How a VP of Talent Acquisition Built High-Impact RPO Partnerships for Healthcare Hiring

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (also known as RPO) is often misunderstood as a transactional staffing solution. But for talent acquisition leaders navigating today's market pressures, that framing leaves significant value on the table.According to the 2026 RPOA RPO Buyer Trends Study, 29% of employers cite balancing AI investments with ROI as a top hiring challenge, while 22% flag applicant fraud as a growing concern. These are not operational headaches — they are strategic signals that demand more from every RPO relationship.How can TA leaders move beyond a transactional RPO model to unlock the full strategic value of their partnership, and what does true integration actually look like in practice? In this episode of Time to Hire, host Lamees Abourahma welcomes Ryan Henning, Associate Vice President of Talent Acquisition at OU Health, for a candid buyer-side conversation on what makes RPO partnerships succeed or fail. Drawing on 20+ years in healthcare talent acquisition, Ryan shares how RPO has evolved from a high-volume staffing tool to a source of real-time market intelligence, strategic guidance, and transformational talent capability.Connect with Ryan Henning on LinkedInAccess research data on RPO buyer trends on the RPOA website. About the PodcastTime to Hire is produced by the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association (RPOA), the leading authority on recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) foresight and innovation, and the trusted convener for the global RPO community. Through conversations with industry leaders, the podcast explores the trends, insights, and innovations shaping the future of talent acquisition.Learn more about RPOA and join the community at: https://www.rpoassociation.org.Follow the host, Lamees Abourahma, on LinkedIn.