Some employment technology that uses artificial intelligence is getting a bad rap for knocking out highly qualified candidates. It’s time to turn that narrative around and talk about the great impact AI is making on candidates and hiring team members alike.
Wellstar Health System is one such success story. With over 40,000 employees, and growing, the Georgia-based non-profit is reimagining talent strategy through the integration of technology, cultural alignment and employee-centered practices.
A New Vision for Talent Strategy
Kelly Trummer, one of Wellstar’s talent strategy architects, personifies a shift in how healthcare organizations approach workforce planning. “Historically, we focused on talent management and talent acquisition as two very separate, defined lanes of work,” she said. The strategy has now not just shifted, it has converged. Talent strategists will need to be skilled in internal and external engagement as we move forward.”
This integrated approach comes at a critical time. Under new CEO leadership, the health system is positioning itself as a national health care leader while maintaining its commitment to patient-centered care.
A Growing Community Presence
Their presence in Georgia has provided a complex, multi-setting healthcare ecosystem for the communities it serves. The organization’s distinct purple branding has become a recognizable part of the regional landscape, and this only continues to grow as the community excitedly anticipates the opening of their newest medical center in Columbia County, Georgia.
Beyond Technical Skills: Hiring for Culture
How does Wellstar successfully attract specialized talent across some of healthcare’s most complex roles? The answer lies in their values-driven approach.
“Skilled professionals are found across a wide range of specialties in virtually every care setting,” Trummer said. “The difference isn’t skill alone, it is who our people are and how they show up. Guided by our rally cry and core value of ‘Be a Difference Maker,’ Wellstar maintains a commitment to balancing technical excellence with cultural alignment.”
The health system’s embrace of AI and automation has yielded impressive results. The organization reduced systemwide nurse hiring time by 33% over the past year through standardized processes and strategic technology partnerships. Conversational chatbots on the career site improved candidate engagement, while additional AI tools handle transactional tasks that previously consumed recruiters’ time.
Although technology is a powerful resource, Trummer emphasized that the implementation of this technology requires careful change management. “There’s this concern or hesitation when you look at your role and notice that some of this automation will alleviate some of this burden immediately and you go ‘Does this eliminate my value?’
“As a leader, helping your team to understand this is the opposite of the reality. The reality is the opportunity to alleviate this ‘administrivia’ allows us to further invest in relationship management and team member engagement on the front end,” she said.
For their talent acquisition team, “what matters” means building genuine relationships with future team members. “We want this to be your career destination,” Trummer said. “We don’t always begin with a specific role in mind. Often, the conversation is about exploring opportunities and helping candidates understand what’s possible.”
Balancing Speed and Experience
Wellstar’s digital operating model “is about balancing the need for AI within our system processes, which require speed and efficiency, but also ensuring the technology being used does not create additional friction for our current and future team members,” Trummer explained.
Candidate experience is always top of mind, so much so that they are launching a comprehensive project focused on candidate experience, integrating technology and other resources to benefit both external applicants and internal team members. This initiative recognizes that in a competitive employment landscape, candidate experience can be a decisive differentiator.
Investing in People Beyond Recruitment
The company’s commitment extends well beyond the hiring process. A comprehensive total rewards program offers concierge services, fully funded career pathways and robust, team member-centered healthcare options, just to name a few. “Our total rewards team is always looking ahead, strengthening and expanding how we support our team members,” Trummer said. “It is exceptional.”
Employees would agree.
In fact, the focus on flexibility and well-being is not merely altruistic, it’s strategic. “When people can choose to be wherever they want, they will prioritize well-being and flexibility above all else,” Trummer said.
From Recruitment to Placement to Retirement
Looking ahead, Wellstar envisions a fundamental shift in its talent model. While external recruitment remains crucial for critical vacancies systemwide, the organization continues to build strong internal pipelines. “Where there was always this innate need to fill more roles with external talent, the dialogue is now changing,” Trummer declared.
In short, AI is not the boogeyman. It’s a connector to purpose, people and community. Isn’t that why folks seek jobs taking care of others in the first place?
Luke Carignan
Luke Carignan helps health systems hire smarter, faster and more efficiently in his role at Phenom, a global HR technology company in greater Philadelphia. He is the co-host of “The Bo and Luke Show” and The American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration podcasts.
