Building Strategic Relationships with National Professional Organizations.

Stephanie Clay, National Director of Talent Acquisition for Transformations Care Network, shares how healthcare recruiters can strengthen talent pipelines by showing up intentionally at national conferences and focusing on real human connection—not transactional recruiting. She explains how partnering with professional associations and building long-term relationships across nursing, allied health, and other clinical disciplines can create deeper, more sustainable pipelines that last. 

Transcript

Angela Pointer 0:00

Hi, I'm Angela Pointer and welcome to the Hiring Scope podcast from the National Association for Healthcare Recruitment, where we explore the latest trends, insights, and strategies in the ever-changing world of healthcare hiring.

Patrick Kelly 0:13

And hi, I'm Patrick Kelly. Each episode will dive deep into the challenges and opportunities facing recruiters, hiring managers, and healthcare professionals alike. Whether you're looking to attract top talent, navigate industry changes, or build a stronger workforce, you're in the right place. Let's get started.

Angela Pointer 0:32

This season, it's been all about connections that truly move the needle for recruiters. Relationships, or what we're calling recruiterships, with HR colleagues and community partners, hiring leaders, and today talking about national professional organizations.

Patrick Kelly 0:48

In this episode, we're diving into how healthcare recruiters can strengthen their talent pipelines by showing up intentionally at national conferences, partnering with professional associations, and cultivating long-term relationships across nursing, allied health, and other clinical disciplines.

Angela Pointer 1:04

And we couldn't ask for a better guest to help us unpack this topic today. We're joined by Stephanie Clay, National Director of Talent Acquisition for Transformation Care Network. Stephanie, welcome to the Hiring Scope Podcast. We're so glad you're here. And before we dive in, can you briefly share a little bit about your role and your scope of what you oversee at Transformation Care Network?

Stephanie Clay 1:26

Sure, sure. Hello, everyone. My name is Stephanie Clay. As Angela mentioned, I am the National Director of Challenge Acquisition for Transformations Care Network. First of all, thank you for having me on the podcast today. Super excited. My role is multifaceted. As the leader of this business unit, I am responsible for overseeing the strategy and kind of the tactical elements of hiring for our organization. Right now, our talent acquisition team is about 35 strong, give or take. That includes a number of managers, mostly talent advisors or recruiters, as well as talent operations. We have recruitment program specialists, which are who focus on academic affiliations, events, et cetera. And so really the goal with our team is to model it after talent ecosystem models that you see in larger organizations as we continue to scale. Awesome.

Angela Pointer 2:26

Tell us a little bit about Transformations Care Network for those that may not know who you are.

Stephanie Clay 2:31

Sure, sure. So Transformations Care Network is a network of outpatient mental health clinics providing a range of services from counseling to psychiatry and medication management. We operate in five states or five markets, which are Massachusetts, the DMV, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington state. We have a number of legacy clinics. We uh have a growth plan that allows us to extend our reach in our existing market. So we open new clinics pretty frequently, and we treat a range of demographics. So from child and adolescent to, you know, across a lifespan, really.

Patrick Kelly 3:15

Stephanie, it's really great to meet you uh too and hear about transformation care networks. This season we're using a term called recruiterships, and really what it means is uh relationships that recruiters build. From your perspective, how do you define recruiterships and why are relationships so essential to a successful recruitment strategy today?

Stephanie Clay 3:35

Sure. So uh it sounds cliche, but it's like it's not what you know, it's who you know. I think it's a little bit of both in a recruiting space. I think for me, professionally, it's been really important to my journey and to a talent leader to align or to understand those stepping stones, right? And to use them to really help me to become more marketable, to become more knowledgeable about best practices and just to overall position myself as you know, a subject matter expert. And I think that that's very similar to the importance of the journey of a candidate and developing those relationships as well, especially if you look at social media or social networking and how folks are leveraging themselves out on the web. And so it's not just necessarily those face-to-face relationships that you're building, but sometimes it's that digital network that you're building, right? And having a presence there that allows someone to recall uh, you know, the the activities or the content that you pushed out and really to help highlight, you know, your strengths, especially in a job market like uh we're engaged in currently, it's tough. And so being able to really, you know, market yourself, I think is important as far as recruiterships are concerned.

