For years, physician recruitment has largely been viewed as a competition between health systems. A cardiologist considers Hospital A, Hospital B and perhaps a private practice nearby. Recruiters compare compensation, benefits, call schedules, location and career opportunities.
But the competitive landscape is changing.
A physician considering a new opportunity may not be choosing between two health systems. They may be choosing between permanent employment and locum tenens, private practice, academic medicine, part time work or a combination of different career options.
Locum tenens is a particularly interesting example. The AMA reported that locum tenens was used in 16.4% of physician searches in 2024, up from 9.2% the previous year. Meanwhile, Weatherby's 2026 physician report found that 14% of physicians were working locums in 2025, compared with just 5% a decade earlier.
The important part isn't simply that locums is growing. It's what that growth says about what physicians value.
Flexibility. Control over scheduling. Variety. Compensation. The ability to make different choices about how and where they practice.
That creates a different question for health systems.
Instead of asking, "How do we compete with the hospital down the road?" recruiters should also be asking, "Why would a physician choose our way of practicing medicine?"
That requires more than advertising a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits. It means communicating what the actual experience of working for your organization looks like.
What does the schedule look like? How much administrative work will physicians take on? What support will they have? How much autonomy do they have? What opportunities exist to build a practice, teach, conduct research or move into leadership?
"Flexible work environment" doesn't tell a physician much. A defined schedule, protected administrative time and limited call responsibilities do.
The more choices physicians have, the less effective generic recruitment messaging becomes. Health systems don't necessarily need to compete with every alternative career model. They do need to understand why a physician might choose one and clearly communicate what makes their own model worth choosing.
The question isn't simply whether your organization offers a better opportunity than another hospital. It's whether you've given physicians a compelling reason to choose your way of practicing medicine.
That's where recruitment marketing can make a difference. Harger Howe helps healthcare organizations understand what today's physicians are actually looking for and build recruitment campaigns that communicate the value of choosing a permanent opportunity over alternatives such as locum tenens. By identifying the experiences, flexibility and career opportunities that matter most to physicians, organizations can compete for talent based on more than compensation alone.
Because the goal isn't simply to fill an open position. It's to give physicians a reason to choose you.