Improving medical personnel selection and appointment processes

Purpose – This paper seeks to argue that processes for selecting and appointing medically qualified personnel in some healthcare organizations may be limited, especially those that emphasize qualifications rather than expanding the criteria to include practice scope, person‐organization fit and capability to function within a healthcare team.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on the authors' experiences and a literature review.Findings – Selection based purely on academic merit, advanced clinical training, skills and professional achievements may not address other essential selection criteria. Medical personnel need to possess competencies such as ability to give high quality care and work constructively in a clinical team; communication skills; willingness to actively participate in quality and safety programs; teaching ability; management and leadership skills; and support institutional values and corporate aims. These attributes are often over‐looked and cannot be assumed from academic me...