4 Tips to Improve Physician Recruiting

It can be tough to find the right physician for your organization. The industry isn’t only incredibly competitive, market factors also make it difficult.

First, it’s no secret that America faces a physician shortage. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates there could be a shortage of over 90,000 physicians by 2025.

Second, there are lots of positions available, as the healthcare industry is projected to add more jobs between 2012 and 2022 than any other. This isn’t shocking given the current demand for physicians. But it’s a problem because many recruiting agencies aren’t able to do the necessary work to make sure a doctor is a good fit. This could be because bosses are placing tough quotas on teams and/or have added inexperienced recruiters to meet growing demand.

So, what can healthcare facilities do to ensure to improve physician recruiting success? Here are four tips:

1. Consider if a candidate is a good cultural fit

You’ll probably find many physicians that have the necessary education, skills and experience. But how do you guarantee that you select the best one for the job? You look at how they’ll fit in with your team.

Jennifer Metivier, a leader in physician recruitment, says behavioral interviewing and personality assessments can be used to “better assess the cultural fit of a candidate.” This enables clinical administrators to see if a physician’s goals and characteristics align with the hospital’s mission and vision.

2. Build up your brand–locally and beyond

From getting involved in community events to networking at the local Chamber of Commerce, there are many ways to build your organization’s brand and show your hospital is a desirable place to work. This way, you can attract the best physicians.

Cleveland Clinic is a good model to follow. The organization has a dynamite content marketing strategy, with its blog generating 3.2 million visits per month. Cleveland Clinic is also deeply involved in the local community. During each month of the year, they host events in and around Cleveland, from yoga and dance sessions to seminars on joint health, opioid addiction, breast cancer and more. By doing all this, Cleveland Clinic not only helps people live better lives, they also position themselves as a leader in the healthcare industry–and that’s what will attract great talent to join them.

3. Don’t set a strict timeline

You’ve heard that employees are your greatest asset. In the healthcare sector, your physicians are perhaps the most crucial aspect of the operation. You can’t make a mistake during the hiring process.

If you put hard requirements on a start date, your recruiters will be rushed, which increases the potential of hiring the wrong physicians or missing out on truly great doctors (maybe because you couldn’t wait for them to leave their other job). Additionally, if you hire the wrong candidate and have to find a replacement later, you’ll have wasted precious capital (a bad hire costs at least 30 percent of that person’s annual salary).

So, the lesson is: You’d rather hire a great candidate a month later than hire an okay candidate today.

4. Create a flexible, personalized recruitment model

Build a recruitment model that can effectively source and analyze suitable candidates for positions at your healthcare organization. This model should be proactive and focus on personal interactions with potential hires during the job process. It should be tailored to your organization to ensure a candidate not only meets job requirements but will be happy at your hospital and fit in with the team, too.

For example, Adaptive Medical Partners, a physician recruitment firm, has created the AMP score, a proprietary tool that analyzes key factors like specialty, location, salary and community amenities, like parks and schools. This makes high-quality physician placement possible.

Hire the right doctors–and move forward

These four tips can improve your physician recruitment process immediately. Just remember: Consider the candidates individually, as a customized recruitment process is how you can differentiate yourselves from other hospitals.