Building a Talent Acquisition Department That Actually Works: A Guide for Healthcare Organizations
By: Lisa Hyder
In today’s healthcare landscape, hiring isn’t just an HR function—it’s a strategic advantage. The right team drives better patient outcomes, smoother operations, and stronger revenue. But relying on one overworked recruiter or posting-and-praying on job boards just doesn’t cut it anymore.
If you want to compete for top talent, it’s time to build a true Talent Acquisition (TA) department—one with purpose, process, and power.
At Kure Practice Resource Partners, we’ve helped healthcare practices of all sizes go from reactive hiring to strategic talent acquisition. Here are FIVE STEPS and what it takes to build a department that does more than fill roles—it builds your future.
STEP 1: Define the “Why” Behind Your Department
Before you hire a TA leader or post your first job, get clear on your goals:
Do you want to reduce agency spend?
Improve quality-of-hire and retention?
Hire faster and smarter during growth?
Build a pipeline of hard-to-fill roles (e.g., PTs, ODs, behavioral health providers)?
Strengthen your employer brand?
Aligning leadership around the why will shape your staffing, systems, and strategy from day one.
STEP 2: Hire (or Promote) the Right People
Your first TA hire should be more than a recruiter—they should be a strategic partner who understands sourcing, relationship building, employer branding, systems, and analytics.
A great talent acquisition team includes:
TA Lead / Manager – owns strategy, metrics, and collaboration with leadership
Recruiters / Sourcers – proactive, relationship-driven, and specialized by role or region
Coordinator / Admin – manages scheduling, job postings, and candidate experience
Marketing/Brand Partner – supports content, social media, and reputation management
You don’t need all of these on day one, but you do need a clear structure and growth path as hiring needs evolve.
STEP 3: Build Systems That Scale
Even the best recruiter can’t thrive without tools. A real TA department should have:
An ATS (applicant tracking system) that integrates with your HRIS
Sourcing tools like LinkedIn Recruiter, Indeed Resume, or niche boards
Structured interview guides and scorecards for consistency
Dashboards or reports showing time-to-fill, offer acceptance rates, and more
A centralized intake process for hiring managers so nothing falls through the cracks
Process equals consistency. And consistency equals results.
STEP 4: Get Serious About Employer Branding
Candidates don’t just want a job—they want to feel aligned with your values, your people, and your purpose.
A great TA department partners with marketing to:
Share employee stories on social media
Improve your careers page and job descriptions
Generate reviews on Glassdoor and Google
Craft messaging for hard-to-fill roles
Build excitement around growth and culture
You’re always recruiting—even when you’re not hiring. Your brand should reflect that.
STEP 5: Align TA With Business Strategy
Your TA department should have a seat at the leadership table. Why? Because:
Opening a new location = new hiring plan
Launching a new service line = new talent strategy
Improving retention = better onboarding and culture fit
Make sure your talent team is looped in early and often.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
A mature TA department doesn’t just fill jobs. It also:
Cuts time-to-fill without sacrificing quality
Builds a pipeline before roles are open
Reduces turnover through better fits and onboarding
Enhances patient care by putting the right people in the right seats
Becomes a true partner to operations, finance, and clinical leadership
NEED HELP BUILDING YOURS?
At Kure, we’ve built in-house recruiting engines for startups and scaled systems for large multisite practices. Whether you're hiring your first recruiter or revamping a team that’s stuck, we bring strategy, structure, and speed.
Let’s build your talent engine—so you can build the team that drives your mission forward.
Start today, reach out. Call us: 443.906.1510.
