Recruiting Insights Campaign Results

ATCEMS RECRUITING INSIGHTS APRIL 2017 CAMPAIGN RESULTS

Austin-Travis Emergency Medical Service I RECRUITlNGYOUR NEXTPARTNER I April 2017

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In March 2016 the department changed the minimum requirement for an EMS Medic I - Field candidate. The change to the job description requires aMedic to haveat least 1 year of experience if they are at the EMT level. With this change we have seen an increase of candidates with multiple years of experience and commitment to public service. We currently have interview questions to assess people's commitment to public service. In addition there are opportunities for recruits to observe in the field or communications, which is not widely publicized at this time. Medics committed to public service see this profession as more than just a job and we want these folks in ATCEMS to represent to the public what we do. To find these folks, in the short term we will change where and how we recruit, online and in person, since those interested in public service may tend to be in certain places and not others. We will also expand opportunities to give recruits a chance to experience the job before committing so that they can see and feel what public service is really like-including how our work differs from the perception they may have from the outside. We are also developing a plan to (re)brand the identity of our department to attract public serviceminded people to ATCEMS. If you would like to be involved in these efforts, we are looking for individuals passionate about recruiting for the department and serving as an ambassador for the department, please email emsrecruiting@austintexas.gov to express interest.

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Field medics desire their partners to commit to public service and who are proud of and passionate about serving this community, going beyond expectations.

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Austin-Travis Emergency Medical Service I RECRUITINGYOURNEXTPARTNER I April 2017

We know that discipline and morals are important characteristic for our field medics, but it is an area that can be different from person to person and we are unable to make any decisions on this insight without further research. Because of this, we have decided to not make any decisions based on this insight so we can focus on the insights we can take actions on immediately.

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Field medics often referenced a strong work ethic, morals, discipline, and integrity as desired characteristics. We would like to know more about what this looks like in practice. For instance, morality can be very different from person to person. Knowing more about what these traits mean for you will help us determine more precisely the kind of people we should be targeting for your next partner. Field medics desire their partners to be constantly mindful of their role in the whole system and in the lives of those around them. The ability to take the perspective of patients, dispatchers, the public, administration, and other customers should guide their actions and help them determine what is right, including speaking up as an advocate.

Customer service is an area that is currently assessed in interview and reference questions. However, customer advocacy dives deeper and is defined more as a rare and valuable ability to take care of a situation at hand while keeping the bigger system in mind, but this is exactly the kind of characteristic we want in new recruits. We want those who will speak up for our many customers when something needs to be addressed. We will evaluate our current interview and reference questions to more directly evaluate customer advocacy. Because of the confidentiality of the Structured Oral Interview process, involvement on these changes will be limited to Recruiting staff and executive team.

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This is an area that is currently assessed in interview questions. In addition there are opportunities for recruits to observe in the field or communications, which is not widely publicized at this time. We have to practice our abilities to be empathetic and compassionate every day, even when it has been a long day or when we are running low on our capacity to be empathic and compassionate. It is

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Field medics desire to work with partners who are able to provide empathetic and compassionate service regardless of the customer and their attitude, values, and the life decisions that may have led to their need for care and support.

important for new recruits to experience what this is like and take it to heart. Over the next few months, we will give recruits opportunities to experience the job before committing so they can see just how much empathy and compassion is required to do good work here. We will also change how we do reference checks and assess the interview format and questions to better target and select people with these characteristics. In the longer term, we will look into what it will take to brand the identity of our department to attract these kind of people to apply to ATCEMS. Because of the confidentiality of the Structured Oral Interview process, involvement on these changes will be limited to Recruiting staff and executive team. However, If you would like to be involved in these efforts, we are looking for individuals passionate about recruiting for the department and serving as an ambassador for the department, please email emsrecruiting@austintexas.gov to express interest. Currently in interviews we have specific behavior based questions that are designed to draw out personal characteristics such as decision making, integrity, and honesty. Humility is not a characteristic that is currently being assessed explicitly. Humility and personal accountability are critical to ongoing success in our life-saving teams. It will be tough to discern these characteristics in potential recruits because these characteristics often take time to assess; however, we want to find you these kinds of partners. We will try by changing how we do reference checks and the interview format and questions to better identify and target people with these characteristics. Because of the confidentiality of the Structured Oral Interview process, involvement on these changes will be limited to Recruiting staff and executive team.

