8 Ways to Optimize Your Physician Recruitment Strategy for 2023
What a year we’ve had so far! Navigating an economic downturn paired with an escalating physician shortage, it's vital to have a plan in place to fill physician opportunities in 2023. We have put together 8 ways to adjust to the changing circumstances the year has brought.
As you prepare to ramp up your physician recruitment efforts, it's essential to assess and optimize your strategies to stay competitive in today's healthcare job market. Here are some key steps to set up your physician recruiting department for success:
1.) Evaluate community and healthcare facility needs.
Begin by conducting a thorough analysis of your organization's community and system needs to identify any gaps or areas that require additional physician coverage. Consider factors such as population growth, patient demand, specialty needs, and geographic locations to determine the specific requirements for physician recruitment in 2023. It's also important to consider the attrition rate when evaluating system needs. On average, it's good practice to account for at least 6-7% attrition rates across all provider staff. However, it's important to note that physician burnout was at an all-time high in 2021, with 63% of physicians reporting symptoms. While the numbers have started to come down, retirement and attrition rates may be closer to 10%.
2.) Assess your team and processes.
What internal resources are you leveraging to advance your physician recruiting efforts? Are there other staff members or internal departments who could be assisting with various steps of the recruiting process? Are you evaluating your team and upskilling appropriately? This may include your hospital marketing department, HR, communications professionals, internal database, hospital community outreach, or executive team.
3.) Optimize compensation packages and incentives.
Physician compensation and incentives play a crucial role in attracting and retaining top talent. Review your current compensation packages and incentives to ensure they are competitive in the current market. Stay updated with industry trends and benchmark your compensation offerings against other organizations in your region or specialty. Additionally, it is important to research and implement retention strategies to increase tenure among current staff. Consider tailoring your packages to align with the preferences and expectations of today's physicians, such as work-life balance, flexibility, and professional development opportunities. Looking for data on current compensation trends for physicians? Check out our annual Compensation and Placement report.
4.) Address open physician searches.
Take a close look at any open physician searches that have been lingering for an extended period and identify any underlying challenges or obstacles. Assess if there are any issues with the search process, sourcing strategies, or market conditions that may be hindering progress. Develop a plan to address these challenges and expedite the search process to fill those open positions promptly.
5.) Enhance your employer branding efforts.
In today's competitive job market, a strong employer brand is crucial to attracting top physician talent. Review your current employer branding efforts and ensure they are aligned with the preferences and expectations of today's physicians. Update your website, social media profiles, and other recruitment materials to reflect your organization's unique value proposition and culture. Highlight recent achievements, testimonials from current physicians, and perks or benefits that set your organization apart. A compelling employer brand can help you attract and retain high-quality physicians who are aligned with your organization's values and goals.
6.) Invest in technology and automation.
Technology continues to play a critical role in the recruitment process. Consider investing in applicant tracking systems (ATS), recruitment marketing platforms, and other relevant technologies to streamline your recruiting workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and gain insights from data analytics. Explore telehealth and virtual recruitment options to expand your reach and connect with physicians in different locations. Stay updated with the latest trends and advancements in recruitment technology and leverage them to stay ahead in the competitive physician job market.
Artificial intelligence is growing in popularity. Physician Recruiters can leverage AI to write job descriptions, streamline communication with candidates, and do research on trends in compensation, practice preferences, and more.
7.) Assess your current recruitment partners.
What external resources do you utilize for your physician recruitment needs? This includes physician search firms, physician marketing companies, job boards, conferences/career fairs attended, candidate lists, and any other services or products that use valuable budget dollars. Are you achieving the intended and expected return on your investment in these products and services? Contact vendors that are falling short and devise a plan to improve for 2023. You may also need to consider trying new products and services if the existing ones are not producing the necessary results, such as candidate leads and inquiries, interview activity, and filled searches.
8.) Contingency Plans are a Must - Always Have a Back-Up Plan
As you evaluate each of the above, don’t forget about contingency plans – what do you do if you simply cannot fill a needed role in the time allotted or required? Ideally, you will fill all your searches in a timely fashion, but the reality is that may not happen, due to simple supply and demand – there are more open jobs than there are physicians to fill them, in most cases.
- Do you have locum tenens or other staffing services ready to engage as needed?
- Do you need to adjust some of your searches or recruiting goals?
- Could you recruit more advanced practice clinicians who could help care for some of the patient load?
- Does your system utilize telemedicine services to make medical care more available in a shortage of local physicians?
Don't forget to consider all backup plans and contingent resources to ensure that the health system's needs and patient care demands are covered in case of a prolonged search process.
In conclusion, setting up your physician recruiting department for success in requires a strategic approach that includes evaluating community and system needs, assessing your team and processes, optimizing compensation packages and incentives, addressing open searches, enhancing employer branding efforts, and investing in technology and automation. By taking these steps, you can position your organization as an attractive destination for top physician talent and increase your chances of successful physician placements.
Looking for a new physician recruitment partner to drive results in 2023? Learn more about The Medicus Firm.
We leverage an expansive network, a dedicated industry-expert Recruitment team, modern technology, advanced intelligence data, and hyper-targeted marketing strategies and tactics to help fill your candidate pool. Each search aims to provide our clients with the best care possible. Don't take our word for it. Ask our clients who have helped us earn ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing® Client Award eight years in a row.