The diversity of the healthcare workforce is a social determinant of health. A diverse workforce reflecting communities served is crucial for improving patient health outcomes. Based on multiple process observations, our clinic's Midwest Pharmacy EID (Equity, Inclusion, Diversity) Council identified systemic disadvantages for racial/ethnic minority representation in the workforce and proposed specific practices for improving equity in recruitment. This project aims to identify stakeholder perspectives on the proposed recruitment practices and assess key determinants and resource needs for sustainable adoption.

Fifteen focus groups were conducted with five groups of pharmacy recruitment stakeholders (N=34) including pharmacist and technician managers, a human resources partner, and staff pharmacists. Participants reviewed the proposed practices, shared perceptions, and identified implementation barriers and facilitators. A two-step rapid analysis approach identified salient themes.

Participants showed strong interest in adopting proposed practices but identified implementation challenges. Outreach efforts are limited by weak connections with local organizations, financial and travel constraints, and bureaucracy. Job posting and screening processes face communication issues, a lack of diverse candidates, and no standardized EID criteria for candidate screening. Pre-interview preparation is inconsistent, with calls for more accessible resources and regular training. Maintaining diversity in interview panels is challenging and overburdens minoritized employees. Interview structure and content face issues balancing consistency and adaptability while EID assessments are limited by inadequate rubrics and hesitancy in asking sensitive questions. Variations in scoring rubrics raise concerns about bias, and debriefing sessions struggle with addressing bias and difficulties in avoiding groupthink.

Strategies to improve recruitment equity include building partnerships with colleges and offering internships to develop a talent pipeline. Networking through professional association events and sponsorships and active social media presence can expand visibility and candidate reach. Streamlining processes should focus on organizational coordination and standardizing evaluation criteria. Finally, diverse interview panels with EID-trained interviewers and structured, standardized scoring can reduce bias, while candidate feedback ensures a continually improving process.