Angela Pointer 4:51

I love that frame, and especially um when you talk about relationships, right? Because uh it's certainly recruitment, it's certainly not transactional. So let's talk a little bit about the value of associations and conferences. Many organizations still rely heavily on job postings and digital outreach. What do national professional associations and their conferences offer TA teams that they simply can't get anywhere else?

Stephanie Clay 5:17

Yeah, I think that's a great question. And so I think overall credibility is you know what I think of most importantly. When I think about, for instance, Transformations Care Network, we have a, you know, a portion of our uh workforce, a large portion are social workers. And when I think about the necessity to uh become engaged with their professional organization, I think it adds credibility to what we do. It helps us to understand market conditions, it helps us to understand legislation in real time and things that are changing for those uh human uh services professionals. And I think overall the support that we're able to funnel into those spaces just feels more strategic. It feels like the right choice, right? So when we think about posting and praying, would I rather be funneling my efforts towards an ambiguous uh job posting, or would it be more strategic for me to post directly to that association's website, build some connective tissue, and really, you know, have a long-term opportunity to continue to remain engaged with that organization? So that's what we do. And I think that that pays dividends in the long run.

Patrick Kelly 6:29

Seems like that connection that you make with those national associations can really help build those human connections that you're looking to build and they come up again and again in recruitment. How can recruiters show up at conferences, not just as exhibitors, but how can they be a true partner who add value to the professional communities they're trying to recruit from?

Stephanie Clay 6:48

Well, I have a question from that perspective because I think that if we talk about there's a strategic element of being a recruiter and how to gain value from attending a conference when you don't necessarily want to invest in being an exhibitor. And so I don't know if that's the right gorilla to this conversation.

Patrick Kelly 7:05

A lot of recruiters aren't gonna be able to afford to be an exhibitor. Right. So they may just be attending to attend and how do they get the best out of it?

Stephanie Clay 7:12

That's great. So yeah, I I think that understanding like from a budget perspective, like what your options are and what your leverage is allows you to understand like what your mission is too, like what can I afford to do, right? And I think it sometimes it boils down to that from a recruiting perspective. And I think sometimes just walking the floor and networking is really critical, right? Understanding who your exhibitors and who your competitors are because a lot of times they may be funneling all of their dollars into that strategy, and so it gives you a bird's eye view of who's out there, what they're spending, it allows you to leverage some of those observations to the decision makers, if it's not yourself, and so being able to just be in that environment, I think can be really valuable to your ability to really understand the landscape. On the flip side, like I think if you're able to participate in sessions, if you're clinical and that's relevant to your expertise, then there's also value there that allows you to deepen those connections. So I think there's a fork in the road. If it's for us, if it's clinical and we have someone that can be an extension of our mission, and that's really great. It's mutually advantageous, they're able to maybe obtain some CMEs or CEUs and also network and really promote our mission, vision, and values. On the flip side, if you're a recruiter and you have the confidence to network absent of a booth, etc., then it can really help you to gain uh really valuable insight into the world around you.

Angela Pointer 8:49

Yeah, that's good. That idea of earning the right to recruit really resonates. And so I know this next question we've already talked about a bit because you kind of tapped into the long-term relationships, but is there anything else you want to add in terms of any proven ways or strategies you've used to build long-term relationships with some of the professional organizations you all um partner with there at Transformations Care Network?

Stephanie Clay 9:15

In what way? Maybe if I could get you to elaborate on that question.

Angela Pointer 9:19

Yeah, is there a well, we don't necessarily need to talk about the specific organization, but there are there other things that you've done other than reaching out, posting on their site? Anything else that you would add to the strategy or the tactics you've used with working with a professional or a clinical association?

