Hiring Right Changes Everything: How to Select High-Performing Team Members in Healthcare

In senior care, hiring is not just an HR function—it’s a quality-of-care decision.

Every resident experience, survey outcome, and team culture challenge can often be traced back to one critical moment: who we chose to bring onto the team.

After nearly three decades in nursing and senior care leadership, I’ve seen this truth play out time and time again. Facilities don’t struggle because they lack policies. They struggle because they lack consistent, high-performing people who show up with accountability, compassion, and teamwork—especially when things get hard.

We have a starter tool for you to use because we want only the best teams caring for our seniors!

Why Traditional Interviews Don’t Work in Healthcare

Most interviews focus on:

• Credentials

• Availability

• Technical skills

While those things matter, they don’t predict performance.

High-performing healthcare team members share qualities that can’t be found on a resume, including:

• Ownership and accountability

• Emotional intelligence

• Adaptability during high-stress moments

• Respect for residents, families, and teammates

• A genuine desire to do the right thing—even when no one is watching

  
  

Without a structured interview approach, leaders often hire based on instinct or urgency—and that’s when turnover, burnout, and culture breakdown begin.

What Makes a High-Performing Healthcare Team Member?

High performers:

• Take responsibility instead of shifting blame

• Communicate clearly during busy, stressful shifts

• Treat residents with dignity and patience

• Support coworkers rather than working against them

• Accept feedback and strive to grow

  
  

These are behavioral traits, not just skills—and they must be intentionally evaluated during the interview process.

Introducing the High-Performing Team Member Interview Tool

To help leaders hire with confidence and consistency, I developed a printable, interview scorecard designed specifically for healthcare and senior care environments.

This tool helps leaders:

• Ask the right questions

• Identify red flags early

• Select candidates who align with culture and values

• Reduce turnover and agency reliance

• Build stronger, more accountable teams

  
  

What’s Included in the Interview Tool

✔ Structured, behavior-based interview questions

✔ Scenario-based questions tied to real healthcare situations

✔ Dedicated note-taking sections

✔ A one-page scorecard for objective evaluation

✔ A Red Flags & Green Flags quick-reference guide

✔ Professional, printable format for consistent use across leaders

Whether you’re hiring CNAs, nurses, leaders, or support staff, this tool creates a shared hiring standard across your organization.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Staffing shortages have made it tempting to hire fast—but hiring wrong costs far more.

Poor hiring leads to:

• Increased turnover

• Burned-out high performers

• Survey risks

• Inconsistent care

• Frustrated residents and families

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Strong hiring protects your culture, your outcomes, and your leadership team’s time.

Hiring Is Leadership

High-performing teams don’t happen by chance. They’re built—intentionally—by leaders who understand that who you hire determines how your building runs.

If your community feels stuck, overwhelmed, or constantly backfilling positions, the solution may not be another policy or training—it may be a better hiring process.

This interview tool is one simple, powerful step toward building the team your residents deserve.

Interested in the Interview Tool or Hiring Support?

Email Tina directly at tgotsch@nurseleadershipsolutions.com and I will send you a custom to your community copy. You can also get further information on how we support senior care leaders in building stronger teams, improving culture, and achieving lasting operational success.