4 Situations that Call for Interim Healthcare Management

by CoreMedical Group

4 Situations that Call for Interim Healthcare Management

You’ve probably heard of interim leadership. It’s not a new concept, but it’s one that has shown tremendous growth in recent years. Hiring a temporary replacement for a c-suite vacancy has become increasingly common across industries, but especially so in healthcare with 40% of all interim management roles in the United States.

While its popularity has surged, implementing temporary staff at the executive, managerial, or directorial level is still a strategy that many healthcare systems have not considered. Often, when a key member of their administration leaves, responsibilities are shifted to another leader, creating a taxing workload. Or, sometimes, a high-performing staff member with little management experience is thrown into the role in hopes that they’ll continue to shine.

You may say, “Well, it’s just temporary until we find a replacement.” However, finding a quality healthcare executive, clinical manager, or department director takes time. And while you’re searching, your facility is subject to operational and reputational risks if you don’t have an experienced leader in place in the interim to effectively manage during the transition.

Bringing in an interim candidate with executive leadership or clinical management experience can keep your department on track, improve operations, and prevent high turnover among your staff while you search internally or externally for a permanent replacement

So, when does it make sense to leverage interim healthcare management staffing services?

4 Scenarios Prime for Interim Healthcare Management

 

1. Hospital Executive on Maternity, Paternity, or Short-Term Medical Leave

When a healthcare administrator goes on maternity, paternity, or short-term medical leave, the organization is truly looking for an experienced temporary replacement to fill the gap. Even though the leave of absence is temporary, the role is mission-critical, and thus demands a knowledgeable, executive-level replacement.

In this scenario, HR is not searching for a new candidate due to the administrator’s anticipated return. The interim replacement seamlessly steps in to manage, guide, and mentor the department as it currently runs to prevent the unit from becoming stagnant, disorganized, or dysfunctional.

2. Restructuring a Hospital Unit or Department

In this scenario, we’re not just referring to restructuring in the typical sense. This could also refer to realigning, reorganizing, or even fixing a troubled department. Sometimes it’s necessary to bring in a fresh face to shake things up, rock the boat, or put the train back on the tracks, so to speak. When tough decisions must be made, it can be beneficial to bring in an interim leader who has the disposition and qualifications to deal with the immediate ramifications of radical changes or disgruntled staff.

3. Promotion or Termination of a Healthcare Manager

When a healthcare manager, department director, or executive is promoted or terminated, chances are a succession plan hasn’t been clearly laid out. Hiring someone who can step in during these unexpected scenarios grants you more time to conduct a quality candidate search and keeps your organization running smoothly during the transition.

4. Delays in Finding a Permanent Replacement

Sometimes, it just takes longer than expected to fill the shoes of a c-suite executive, department director, or clinical manager – no matter how much time you had to prepare for the vacancy.

Maybe initially your organization did hand-off duties to another leader, doubling their responsibilities. But now, your departments are suffering from stretched oversight. Or perhaps, you temporarily promoted an internal candidate, only to discover they don’t have the management expertise to succeed in the role just yet.

In either situation, it’s not too late to bring in an interim leader. In fact, it’s a perfect time.


Your Source for Interim Healthcare Management

We’ve covered why you should consider interim leadership. And we’ve covered when you should consider interim leadership. But we haven’t covered where you should turn when you need to fill an interim role.

Most healthcare systems and medical facilities are well-versed in the nuances of medical staffing agencies to provide travel nurses, allied health professionals, and even locum tenens physician coverage.

But did you know that a staffing agency like CoreMedical can also provide quality candidates in the interim management space as well?

Recognized year after year as one of the Largest in Healthcare Staffing Solutions, we pride ourselves on being able to fill the “hard-to-find” requirements so that every placement is the right fit for you and the continued success of your organization.

Learn more about our interim management staffing solutions today!

More About Interim with Core