Onboarding Surge moves applicants into the Birmingham VA fast lane
Hire Faster—A priority VA pledges to meet. This priority was evident recently in the Birmingham VA Health Care System.
To place candidates quicker, the Birmingham VA scheduled an Onboarding Surge Event (OSE). The onboarding surge was conducted over two days and was designed to meet the “hire faster” goal by reducing the time it takes to put excited employees to work.
“In the past, we would conduct interviews, make candidate selections and complete preemployment processes but by the time we were prepared to offer a start date, the potential employee would decline the position because they accepted employment elsewhere,” said Jacquie Caron, Senior Strategic Business Partner. “This surge event has moved a process that may have taken several months to just a few weeks.”
The Birmingham VA onboarding event is part of a nationwide focus to expedite the hiring process. The OSE is focused on fast-tracking candidates’ onboarding experience by coordinating all required pre-employment actions into a single-day event.
“I started in the VA over seven years ago, and this process is excellent,” said Latoyer Ingram, a registered nurse who is excited to get to work in BVAHCS. “This process is more expedited and clearer,” she added. “From the time I received the tentative offer to today, it has taken three weeks when normally it takes three months.”
According to Dr. Oladipo Kukoyi, Executive Director, the onboarding surge event met expectations, but he hopes the Birmingham VA can maintain this momentum for all future hiring actions. “This approach proves we can hire faster and be as competitive as private health care. We noticed a boost in completed hiring actions, and the new hires I have met have had a better experience,” said Kukoyi. “An Onboarding Surge Event is new for the most federal government, and I hope Birmingham will develop best practices to improve and speed up hiring.”
As more Veterans qualify for health care benefits, following the recent Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, the Birmingham VA anticipates more than 75,000 Veterans, in this operating area alone, may benefit from the PACT legislation. As more Veterans are welcomed into the health care system it is the aim of the Birmingham VA to have the workforce to continue the world class care expected.
“I’m also meeting people I will be working with,” smiled Ingram. “ I met my supervisor today and the medical center director; that has never happened. Coming from out of town, this experience was professional, and I know I’m starting at a good place with good people—I even met a new coworker.”
The Birmingham VA reached its onboarding goal of 50 applicants during the OSE. The new employees completed required lab work, physicals, fingerprinting, and all necessary credentials were verified. The onboarding surge demonstrated VAs ability to maximize personnel capacity by streamlining hiring and speed up the process for future staffing.