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Help Wanted: A New Approach To An Old Problem
This is the fourth in a series of articles from MONOC Mobile Health Services. MONOC is New Jersey's largest provider of EMS and medical transportation and first CAAS-accredited agency. The goal of this series is to provide insight and solutions for the different managerial and operational challenges facing the EMS leaders of tomorrow. For more, see www.monoc.org.
Being a large company has its challenges, one of the biggest being the constant need for new staff. While employee-retention efforts are the first line of defense, there is always a need to recruit due to natural attrition and turnover. There are local, state and national recruitment strategies, but few have proved to work consistently. Like most other companies, we've used the usual recruitment tools, such as offering referral incentives and sign-on bonuses, creating our own EMT and paramedic training academies, attending career fairs and so much more; however, our need never seemed to be completely met.
While traveling in the Midwest last year as a CAAS site reviewer, I asked the director of the EMS agency I was visiting how their staffing has been. Unlike most people, he responded, "Great!" I laughed, thinking that he was joking, but he said they were fully staffed. This particularly piqued my interest because they are a relatively large agency that staffs all its ambulances with two paramedics. When I asked what his secret was, he responded, "I recruit them from out of state." While it isn't unheard of in our industry, I had not considered it very seriously because I hear complaints about the EMT, paramedic and nursing shortage in nearly every state I visit or read about.
After mulling over the concept for more than a week, I concluded that it was a pretty good idea. My company has a lot to offer: It is progressive, a leader in the state and has great clinicians. Additionally, my state is diverse and has so much to offer in such a small package. Once I was convinced, I ran the idea by my CEO, and he thought the concept was worth pursuing. We just needed to come up with a plan. One idea we brainstormed that we had never tried was to produce a recruitment video. Since one picture is worth a thousand words, why not show them?
STEP ONE: FIND A PRODUCTION COMPANY
The first step was to find a production company that we could afford and that could create the type of video we envisioned. I spoke with approximately half a dozen companies whose prices ranged from $15,000 to $50,000. While each company offered its idea of "extras," at minimum, each quote included 60-75 hours of on-location shooting and the services of a professional writer and narrator. Ultimately, what helped me make a decision was the type of on-location work they had produced in the past, how flexible I thought they would be with the unpredictable nature of EMS work, and their willingness to have me actively involved in the day-to-day production. Another important consideration in choosing a company was its ability to shoot the video over several months, since we did not have the resources to shoot full time for two weeks as some of the companies wanted to do. In our business, this would have created a tremendous burden on our day-to-day operations.
STEP TWO: WRITE THE SCRIPT
Once the contract was signed, the next step was writing a script in order to focus our efforts. While I originally thought the script was simply words for the voice-over, I quickly learned that it was the foundation for the entire video. The script encompasses the flow of the video, key shots needed to get the point across, copy and points of inflection for the narrator, and locations for music. As a paramedic accustomed to dealing with issues as they are presented to me, I was very content to just shoot what was in my head and worry later about putting it together in the editing room. In the end, I learned that would have meant costly hours of wasted shooting. While I taught the producer about EMS, he taught me a lot about producing a video and what I had to do to remain as engaged in the process as I hoped. Choosing the areas of my company that I wanted to showcase was easy; keeping the video to a reasonable length was the hard part. The trick was to show and say everything I wanted to say while keeping the viewer's interest. According to the production company, the unofficial maximum length of a recruitment-style video is 15-20 minutes. With the help of a professional writer, and after many revisions, the script was completed. It told viewers who we are, what we have to offer and why it's a great place to work.
STEP THREE: SHOOT THE VIDEO
With the script complete, we were ready to begin shooting. First, however, we had to create a basic release and waiver form for everyone to sign before being recorded. This was mainly to prevent employees who voluntarily chose to be in the video from later changing their mind and wanting to be removed from the DVD.
While I knew some shots would need to be planned and staged, I thought some could be done on the fly, such as at shift change. I could not have been more wrong! Due to the need for multiple takes on even the simplest of shots, we needed dedicated people so as to not interfere with day-to-day operations. As a result, we went to plan "B" and staged nearly every shot, bringing in dedicated crews whose only purpose at that time was to work on the video. This approach went much better, allowing us to have everyone's undivided attention.
Another hurdle to overcome was engaging fellow managers and staff to help in the logistics of the many shoots. Although everyone was more than cooperative and bought into the concept, like most organizations, people are very busy and dealing with emergencies on a daily if not hourly basis. Just before we were about to shoot, we'd find out that the person we asked to secure the "actors" never got around to it because of an unexpected operational problem, and the ambulance that was stocked and cleaned the night before a shoot had been pulled into service due to an unexpected shortage of vehicles. In EMS, logistics easily proves to be the most challenging aspect of production.
And then there are the things you can't control: small planes buzzing overhead when you are trying to record testimonials, too much wind when you are trying to use a fog machine, constantly hitting red lights when you are trying to film an ambulance driving down a straightaway, and my favorite, the sun going in and out of the clouds as you are filming a scene. The bottom line: No matter how prepared you are, expect setbacks; above all, be patient.
Toward the end of shooting, it was time to select a voice-over artist who best complemented our video and would appeal to our intended audience. We listened as several artists the producer had worked with in the past read several lines of the script. While it sounds like a simple task, it took much longer than I anticipated to match the right person with the energy and flow of the video.
Once all of the scenes were shot and we were satisfied with them, editing began. This was the time we could sit back and let the editor do his magic. Over the next few weeks he combined the footage, music and voice-over narration to present a finished product. After a few tweaks, the video was complete and ready for its debut. Click here to view the video.
STEP FOUR: DUPLICATE THE PRODUCT
The next step was having the video either duplicated or replicated. For smaller quantities, we could have had the master DVD duplicated in a process similar to what you do at home to copy a CD or DVD on your computer. For larger quantities and a little more money, we chose to have the master replicated, which involves creating a "glass master' of the original, which, in turn, stamps the data onto blank media. The disk is then printed and lacquered for protection. The main advantage of replication is that it eliminates any compatibility issues. Replicated DVDs will work on any DVD player or computer, whereas duplicated DVDs occasionally won't play on certain devices.
STEP FIVE: DEFINE DISTRIBUTION OPTIONS
Distribution options included mailing the videos by direct mail to EMTs, paramedics and nurses, having our Human Resources department mail them to people interested in employment, handing them out at career fairs, or simply placing the video on our web site. While the latter approach is the easiest and may reach the largest audience, the quality will never be as good as viewing a DVD played on a TV or full-size computer monitor. As a byproduct of the recruitment video, we had the producer create a five-minute "action" version to music, which we use as an opening at educational programs, in our booth at trade shows, at health fairs, on our Facebook site and on YouTube, and to give out as an information piece to politicians and prospective clients.
To date, feedback has been great from both videos, and time will tell if this approach has helped our recruitment efforts. If creating a recruitment video is something your organization could benefit from, have patience. The results will be worth it.
Scott A. Matin, MBA, NREMT-P, is vice president of Clinical & Business Services for MONOC Mobile Health Services in Wall Township, New Jersey. His responsibilities include oversight of MONOC's clinical, education, Q/I, research, public relations, marketing, government affairs and business development services. He is also adjunct faculty for the School of Administrative Science at Fairleigh Dickinson University and an on-site reviewer for the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS). Scott has been involved in EMS for over 25 years as an established manager, educator and nationally registered paramedic. He is an author of numerous articles and research studies, a member of several editorial review boards and a frequent presenter at professional conferences throughout the country.
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