Member Insight: Finding and retaining excellent CDI staff

by Janie Brown, RN, CCDS

Everybody knows that experienced CDI specialists don’t grow on trees. Additionally, CDI is a niche specialty; most people in healthcare have only a vague idea of what CDI specialists really do. Because of these two problems, CDI leaders have unique challenges with recruiting, engaging, and retaining qualified team members. 

Recruitment is arguably the trickiest piece of this equation because it’s difficult to know who is going to take to CDI like a duck to water and who’ll just end up being a quack. When recruiting, it’s important to start with the role summary and job description. Human resource business partners are key to success here. Book a meeting with your organization’s recruiter and go over the type of candidates you’re looking for. It can be tough to distill the requirements of a great CDI specialist into a job posting, but standard characteristics like attention to detail, good time management, and computer skills are universal to the role.