Hiring Report: Medical Center Looking For Analysts, Telcom Expert

Company Name: SLV Regional Medical Center Company Focus: Community Hospital, Ambulatory Physician's Clinic, Associated Critical Access Hospital Headquarters: Alamosa, Colorado Office Locations: Alamosa, Colorado, La Jara, Colorado, Del Norte, Colorado Web Site: http://www.slvrmc.org Founded: 1910 Number of IT Employees: 9 Hiring Plans: Hopes to hire on three additional staff members: clinical analyst, a database analyst and a telecommunications technician. Hiring Leaders: Spencer Hamons is the CIO with 14 years of experience in the healthcare IT field. Brings a military background in emergency medicine to the executive IT leadership position at SLV Regional Medical Center.

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Are you looking to hire on more IT staff this year? I am looking to hire three additional staff members this year. I want a clinical analyst in the department, who is typically responsible for day to day oversight of the clinical applications. A good candidate for this position would be a nurse or medical technologist that has at least five years in a hospital setting. Additionally, I am looking to hire a database analyst and a telecommunications technician to in-house positions that were previously outsourced. Given all the news about the talent crunch, have you or are you finding it more difficult to find qualified IT professionals? My biggest problem with finding talent is finding someone willing to move to rural Colorado to work. Although we are in some of the most beautiful county in the world, sitting at 7700 feet in a valley surrounded by 14,000 foot mountains, our locale and lack of big city amenities makes it difficult to attract the talent we need. What are your primary recruiting strategies? Post online and in newspapers. We do not have the excess budget to pay for recruiters. What is the hiring process? Typically, the staff member will go through three interviews. The first with only the CIO. The second with members of the IT staff, the third with various other Directors in the organization. Customer service and the ability to speak with others is crucial in our organization. Someone who cannot hold a logical, pleasant conversation with all levels of staff, even those outside the tech world, will not be considered. What should candidates know before they interview at SLVRMC? We are primarily focused on our customers. Technology is only implemented to service our patients or staff in better or safer ways. Everyone, including the CIO is expected to answer help desk calls and be proficient when speaking with customers. There is, and there never will be, a position in the IT department at SLVRMC that does not require extensive customer interactions. What makes for an outstanding potential hire? Pleasant demeanor, no nose rings, piercings, or visible tattoos, can speak intelligently without speaking too techie, has experience in their particular field of endeavor, is not afraid to move outside their comfort zone to help our customers in others areas where the applicant may not be as comfortable. What are red flags you look for when reviewing resumes, doing interviews? Misspellings or grammar errors in the resume will definitely get you knocked out of the running. I have also stopped candidates short when they showed an inability to speak intelligently or concisely when asked questions about "how would you solve this problem". Also, candidates that do not come dressed for the occasion often don't get another chance. I can always instruct an employee to come to work in khakis and a polo, but for a job interview, I expect the candidate to err on the side of professionalism. At least where slacks, a long sleeve dress shirt and a tie (please don't show up in a short sleeve dress shirt and a tie). What kind of non-IT skills do your IT team members need, if any? They must be fun to be around, people that others want to be close to. They must be able to speak intelligently and present themselves professionally. They must also not be afraid to approach a patient in the hallway and ask them if they need help. Basically, I want "nice" people to work for me. How important is the cover letter in job queries? I like cover letters to see if the candidate can form a sentence and not misspell anything. I like to know that they can put their thoughts onto paper. Is the IT organization looking for certified skills, is that a must have or is there any other qualification that is a must have? The personality skills are a must-have. The other skills can be taught if the person has enough previous exposure to the concepts involved. Does the organization hire 'newbies' and invest in training and how well does that work, and if not, why not? We do invest in "newbies", but we do not have the budget to pay for their training. We will give them time off in order to pursue the training, but the training costs are at their own expense. What does your company offer IT specialists as an employer? Great location, great team, and good hours with plenty of time off to enjoy what Colorado has to offer. Other recent articles from TechCareers Hiring Report: Pension Fund Hiring On Oracle, Java Specialists Hiring Report: Liquid Machines Sets A High Bar When Hiring

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