national anesthesia group that recently joined Lokum App to fill their open temporary and permanent positions faced this exact problem. Despite having dozens of open positions and strong initial interest from CRNA candidates, they were losing providers during the recruitment process. Candidates were being left in the pipeline for days—sometimes weeks—without any follow-up. This “ghosting” not only frustrated candidates but damaged the group’s reputation, leading to missed opportunities and unfilled positions. We saw CRNAs give their availability to other companies after being left in the pipeline for just 5 days!
Here’s how Lokum App transformed their recruitment process:
- Real-Time Communication: Lokum App provided automated notifications and reminders to CRNAs, ensuring CRNAs never feel ghosted. Candidates received updates throughout the recruitment process from our customer success team, keeping them engaged and informed.
- Streamlined Workflow: Lokum App integrated seamlessly into their existing processes, while giving them a much needed boost and allowing the team to manage the recruitment process in a way that is customized to the anesthesia market. Our goal of merging an active marketplace for anesthesiology talent, communications, applicant tracking, and re-engagement of local talent pools creates a powerful internal recruitment boost for organizations seeking to transform their processes. A better experience for the CRNAs improves the success of the match.
- Provider-Driven Real-time Insights: Lokum App provided insights that helped the team understand where they were losing candidates and adjust their strategies accordingly. They learned that quick follow-up was key to keeping CRNAs engaged and ultimately shortened their response times and improved their follow-up frequency.
The Way Forward: Don’t Let Top Talent Slip Away
For internal recruitment teams, the stakes have never been higher. The CRNA market is competitive, and leaving candidates in the recruitment pipeline too long could mean losing them for good. It’s time to address these gaps with a more agile, data-driven approach.
Lokum App can help your team stay connected with candidates, reduce hiring times, and ensure you’re never ghosting top talent again. Ready to streamline your recruitment process? Let us show you how.
Ready to stop losing top CRNAs to inefficient processes? Discover how Lokum App can transform your recruitment strategy today.