Strong Foundation

MedUS’ team and supportive community are key to its success

MedUS Healthcare’s motto — “Better people, better outcomes” — defines the Cincinnati, Ohio-based travel nurse provider’s mission of taking pride in delivering excellence in patient care.  Founded in 2013, the organization is passionate about placing medical professionals in specialty areas in the healthcare sector and understands that top-notch results begin with its own people. As a Best Staffing Firm to Work For, it’s clear that MedUS Healthcare is doing right by its own staff, who currently number 24.

The firm’s strong foundation begins with finding just the right people, says Director of Recruitment Tate Bailey, who has been with MedUS since 2015. “We really need to bring in good clinicians, and to bring in good clinicians, we need good recruiters who have quality conversations with our clinicians,” explains Bailey. So, when MedUS is hiring internally, the company looks for specific traits rather than experienced recruiters. “We’re really looking for employees with great attitudes, people with a willingness to learn and be coached to understand what ‘better people, better outcomes’ means,” he says.

By carefully curating its internal team, MedUS ensures that those who come on board mesh together well. “It’s very family oriented and close knit. It’s a work hard, play hard type mentality,” explains Bethany Evans, a recruiting team lead who joined the company two years ago. “We’re working hard all day, but we’re still joking around with each other.”

The warm, friendly environment helps the team galvanize one another, Evans adds. She recalls a time recently when she was having an off day. “As soon as I got here and started talking to one of my coworkers, [I thought,] it’s going to be okay,” she says. “I get to work with them all day!”

Cultivating Our People

Recruiter Peter He agrees.  He is new to the staffing world, having joined MedUS in 2021 after a short career as a health insurance account manager. For him, the right note was struck right at the very start. Although he hadn’t previously considered recruiting as a career path, “I went in for an interview, and it just clicked,” he says.

He adds that leadership at MedUS views the recruiters as the company’s greatest asset. “They’ve put a lot of … focus on making us recruiters happy and seeing what we need to be successful,” and ask employees regularly how they’re doing, He explains. “Those little things go a long way of seeing where we’re at. Are we still happy? Are we taking our numbers in the right direction?”

For those who flourish as recruiters, MedUS has plenty of career growth opportunities, and He is no exception. Now that he has a year’s experience under his belt, his team lead is working with him to explore next steps — specifically, becoming a team lead himself. “This is something I can stick around for the long haul and … maybe use that as a stepping stone,” he says, “but whatever it may be, [I’m] very happy to [pursue it].”

But MedUS also knows that every individual has their own unique needs to be able to thrive, and the company is committed to ensuring its employees are in the right position. “We recently brought someone in [as a recruiter, but] she was struggling,” Evans shares. “She had come to the conclusion that recruiting wasn’t for her. We valued her, though, as an employee — we valued what she brought to our team.” Instead of losing this employee, leadership examined their open internal positions and offered her other options that would suit her better. Going above and beyond to keep a valued employee who is in the wrong position is unheard of in most staffing firms, Evans adds. “That just says so much about our management team.”

MedUS’ leadership makes an effort every day to be accessible to all employees. “It’s an open door policy,” He says. “You’re always welcome to ask questions. They [not only] don’t mind it — they encourage it!”

“Any single person in this company, an entry-level recruiter up to the lead management … can all go to their higher-ups in any time of need,” Evans agrees. “[Leadership doesn’t] treat me like they’re better than me. They treat us all like equals.”

Management was especially open with internal staff during the Covid-19 lockdowns, communicating frequently through calls and meetings. “The leadership came out and told us what we would be doing going forward to adapt to Covid and that no one was going to lose their jobs, so they didn’t have to worry,” Bailey says.

Celebrating Our Team

Prior to the lockdowns, MedUS’ staff worked on-site, but the company went remote during the worst of the pandemic. Now that restrictions have eased, much of the team has returned to the office, but there is increased autonomy and flexibility in the post-lockdown landscape. The company now has some hybrid workers, and they’ve given other employees the opportunity to work from home if necessary or after special occasions. “We [held our company holiday party] on Thursday,” Evans laughs, “and [they told us], work from home tomorrow. Don’t check in until 10:00 a.m.”

Other perks include frequent carry-in lunches and calling it an early day on Fridays if people have their work done so they can get a head-start on their weekends. Evans also adds that the compensation that MedUS provides is a great incentive, and employees will sometimes get surprise bonuses when the company hits or exceeds its numbers.

MedUS’ leadership approach and a supportive community together are key factors for success in the healthcare staffing field. “It doesn’t fall onto just one person,” recruiter He says. “It does take a collective group in order to make a staffing agency successful.”

Earning the Accolade

For Bailey, being named a Best Staffing Firm to Work For is a natural outcome of the MedUS motto. “Our philosophy was so basic when we created it, but if you really buy into that — ‘Better people, better outcomes’ — you can see where it’s made a difference,” he shares.

And indeed, MedUS’ devotion to its internal staff is paying dividends with the company’s clinicians. “It gives them the ability to brag about us,” Evans says proudly. “They’re constantly referring their friends over to us … saying [things] like, ‘Hey, my agency just won Best Staffing Firm to Work For. You should go work for them.’” She adds with a laugh, “I already knew we were one of the best staffing firms to work for, but now it’s official!”