Bigger is Not Always Better: The Advantage of Working with a Boutique Healthcare Staffing Agency

Dawn Pascale

Talent shortages in healthcare pose serious issues for the facilities and their patients.  So when a key hire is imperative and internal talent acquisition has not been able to provide the candidates, healthcare companies turn to the professional staffing industry.   Options are plenty when it comes to choosing a healthcare staffing agency and bigger doesn’t always mean better.

Similar to the rest of the healthcare industry, there has been a powerful period of consolidation and absorption of firms these past ten years, including the development of MSP/VMS companies.  Currently, there are several staffing firms that have market capitalizations in the billions of dollars.  That enormous size and bloated bureaucratic monstrosity excites hedge fund money, but it loses the intimacy and ability to rapidly adapt to the dynamic and difficult challenges each new week.

That begs the obvious question when in need of a clinical hire, can you still get the right hire from a more intimate yet leaner boutique staffing agency?

The obvious answer is yes and let us explain further. 

As smaller, but highly focused teams, boutique firms have decades-long personal relationships with both the clients (those who hire) and the candidates (the job seekers).  Large entities constantly assign and reassign reps to cover an account with rapid turnover of consultants.  The goal inside of a large corporation is to continue to move along, ascend, promote or terminate consultants quickly.  The deep knowledge and history of a specific medical discipline are rarely cultivated and passed along.  In a more focused boutique, relationships and shared history are paramount for success.  Residents and Fellows placed thirty years ago are now the CEOs and Medical Directors of today.  That quality of partnership gets results!

Additionally, while larger companies are focused on how to make more money, boutique firms are focused on delivering excellent customer service, making improvements based on customer feedback, building upon their company’s reputation and paying extraordinary attention to detail. 

Frankly, boutique firms are more nimble, able to change with the times and innovate to provide clients what they need in the current environment.

Boutique Staffing firms generally do not hire many juniors, they tend to have more senior staff. This means they offer exceptional expertise to their clients and clinicians. That equates to better support, communication and negotiating skills.  All of which means exemplary services but most importantly, it means they can get their clients and clinicians across the finish line. 

When it comes to efficiency, you might think larger agencies have the edge since they have more staff and a bigger budget. That sometimes makes them more rigid and inefficient.  Bigger usually means slower and in today’s healthcare market, you need to act fast. Boutique agencies have less authority and approval stages with less roadblocks to get the job done. 

There are many right answers when looking at a boutique agency to meet your objectives.  You may have better outcomes with a boutique agency.  Try a boutique agency such as MedSource Consultants and reach out to one of our team members.  We’ve been helping clients and clinicians for over 25 years.