One of the most significant things that impact the bottom line of a health care facility is its physicians. Doctors drive revenue and fill an important need for the local community. While physician recruitment should always be a top priority, often it is not and this is mostly due to confusion on how to recruit top-notch doctors.
Physician recruitment is a vital part of an organization's success and should not be taken lightly. According to a report by the Association of American Medical Colleges, a shortage of physicians is overtaking the medical field, and the communities surrounding them are going to suffer. This trend is projected to get progressively worse with 90,000 potential vacancies through 2025.
Knowledge is power, and while the forecast is grim, this does not have to be the case for every facility. Here are a few tips to find the right personnel.
Conducting Effective Physician Recruitment Campaigns
- The average physician generates $1.45 million dollars a year in revenue for a hospital, so skimping on the recruitment budget is a definite no-no. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.
- Effective physician recruitment campaigns need to be ongoing. If your approach is to be reactive to only current openings, you will always be trying to catch up. Physician vacancies cost hospitals hundreds of thousands of dollars every month, so it should be vital to always be recruiting and have a strong pipeline of quality candidates.
- Be persistent, outgoing, and well spoken on your openings, your location and your organization. You are recruiting some the most highly educated individuals in the workforce. They tend not to make decisions lightly, and they would rather converse with a well-versed person. It can take several answers of "no" in order to get to the magical "yes." Never give up and always have all your bases covered.
- Using the latest recruitment marketing techniques is key to an effective physician recruitment campaign. Social media outlets such as Facebook, the second most visited website on the internet and Twitter can be great tools to market your recruitment brand. Inbound marketing is the greatest multi-tasking job recruitment strategy available and can help build your brand while simultaneously driving effective physician recruitment campaigns.
- Cut down on traditional recruitment methods and do not be afraid to venture into the exciting and extensive world of digital brand marketing. Traditional techniques still work and should be part of your strategy, but work best when married to inbound marketing and social media methods.
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One big factor that can't be ignored when it comes to physician recruitment and retention is competitive salaries. Do you want to know if your salaries are in line with industry standards? Check out our Physician Compensation Worksheet!