Stephanie Clay 9:36

Yeah, so one of the things that we do and we've learned to really be more cost-effective around is event participation and really welcoming those organizations into our environment and to conversations that we're hosting, right? I think that that helps them to understand exactly who they're partnering with beyond just what's available on our website or the pitch that they've heard from a recruiter or the request that I've made as a leader representing that organization, but to actually welcome them into the environment gives them the feeling of exclusivity, right? I think that that's really important when you're developing those relationships because when you're you're feeling like a preferred partner, you know, I think that there is, you know, there's there's value there because they're able to reach in and ask questions, or sometimes they have, you know, folks within their network or communities that they're wanting to meet with a recruiter or that may be looking for a job or that may need guidance and they're able to leverage that relationship as well. So again, when we talk about the mutual advantage that I've talked about today, I think that that works when we're also kind of becoming someone notable in their networks too. And we get folks reaching out sometimes that are like, hey, well, it was great to talk to you. Actually, my daughter's looking for a job. Can you take a look at her resume or can you connect her with a mentor or a peer? And you know, we're happy to do that when it makes sense. And I then I think for us it it it allows us kind of those priority points, if you will, to engage, whether that be negotiating rates, whether that be, you know, kind of leveraging a seat at the table, whatever it is. So I think that relationship building is critical in, you know, just the overall schema of just getting, you know, what you need to get accomplished. And there's a a clinic director on my team, and if she ever hears this, she will laugh. But she always says, people want to help you, you just have to let them, right? You just have to let them help you and kind of communicate what you need. And I think that that that goes a long way. I've I've definitely carried that mantra forward.

Patrick Kelly 11:40

That's amazing. And I like the idea of turning the partnership back into a partnership as opposed to a paid partnership. Not every event is the right investment. And I think you kind of alluded to that in uh your last answer. What criteria should recruiters consider when deciding which national or regional conferences to either exhibit or support or attend in your opinion?

Stephanie Clay 12:03

Yeah, I think that that's something that we're always, you know, assessing, right? Like so when you think about geography, I think it starts there, especially when you have a regional presence or a specific kind of geographical footprint. So me being in the markets that I mentioned to you and exhibiting in Anaheim, California, unless there's a big draw from me, you know, the association or its members is probably not going to, you know, have a, you know, a notable ROI. So we typically focus on more local strategies because that's right where the folks are, it's uh easier and more accessible for those members to engage at a high level on an ongoing basis. And sometimes it's about brand awareness, right? Like so when we think about organizations for a more substantial group of our workforce or job category, then sometimes you know it is worthwhile for us to invest in being present, especially if those destinations are attractive. So this year, AAMP is in Las Vegas. I think that that is an opportunity for us to engage with folks from all over the country because, as we know, that's a popular destination. Or for myself, I'm a member of AAPPR, and that is being hosted at Disney World this year. So you'll have more folks engaging, more folks will want to participate and route their uh CME dollars into those types of events, and I think that that matters. But generally speaking, we want to be thoughtful around budget and we want to be local and right where people are so that the sprint and that life cycle is shorter from end to end.

Angela Pointer 13:46

That's helpful, makes a lot of sense, especially when you're working with tight budgets. And one thing I was just thinking about, Stephanie, your team is all dispersed across the country, correct?

Stephanie Clay 13:56

We are. Yeah.

Angela Pointer 13:56

And one thing I thought about, because I've done this before too, when you were talking about you looking at where your your geography is and where your footprint is. Sometimes I even I have done this in another in a previous organization. Similar thing when I have recruiters in other places, I actually have recruiters who may be physically located close to where that where that particular event is. So that's something to think about too from the standpoint of cost effectiveness. If someone is like, for example, I just throw this out there. There was a conference in Miami. I had a recruiter in Miami, so it was or close to Miami, so it was easy to do that. So that makes sense.

