Role requirement planning for medical practices

Hiring friction accumulates when role expectations are unclear. Candidates ask basic questions that should have been answered in the job description. Interviewers disagree about what they are looking for because they never aligned on requirements. Offers are extended to candidates whose expectations don't match the actual role. Each of these friction points is preventable through upfront role planning. The investment is small relative to the time saved during the search.

Role responsibilities should describe what the person in this role will actually do on a typical day and week, not a list of generic healthcare job functions. The more specific the responsibility description, the easier it is for candidates to self-select in or out, and the easier it is for interviewers to evaluate fit. Include volume expectations where relevant: patient-facing roles should specify typical patient load, administrative roles should specify workflow volume.

• List the 5-7 primary responsibilities in order of time investment
• Specify volume expectations where relevant, encounters per day, calls per day, etc.
• Describe the physical environment, office, clinic, hybrid, or remote
• Identify any responsibilities that are new or evolving for this hire
• Clarify what is out of scope for this role to prevent expectation mismatch

Distinguish carefully between required qualifications and preferred qualifications. Required qualifications are non-negotiable minimums, the candidate who doesn't have them cannot be considered. Preferred qualifications are differentiators that make candidates more competitive but are not dealbreakers. Overloading the required qualifications list with items that are actually preferred reduces the candidate pool unnecessarily and extends the search.

• State licensure requirements: identify which state(s) and what active license is required
• Certifications: specify which are required versus preferred
• Experience level: minimum years of experience required in the relevant role or setting
• EHR experience: specify the system if proficiency in a specific platform is required
• Physical requirements: if the role requires specific physical capabilities, state them clearly

Candidates who understand the reporting structure and team context before they interview make better decisions about whether to pursue the role, and practice leaders get more targeted candidates. The reporting structure should be clear: who the person reports to, who they work alongside, and how much autonomy they have in daily operations. For clinical roles, supervisory arrangements and oversight expectations should be addressed explicitly.

• Direct report to a named role or individual, not just a department
• Peers and team composition, how many other people are in similar roles
• Level of autonomy, how much independent decision-making is expected
• Cross-functional interactions, which other departments or roles the hire works with regularly
• Any supervision or oversight requirements relevant to licensure or practice regulations

A role brief is a short internal document that summarizes all of the elements above, responsibilities, qualifications, structure, schedule, and what success looks like. It serves as the reference point for writing the job posting, briefing interviewers, and evaluating candidates. Role briefs don't need to be long, one to two pages that capture the essentials clearly is more useful than a ten-page document that no one reads.

• Keep the brief to one to two pages, longer is not more useful
• Include a "first 90 days" description: what will this person be doing and learning?
• Define the compensation range and any unique benefits worth highlighting
• Identify the 2-3 most important success criteria for this role
• Share the brief with every interviewer before their interview