A hospital recruiter investigates employment needs and markets to fill open hospital positions. To be successful, hospital recruiters must be familiar with all sought-after health care jobs. Recruiter job duties include interviewing applicants, matching skills to open positions, checking applicant references, managing background checks, attending job fairs, promoting open positions, hiring or referring job candidates and keeping employment paperwork. Other related duties may include employee training, policy education and answering payroll and benefits questions.
Salary
The average national salary for hospital recruiters as of July 25, 2013 was $80,000, according to the Indeed website. The pay for this position is at the high range of the pay scale for this class of hospital workers, compared to $35,000, which is the average salary for a hospital bill collector, and $224,000 for a physician medical director. As of May 2010, the median salary for human resources specialists working for hospitals was listed at $44,810 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is considerably lower, although the BLS data is slightly older.
Regional Comparisons
New York was the top-paying state for hospital recruiters in 2013, according to the Indeed website, at an average annual salary of $97,000. California was the next highest paying with $87,000 as the annual average, followed by Washington State at an average annual salary of $78,000. Texas, Florida and Oregon each reported about $75,000. North Dakota reported paying hospital recruiters an average annual salary of 72,000 while in South Dakota, hospital recruiters made an annual average of $61,000. Differences in salary are due to factors such as demand and population.
Contributing Factors
According to the BLS, most generalist recruiters have at least a bachelor's degree. To enter the competitive field of hospital recruiting, however, many candidates have earned advanced degrees in nursing, social services or management. Certification through organizations such as the National Association for Health Care Recruitment shows employers that you have the knowledge and experience to succeed. Those who go far in the field have excellent people skills, are detail oriented and are at ease when speaking in front of a group.
Career Outlook
The BLS lists the job outlook for hospital recruiters as good overall, with expected growth at 21 percent between 2010 and 2020, compared to 14 percent for all other occupations. Hospitals, in particular, are likely to need more recruiters, due to changes in health care coverage legislation. According to the health care search firm Merritt Hawkins -- quoted in a 2012 article on the "Forbes" website -- as of 2012, doctors typically seek the security of a group or hospital practice.