Stephanie Clay 14:29

I think sometimes that becomes tricky just because there's someone with the expertise on that market and having them in that environment is probably worth that spend, right? It's it's worth, you know, in increasing the budget. So sometimes, well, for instance, I have someone in California that supports a West Virginia market. It just happened that way, right? They're based on their skill and their capability, we assign them to that market. And a lot of times they are, you know, traveling into that market, and and that's really worth the investment because again, they have the knowledge base, they have the foundational awareness of what the success factors are, and so that works. But to your point, like the proximity matters as well. And so if we don't have to spend that money, we don't have to pull someone out of their primary location and into some place, you know, far away, that works as well.

Angela Pointer 15:22

Yeah, that makes sense. But once we have decided, okay, we're going to attend, we work, this is uh an investment we want to make. Once we do that, how should the team prepare in advance to maximize ROI, whether it's in messaging materials, outreach, pre-conference engagement? What would you what's your recommendation?

Stephanie Clay 15:42

I think all of the above. I think pre-conference engagement is really critical in in and maximizing your ROI just in general. So what we've done this year, and it's not always an option, right? Because sometimes you're attending conferences out of necessity, right? And so it becomes a bespoke kind of component in your strategy. Other times you have, you know, you're you're more planningful and you're able to really plot out that pre-conference engagement, like you talked about. And so what we do to prepare normally with the the appropriate lead time is we engage in a digital strategy. Our recruiters are reaching out to you know recent hires, those folks in our pipeline. We are putting, you know, some dollars around ad spend. We're communicating with you know our strategic partners that will be in these spaces and signal boosting sometimes online. I think that's where social media and networking come into play because you're able to have folks sharing your content just for visibility and just you know, from an engagement perspective, that's really helpful. We also have someone on our team that focuses on creative, so they're able to create, you know, flyers and brochures and things of that nature pretty quickly. I'm really hesitant, you know, these days to have a lot of printed material. Folks don't really respond to that as much as they used to, and it's really expensive, right? To it, it it honestly, when I see paper products that we've invested in, you know, in the trash, I cringe a little because I think QR codes and other you know assets can, you know, bridge the gap there, and folks are really more focused on having that information be more portable, and so you know that's that's a lot of what we do.

Angela Pointer 17:24

It's funny you say that. I'm sorry, Patrick. I was gonna jump in here for a second. I literally, because you know, I'm I'm a clinician by background and still keep a license. So I have a piece of print material sitting on my dining room table right now, and Stephanie, I'm like, I just don't have the heart to throw it away because I know they spent money on mailing that to me. But anyway, go ahead, Patrick. I'm sorry about that.

Patrick Kelly 17:44

No, I mean, I I agree. I'm with you, Stephanie. Let's go digital all the way where we can because someone who's schleped some of those things back and forth to conferences, it's also not fun. And it sounds like you look at it from a great preparation of what's going to bring in maximum ROI and you're really preparing to be successful. Can you share a time when a strong relationship with the national organization led to a better recruiting outcome? Let's get to the specifics because we know that everyone loves to do their organizations and work with their organizations, but you know, sometimes recruiters just want the outcome.

Stephanie Clay 18:18

Yeah, so I think everything that I've shared thus far, like I think partnering with, especially in a clinical environment, right? Partnering with those organizations really allows you to leverage the expertise of your team. But I I think hosting, you know, clinics on campuses has really gone gone a long way in creating, you know, an accessibility to our organization that I think has been really beneficial. When we talk about organizational relationships like we've been, you know, discussing today, I think that it's important that that credibility is kind of multi-prong, it's multifaceted, and it's not just us reaching in for recruiting purposes, but it's like I said, leveraging that relationship. How can we be of service to you? What does your organization need? How do we support the trajectory of your early career members or those that are at the beginning stages of their career as they're uh partnering with your organization and learning a lot about the relationships that they're building too? You know, who and I think for me at that early career stage is really critical because they want to know like what employers they have relationships with, how are they leveraging you know those partnerships? How is it beneficial for me as I prioritize my dues to engage with this professional org and being able to have companies that are attractive potentially to them, I think is important to a potential candidate. So I would say those are the outcomes that we're usually after. And again, brand awareness is really critical too, and just ensuring that we're in the right place at the right time.

