Recruiting healthcare professionals: how to structure a safe process

Why healthcare needs its own process

Many healthcare roles are professions regulated by law in Brazil. This means that a professional's qualification does not depend on education alone: it also depends on active registration with the professional council that oversees the practice of the profession in the region where they will work.

In addition, work in healthcare services involves rosters, on-call shifts, exposure to biological agents and clinical protocols. A generic selection process designed for administrative positions tends to leave gaps precisely on these points. The consequences show up later, in hires that do not last through the probationary period or in issues identified by audits and inspections.

Start with the job profile

Before opening the position, agree with the requesting department on the unit, shift, type of facility and essential technical skills. Generically described positions attract off-profile candidates and lengthen the process. A well-written profile also makes it easier to compare candidates, since everyone is assessed against the same criteria.

• Education and professional registration required for the role
• Experience in the type of service (outpatient clinic, hospital, home care, among others)
• Roster, shift and employment model (permanent, temporary or outsourced)
• Behavioral competencies expected for the team context
• Work location, which determines the regional council responsible for the registration

Experience requirements: mind the CLT limit

Article 442-A of the CLT (Brazil's Consolidated Labor Laws), added by Law 11.644/2008, provides that, for hiring purposes, employers may not require candidates to prove prior experience of more than six months in the same type of activity.

In practice, job postings and screening criteria must respect this limit. Experience can and should be assessed in the interview and in the technical assessment, but formal proof of more than six months in the same type of activity should not be a condition for hiring.

Verify registration with the professional council

In nursing, Article 2 of Law 7.498/1986 states that nursing and its auxiliary activities may only be performed by legally qualified persons registered with the Regional Nursing Council with jurisdiction over the area where the work takes place. In medicine, Article 17 of Law 3.268/1957 provides that physicians may only practice after registering their diploma and enrolling with the Regional Council of Medicine with jurisdiction over the place of work.

For this reason, checking the registration status should be part of screening, before the final interview stage. Professional councils provide public lookups on their official websites. Record the date and result of the lookup in the candidate's file: this makes later audits easier and shows that the check was carried out.

• Nursing: Regional Nursing Council (COREN)
• Medicine: Regional Council of Medicine (CRM)
• Pharmacy: Regional Pharmacy Council (CRF)
• Physiotherapy and occupational therapy: CREFITO
• Nutrition: Regional Council of Nutritionists (CRN)
• Psychology: Regional Council of Psychology (CRP)
• Dentistry: Regional Council of Dentistry (CRO)

Combine technical and behavioral screening

A good interview tests what is on the résumé against real situations from daily work. Questions based on concrete cases show how the candidate makes decisions, communicates and works in a team — decisive competencies in clinical settings, where communication failures directly affect care.

Use the same interview guide for all candidates for the same position and record scores right after each interview. This reduces the influence of subjective impressions and makes the final decision easier to justify.

• Competency-based interview with a standardized guide
• Technical assessment according to the role, where applicable
• Professional reference checks
• Confirmation of availability for the position's roster and shift

Avoid discriminatory practices

Law 9.029/1995 prohibits any discriminatory or restrictive practice affecting access to employment on grounds of sex, origin, race, color, marital status, family situation, disability, professional rehabilitation or age, among others. Article 2, item I, makes it a crime to require any test, examination, medical report, certificate or statement relating to sterilization or pregnancy.

Review job postings, forms and interview guides to remove questions unrelated to the requirements of the role. This review also improves the candidate experience and the company's reputation in the market.

Health and safety from the start

NR-7 (Occupational Health Medical Control Program, PCMSO), item 7.5.8, subitem I, requires the pre-employment medical examination to be carried out before the employee takes up their duties. The result is recorded in the Occupational Health Certificate (ASO).

In healthcare services, NR-32 adds specific requirements. Item 32.2.4.17.1 provides that every healthcare worker must be offered, free of charge, an active immunization program against tetanus, diphtheria, hepatitis B and the others established in the PCMSO. Item 32.2.4.17.6 requires vaccination to be recorded in the worker's individual clinical record, provided for in NR-7.

Planning these steps alongside recruitment avoids delays to the start date and ensures the professional begins work with the legal requirements met.

Protect candidates' data

Résumés, documents and health information are personal data protected by Brazil's General Data Protection Law (LGPD, Law 13.709/2018). Health data is classified as sensitive personal data (Article 5, II), and the necessity principle (Article 6, III) calls for limiting collection to the minimum required for the purpose.

In practice: request only the documents needed at each stage, restrict access to those responsible for the process and define how long résumés are retained.

Document every step

Keeping a record of the process (job profile, criteria, assessments, council lookups and decision) makes recruitment transparent and protects the company in the event of any challenge. Standardize criteria across candidates for the same position and keep records organized, with restricted access.

This record also supports continuous improvement: with it, the company can identify at which stages the process loses candidates and where the time bottlenecks are.