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Field medics desire their partners to hold themselves accountable and know their limitations. They are able to ask for help and are not afraid to make mistakes or admit them. They accept feedback with humility and seek opportunities to learn and improve.

Austin-Travis Emergency Medical Service I RECRUITINGYOURNEXTPARTNER I April 2017

.P). · v · Fieldmedicswould like new recruits to be comfortable with relating to many different types of people and personalities so that a connection can be formed for needs, wants, thoughts and ideas to be shared communicated clearly and quickly.

The ability to relate to different people and personality types is an area that is currently assessed in interview and reference questions. However, Austin is becoming a very culturally diverse city and it takes a certain kind of person to relate to the highly variable customers we interact with on a daily basis. This ability helps us deliver better care more efficiently so having these people in ATCEMS makes all of our jobs easier. Over the next few months, we will evaluate our current interview and reference questions to more directly evaluate the ability to relate to different types of people within a culturally progressive and evolving environment. In addition, we will look into what it will take to brand the identity of our department to attract these kind of people to apply to ATCEMS. Because of the confidentiality of the Structured Oral Interview process, involvement on interview and background questions will be limited to Recruiting staff and executive team. We currently assess honesty and integrity throughout the hiring process, for example in our interview questions, reference checks, and psychological evaluations. Dishonesty not only hampers your ability to trust and rely on your life­ saving partners, but it also reflects poorly on ATCEMS and can sometimes put you and others in danger. Frustratingly, honesty can be tough to assess in a new recruit but we will beef up our efforts. Work ethic is a value based on hard work and diligence which is something that is demonstrated over time. We will review our current interview questions and reference checks to better assess dishonest behaviors, accountability and work ethic. We will determine these options over the next few months. Because of the confidentiality of the Structured Oral Interview process, involvement on these changes will be limited to Recruiting staff and executive team.

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Field medics desire their future partners to be honest, accountable for their words and actions, and be hard-working.

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Attitude is an area that is currently assessed in interview questions. Attitude is infectious to those around us and this can make or break our shifts. We want your partners to have a positive attitude as much as you do since this helps us retain good people. In order to better identify people with positive attitudes and the ability to maintain them we will change where and how we recruit, online and in person. We will also change how we do reference checks and assess the interview format and questions. Because of the confidentiality of the Structured Oral Interview process, involvement on these changes will be limited to Recruiting staff and executive team. Currently we recruit at college campuses (in state and out of state), post ads in EMS Journals, present to high school students in health and sciences tracts, and attend state EMS conferences; last year the Recruiting team visited 38 career fairs/college campuses. Our interviews also assess long term career goals. It is important to us that we have lifelong learners since our field is constantly evolving. To find these recruits, we will expand our current presence at recruiting events and produce more marketing materials to raise awareness about working at ATCEMS. We will also change where and how we recruit, online and in person, in order to target the places where lifelong learners are hanging out. If you would like to be involved in these efforts, Recruiting is looking for a diverse group of individuals who would like to assist in campus visits, career fairs, community events, and EMS conferences. If you are

Field medics would like to work alongside those who recognize that their attitude has a huge impact on those around them, so they approach the shift with positivity and try to carry that forward through their whole shift.

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Field medics would like to work alongside lifelong learners who are intrinsically motivated and disciplined about improving their knowledge base in order to evolve their own practice and improve othersaround them.

interested in helping us, contact emsrecruiting@austintexas.gov.

