Author: Alyson Crosby

CLIENT CHALLANGE

In the wake of a nationwide EMT shortage, a healthcare organization sought a new approach to expand its workforce. With support from DoubleStar’s embedded consultant, they developed an apprenticeship model that blended employment, training, and education, all within the organization’s existing infrastructure. Instead of filling traditional EMT openings, the team reclassified a set of vacancies as paid apprentice positions. This strategy offered candidates a unique value proposition: a paid education, part-time employment with benefits, and a guaranteed full-time EMT role upon program completion and certification.

OUR APPROACH

ONE: Targeted Recruitment Campaigns

To generate interest, the consultant partnered with the Talent Intelligence team to create a multichannel outreach strategy:

• A dedicated “sourcing req” was created to capture and manage interest.
• Promotional materials, including social media graphics, flyers, and emails—were distributed both digitally and physically.
• Job postings were shared across seven career sites.
• The team also promoted the program at EMS conferences to reach qualified audiences directly.

TWO: Application & Screening Optimization

The first cohort received over 200 applicants for just six openings. To manage volume andimprove candidate alignment:

• A set of 15 detailed screening questions was added to the job application, helping to prequalify candidates based on their interest and readiness.
• These questions were tailored to the apprenticeship model and reviewed with legal for compliance.

THREE: A High-Touch, Transparent Process

Once an applicant passed the initial screen, the consultant sent detailed program information before scheduling a phone screen. This detailed information gave the candidates insight into what they could expect from the program. The calls then served as both a sales pitch and a behavioral screen—emphasizing motivation, readiness, and fit.

Every step of the process was designed to ensure candidates had a clear understanding ofvexpectations, reducing early attrition and improving engagement.

RESULTS

• Since late 2023, this program has been completed four (4) times, offers of employment were made for every available opening.
• The hired employees committed to working with HMH for two (2) years following licensure, significantly reducing turnover, and ensuring staffing stability.
• The program has become so effective that there will only be the need for four (4) openings for the next cycle vs. 6-8 in previous cycles.

CONCLUSION

This program demonstrates how strategic recruitment, clear communication, and rigorous screening can turn a staffing challenge into a long-term talent solution. The consultant’s ability to drive and sustain this effort earned strong praise from the program director, who shared:

“You did so much to keep this effort on track, screen candidates, and provide the team with the most qualified group possible—no way we could have done this without you! Thank you for helping all of us to launch this inaugural EMT Apprentice class!”

With a replicable process in place, the organization is now better equipped to meet ongoing EMT demand—building its future workforce from within.

Client: Large Integrated Healthcare Network

Client Challenge

After COVID-19, a major healthcare network faced a severe RN shortage and lacked an internal sourcing function. They needed to quickly find passive candidates and boost their talent pipeline for generalist RN roles across hospitals, rehab centers, home healthcare, and doctor’s offices.

The internal recruitment team had never worked with talent research before. Relying solely on two pre-budgeted resume databases and lacking an outreach strategy, the team was at a disadvantage.

Key Obstacles

• Severe post-COVID RN shortage
• No internal sourcing capability
• Inexperience team with working with sourcers
• Limited to two pre-budgeted resume databases
• No candidate outreach strategy
• Urgent need to rebuild RN talent pipeline across care settings

Our Approach

DoubleStar embedded a dedicated sourcing consultant into the nurse recruitment team. The initial goal was research—delivering qualified resumes to recruiters. We worked closely with the team to prioritize locations and identify high-need areas.

This project also required a mindset shift. While TA leadership supported sourcing, most recruiters had never used it. We helped them see the value of sourcing passive candidates who wouldn’t apply on their own..

Phase One: Building the Foundation

• Initial 3-month pilot extended to 7 months
• Over 2,000 RN resumes collected
• Although a significant pipeline was created, limited tools hindered the development of an even more robust pipeline
• With only cold leads, recruiter follow-through hindered outreach and results
• 22 hires made from the research pipeline

Phase Two: Optimizing the Process

• Added new sourcing platforms to expand reach
• Our consultant began warm outreach, handing off engaged leads, this was a shift from passive delivery to proactive engagement
• 39 additional hires were made

Phase 3: Scaling the Model

• Sourcing support expanded across departments and roles
• Additional researcher added to handle demand
• Intake process standardized with a request form for 30+ recruiters
• An additional 262 hires made (and counting) through the research pipeline

Results

This partnership helped the client build a scalable, modern sourcing function from the ground up. What started as a stopgap effort to support RN hiring turned into a long-term sourcing model embedded within the talent acquisition function.

Highlights:

• 24,000+ prospective candidates identified
• 300+ hires made through research
• 50+ sourcing requests completed in 2025 alone
• Continued buy-in and engagement from new TA stakeholders

Key Takeaway

Introducing sourcing into an organization unfamiliar with the function takes more than just process—it takes patience, education, and partnership. By embedding a researcher into the recruiting workflow and gradually expanding capabilities, DoubleStar helped this client evolve from reactive hiring to proactive talent engagement.

Client Challenge

A growing specialty pharmaceutical company needed to hire three Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) and an Associate Director of Pharmacovigilance (PV) – but strict requirements and limited internal resources stalled their progress.

Key obstacles:

• 8+ years of MSL experience required, this did not match with an individual contributor role
• Rigid city-specific location demands
• Compensation not aligned with market rates
• Incomplete job descriptions

After months searching on their own, they turned to DoubleStar for support, engaging one of our expert talent researchers.

Our Solution

We started with stakeholder interviews to clarify expectations and flag potential misalignments. A two-phase research project followed, focused on identifying qualified candidates and delivering market intelligence to inform hiring decisions.

Phase One: Feasibility Assessment

Outreach:

• Contacted 165 MSLs whose profiles met the initial qualifications
• Contacted 73 PV candidates whose profiles met the initial qualifications

Insights:

• 8+ years of experience was rare; most MSLs had moved into senior roles
• Job specs limited candidate pool
• Salary expectations exceeded the client’s budget

We presented data weekly and analyzed the client’s existing MSL team to help adjust expectations.

Phase Two: Expanded Search

With a more flexible MSL profile, we widened the search.

Outreach:

• 900 additional MSLs (total: 1,065 initially qualified prospects)
• 25 additional PV candidates (total: 98 initially qualified prospects)

Final Results:

• Over 10,000 MSL profiles were reviewed
• 1,065 MSL profiles delivered for future hiring needs
• 73 MSLs expressed interest with résumés
• 70% of interested MSLs were outside the client’s salary range
• 22 PV prospects submitted résumés

Outcome & Impact

With this market research and real-time prospect feedback, the client was able to gain key insights to help them move forward:

• A customized database of qualified candidates
• Clear visibility into candidate availability and compensation
• Data-backed rationale to refine their hiring strategy

Conclusion

This engagement highlighted the power of data-driven talent research. With market-aligned intelligence and targeted outreach, DoubleStar was able to:

• Provide transparency into a hard-to-define talent market
• Influence and improve hiring strategy in real time
• Equip the client with the resources to build a more scalable and sustainable recruiting process

While filling the roles proved complex, the client walked away with a deeper understanding of the market — and the right tools to approach it more effectively.