Hiring competent professionals in the UAE entails a thorough process of verifying clinical competencies. However, the initial process for all doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other allied healthcare professionals begins with being eligible to practice through a valid license by a designated health authority. Even highly seasoned professionals can often have to deal with rejected applications or delays owing to certain licensing guidelines.
Being informed about some of the common causes of rejected applications can significantly help employers decrease hiring delays, have efficient staffing plans, and onboard new hires faster.
Poorly Furnished Documentation
One of the most common causes of application rejection and delays. All health authorities expect certain documents – a scanned, verified degree of higher education or qualifying education, valid professional license, letters of experience or working proof, certificates of training and internship along with an ID copy, and a valid certificate of Good Standing. In case one or more pieces of documentation are wrong, outdated, misspelled, or there’s a discrepancy between employment dates, then it may lead to further requests for additional information or rejection. If candidates thoroughly check all details before the process, unnecessary hold-ups could be easily avoided.
Disqualification due to PQR
There are prescribed criteria that every health authority, like Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Department of Health (DOH), and Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), defines.
Based on the Professional Qualification Requirement (PQR), the license is granted for a particular professional category. All doctors or any medical practitioner, for that instance, who may be qualified based on their education and experience but have had an educational qualification or training in a specialty other than that requested as per the PQR criteria, will then not be deemed eligible for their desired professional designation. You’d do yourself a favor if you reviewed the PQR’s before initiating the hiring.
Primary source verification problems
PSV is a mandatory verification of the authenticity of a candidate’s qualifications, references, previous employment, and licenses. The process will frequently hit bottlenecks due to the time required for institutions such as universities, licensing bodies, or previous employers to respond to a verification request. If discrepancies are found in the submitted paperwork when compared to the official documents, further review will be needed, and applications can be rejected. Candidates should be encouraged to ensure the validity of their records at previous employment settings and educational institutions so that verification will be readily available.
Problems associated with Good Standing Certificates
All healthcare regulators request a current Good Standing Certificate from the licensing authority of the location where the candidate most recently practiced. This can cause delays if the issued Good Standing Certificate is out of date, or contains inaccuracies, or is issued by the wrong regulatory body. Employers should endeavor to ensure that the candidate has obtained the correct certificate prior to application for the candidate, especially during international recruitment.
Exam and eligibility issues
Depending upon the healthcare profession and the appropriate licensing path, candidates will also be required to take or pass a licensing examination. Failure to attain the correct exam score, or to apply under the proper professional classification, may lead to delays. Candidates should understand the requirements for all pertinent exams prior to starting the licensing process, and employers should plan the recruitment process and timing of the exams well in advance.
Gaps in Professional Practice in the Same Specialty
For candidates who may have had gaps in clinical practice in their same area of expertise, a more rigorous review may be required; some licensing boards may also seek information regarding CMEs, recent exposure, or performance of specific tasks/ procedures as part of your overall application process. Many employers might not recognize the need to ask questions relating to gaps in professional practice during their initial stages of hiring, which could result in significant delays if your potential employee discovers this issue at the time of receiving an employment contract. “I never thought they would review an 8-year gap. When will the file get reviewed now?”
Employers can Minimize Hiring Delays
To cut down delays, it’s important to plan out your recruitment and ensure that candidates you plan to hire are indeed in fact licensing eligible. You can verify this before making a job offer to your applicant to also minimize delays and any issues when making your offer to the candidate you select. It’s a must-have for you and the applicant to verify their eligibility; are they licensed and in active standing? Or were they professionally eligible and are awaiting testing and verification on their end?
Working with an experienced recruiting firm such as Robbert Murray & Associates helps organizations across the UAE place a strong pool of qualified and licensable medical professionals.
We are well-versed in DHA, DOH, and MOHAP requirements and streamline the licensable hiring process for employers. Medical License in the UAE: Healthcare regulations in the UAE adhere to a high standard of medical care for all residents; this requires careful planning for licensing purposes. Documentation process, document verification challenges, credential verification, or a missed step in the exam requirement will only cause licensing delays.
The right approach, employing experienced professionals, is the answer to prevent this cause of hiring delays and to build teams with confidence.