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Austin-Travis Emergency Medical Service I RECRUITING YOUR NEXT PARTNER I April 2017

Teamwork is an area that is currently assessed in interview and reference questions. However, teamwork within the EMS culture is not just the ability to work together as a team, it means having the ability to recognize your coworkers needs and the willingness to go the extra mile for them. We work very independently, which sometimes makes it hard to know when one of our team members needs a hand. Having those who take care of their partners and their shift are not only great to work with but they are an asset for ATCEMS. In order to find these people, over the next fewmonths, we will change where and how we recruit, online and in person. We will evaluate our current interview and reference questions to more directly evaluate teamwork in an EMS setting. In the longer term, we will also look into what it will take to brand the identity of our department to attract these kind of people to apply to ATCEMS. Because of the confidentiality of the Structured Oral Interview process, involvement on these changes will be limited to Recruiting staff and executive team. Sense of humor is a hard characteristic to define and can be defined differently for different people, but it is important to know more about this. We have decided to not act on this insight at this time as it would require additional research and instead we are focusing on the input we can make actionable decisions on.

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Fieldmedics want team members who have each other's backs and will pay attention and step up when they see a need. These are people who will get the work done while taking care of each other. These are the people who will take a call for another crew so that crewcan take a break from back-to-back calls and eat their dinners.

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Field medics mentioned many times that they think having a sense of humor is important. Our work can be very difficult and we wonder what the role of humor is and when it works best. Is it a sign of a positive attitude? A way of coping with stress? Something else? Because we don't want to assume we know these answers, we don't want to take action just yet. Instead, we are curious about knowing more from you.

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We know that life experience gives field medics a wisdom and knowledge that cannot be learned through education, but it is an area that can be different from person to person and we are unable to make any decisions on this insight without further research. Because of this, we have decided to not make any decisions based on this insight so we can focus on the insights we can take actions on immediately.

Life experience and work experience were suggested many times. There seems to be an essential blend of wisdom that is not typically provided through the medical and technical education required for the job. We have some assumptions about that this includes, but we would like to know more.

This is an area that is currently assessed in interviews. In addition there are opportunities for recruits to observe in the field or communications, which is not widely publicized at this time. By walking your walk, you become a person others want to follow. When leaders say one thing, but do another, they erode trust--a critical element of productive leadership. Sometimes we come upon a difficult or unusual scene and wonder what in the heck we are going to do, but we know we have to act. This is not something that comes naturally to everyone, but we want to find those who are able to do it. In order to target these folks, we will give recruits more opportunities to experience the job before committing so that they know just what kind of scenes we deal with. Additionally, we will change how we do reference checks to better identify and select these kind of people. We will investigate these options over the next few months. If you would like to be involved in these efforts, we are looking for individuals passionate about recruiting for the department and serving as an ambassador for the department, please email emsrecruiting@austintexas.gov to express interest.

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Field medics desire their partners to lead by example, projecting calm and confidence even if they don't feel it. In other words, they will sometimes be scared to death but figure out what to do anyway.

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Austin-Travis Emergency Medical Service I RECRUITING YOURNEXT PARTNER I April 2017

Pride in the EMS profession is assessed by a recruit's commitment to the professional standards and high ethical code of conduct this career demands. This is an area that is currently assessed in interviews. In addition, there are opportunities for recruits to observe in the field or communications, which is not widely publicized at this time. Building a relationship with your partner and your shift requires that people stick around and are invested in ATCEMS. Staff turnover is also a problem for the department since our investment in new recruits is diminished if they are only in it for the short term. We want to attract those who are committed to practicing emergency medicine with us instead of waiting around for something else to come along. Attracting these folks is a longer term effort and we will explore developing more ways for recruits to access current medics who are satisfied with practicing emergency medicine. That way, new recruits may get the impression that a commitment to emergency medicine is essential here. Over the next few months, we will also look into what it will take to brand the identity of our teams to attract these kinds of people to apply to ATCEMS. We are looking for individuals passionate about recruiting for the department and serving as an ambassador for the department, please email emsrecruiting@austintexas.gov to express interest.

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Field medics desire their partners to have pride in the profession and in ATCEMS. They hope new recruits stick around for a while.

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