2023 Physician Recruitment Strategies

Understanding supply and demand and shifting cultural expectations so organization know how to plan for open positions does not have a one size fits all answer.??

AAMC continues to report that the number of physicians coming out of training is not adequate to replace the volume of physicians retiring or cutting back their hours.?Projections show a shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by year 2034.

In some marketing data, some of the shifts in the last two years include:

1.?????Demand for mental health providers increased 85% from 2020 to 2022

2.?????Primary care increased 24% from 2020 to 2022 with OB/GYNs seeing the most growth

3.?????Many subspecialties are coming out of training and want jobs where they can focus on their area of expertise rather than be a generalist with a wide panel of patients

4.?????Telehealth is more prominent and specialists who can work in telehealth environments are preferring it to being in an office or hospital

5.?????Flexible schedules and work-life balance is important to physicians and understanding what it means for each physician is essential for organizations so they know how to approach job opportunities differently

6.?????The demand for APPs continues to grow and CRNA demand is at al all-time high due to the rates to staff them

7.?????Physicians are looking for models where they can practice and do what they love, while having the ability to have time off to spend time with family, travel, do mission work, etc. and whatever is important to them as work-life balance

To be able to attract and retain in the current market, physicians tell us that location, ties to the area, work-life balance, cultural expectations, and compensation are the top factors they consider with opportunities.

Organizations who use tools to match physicians who have a reason for living in the city or town for their open position is key to the right fit and retention.?If the physician and/or their spouse is from a particular location or have family there, the fit is more likely and they are more likely to take the position.

The days of sending mass emails and texts are gone and using tools that can truly match physician details to specific communities and positions that are based on what the candidates want and need is now so important.

Along with that, cultural fit is so important.?While we must have diversity, cultural fit has more to do with the mission and values of an organization and are they in line with the physicians they are recruiting. That means allowing the candidates to talk with not only administrative leaders, but also physician leaders and teams in the organization they are interviewing with so they can see if the atmosphere is collegial and open to them as a team member.

To adapt to workforce changes, organizations will need to be more creative when attracting and hiring physicians.?They must be more flexible with positions, whether it is reduced hours, job sharing, telemedicine, a weekly admin day, or creative options such as having physician and mentors, this can allow the companies to attract the best candidates and keep them in the workforce as long as possible.

Understanding the ideal candidate for your organization is so important and can help drive recruitment strategies.?Not every candidate values the same things, but having the ability to broaden parameters with candidates allows more flexibility with what they can offer them.

Recent trends are forcing healthcare administrators to reevaluate how they can best meet the needs and wants of physician candidates, but not everyone is willing or able to adopt the necessary changes. However, if we want to be able to keep up with medical staff planning, we need to have a conversation about what those changes might look like.

We must remember that retention begins at recruitment. Creating a culture that supports physicians and make sure it is visible for candidates. Follow through with a strong physician retention program that enhances physicians have what they need to feel supported by the organization. What physicians want may change over time, so it is critical to keep communication open and remain flexible. Providing the highest quality patient care to our communities, supporting physicians must be a top priority.

To find out more, reach out to?Tammy D. Hager, MBA, CPRP, FABC at [email protected]?for an in-depth discussion.