Angela Pointer 19:55

And now we're going to look into the future. So we're gonna call it, I'm gonna call it Stephanie's crystal ball. So, how do you see recruiterships evolving? What new opportunities would you say would exist for collaboration between TA teams and professional organizations?

Stephanie Clay 20:12

Yeah, I think that, you know, one of the the uh initiatives that I am embarking upon in 2026 is developing a scholarship program, right? And understanding who exactly is eligible, what the right recipients are, or who the right recipients are, and what the right marketing plan is for something that could potentially, you know, grow exponentially over time. And so I think that for me, developing a team that can be successful in the overall or be really pivotal in the growth of an organization that evolves to a place where we can reinvest in those communities is kind of what's in my crystal ball. Right. I think that that is, you know, a dividend that we'll certainly want to take advantage of. And um, we're doing it, you know. I think for my team, as I look around, when I started with TCN, there were 10 recruiters, um, or there were 10 team members, not even just recruiters. And now we're a very capable talent organization with 30, you know, plus team members. So the the level of enablement uh and capability that we have cultivated over time allows us to explore various channels and various strategies. And I think that that's an important part of growing an organization to be able to say, hey, we're at a point now where a scholarship program would be really attractive. And you know, targeting those professional organizations is the right next step for us. And so that would that's what's on my plate, and I guess in my crystal ball for 2026.

Patrick Kelly 21:50

That sounds amazing. Uh, I have to learn more offline about this scholarship program from you.

Stephanie Clay 21:55

I'm still learning, I'm still learning myself. I I uh but I'm excited to be sure.

Patrick Kelly 22:00

This has been such a valuable conversation, Stephanie. Any final advice for recruiters who want to be more intentional about building relationships with professional organizations?

Stephanie Clay 22:11

Yeah, I think just in general, always, you know, putting yourself out there. I think my success as a recruiter and my ascension and you know into a leadership role has been really about putting myself out there, being unafraid to ask questions, being brave enough to be curious, knock on doors, insert yourself in the right ways, right? Like so making sure that as you are beginning in an organization, understanding who the stakeholders are, how to what what organizations they are a member of, how that benefits the work that you do, and really merging that with your expertise. So definitely personal branding. Uh, you'll hear me talk about that a lot. Kind of the development and awareness of that recruiter and the work that they do for sure. So that would be my advice.

Angela Pointer 23:04

Thanks so much for sharing your insights. And I'm sure our litter our listeners really appreciate that. And something you said about leveraging LinkedIn, and I think it's okay for us to say that, is also don't make everything about posting a job. That's my little that's my little two cents that like it feels like sometimes every you know, all I see recruiters do is post their jobs, and there's more when you talk about branding that that you can do there. I had to just get that two cents out.

Patrick Kelly 23:29

Yeah, they gotta be part of the conversation. Can't just mass post.

Stephanie Clay 23:33

Right. Just stay engaged. I think that the you know, posting jobs creates kind of a one-dimensional perspective of someone. And you know, sometimes I'll post travel content, other times I'll signal boost, you know, culture pieces from our organization. And so you have to be multifaceted because I think that, you know, folks will then rely on you for one thing, right? And the goal is to leverage your expertise, and so being one-dimensional is never, I think, the the best approach. So I definitely agree with that.

Patrick Kelly 24:04

Well, Stephanie and team, this wraps the episode for the Hiring Scope podcast from the National Association for Healthcare Recruitment. Thank you for joining us as we tackle the evolving landscape of healthcare hiring.

Stephanie Clay 24:15

Thank you for having me.

Angela Pointer 24:17

Yes. And if you enjoyed today's conversation, here's my shameless plug. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network. You can also check us out at NAHCR, that's nahcr.com for more content. But until next time, keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible in healthcare recruitment.