Now, more than ever, healthcare facilities are in dire need of well-trained physicians who will commit to a longer-term placement.
A Health eCareers document, 2017 Healthcare Recruiting Trends Report, shows that employee turnover in the health field has increased, and that the time it takes to fill positions is growing due to challenges in finding qualified professionals and boosting candidate interest.
Tried and True Recruitment Methods
Many facilities recruit passively by posting contact information, application details, and similar on their websites for physicians who may be in the market for a new role. This is important to have available, when people come looking, but it is not enough on its own.
For active recruitment, you may choose to start with a full search of candidates, or drill things down to a targeted search if you have people in mind.
Advertise these positions where physicians will see them, whether it’s on an industry job board or elsewhere. Many facilities are working with social media to attract and advertise to modern healthcare professionals who may not be looking at traditional job boards.
Using person to person networking is also helpful in spreading the word that you have an available role, especially if you are trying to reach out to a specific person or people.
Bringing the expertise of a recruitment firm on board is always a good idea when you want to hire a great match, efficiently.
Avoiding Mistakes By Using a Recruitment Firm
One major pitfall of hiring in healthcare is investing a lot of time in finding someone who seems to be a good fit for the position and facility, then having that person leave earlier than expected or desired. With a recruitment firm, you stand a better chance of hiring people quickly and you are likely to spend less time doing so. And candidates will be vetted carefully to ensure that they are a great match, increasing the odds of a long-term commitment.
With a recruitment firm’s help, you can hire more quickly as they already have industry contacts and other network connections, and many star candidates who have been pre-selected for their skill, talent, and experience. When you are hiring directly, you have to start very early in hopes of bringing someone onboard months later. If they back out, you’ve lost a lot of time. A recruitment firm closes the gap, to everyone’s benefit.
Finally, a recruitment firm knows exactly where and how to market your available role to maximize the results. On your own, you may inadvertently waste time or money by posting jobs in places where the people you seek aren’t looking.
Expert Advice for Recruitment
It is a good idea to have a very strong definition of what the position is, and what type of person you would like to fill the role. According to HealthMatch BC, a Canadian government recruitment resource for healthcare jobs:
“Before commencing recruitment efforts, determine exactly what the terms and conditions of the position will be. This, like most of the recruitment process, is a two-way street. It includes the details of the responsibilities and accountabilities that you expect and require of the physician position, and the specific terms and conditions that you can offer the new physician.”
Your job profile should contain everything from remuneration figures to the duration of the position, to scheduling considerations, such as on-call time, vacation time, and leave.
“Physicians aren’t looking just for money,” says hiring expert Eric Dickerson in a PreCheck article. “They may be looking for a certain kind of work environment, a particular call or shift schedule, or a community to live in. Dig into what those motivators might be for someone who could fill your open positions, and highlight the strengths of your department, organization and community to attract the right fit. Freely share what makes your culture unique.”
Make your ideal physician profile equally robust to help ensure you’ve found a good match. With carefully defined skills, performance objectives, and timeline expectations, it will be easier to compare applicants/people of interest, to your ideal candidate.
Remember that a physician may be making a big move to come on board with you, and that he or she may have family members coming, too. You can help attract physicians by highlighting how your community is a good fit for their entire family.
Consider posting community information and resources along with your job listing, and inviting the entire family out for a recruitment/familiarization visit. You will be more likely to find a great candidate if you can support their family dynamic.
With help from Adaptive Medical Partners, you can create the perfect role for the right physician candidate and fill the position without losing time or money.
