Physician Recruitment in a Competitive Environment

Today’s physician recruitment market is extremely competitive, requiring healthcare organizations like yours to consider new strategies that will attract leading physicians to your practice.

The recruitment team at Spectrum Management Services Company (SMSC) is here to partner with you to help build a robust process that delivers end-to-end physician recruitment services. We work with multiple healthcare organizations across a variety of specialties.

Why should your practice partner with SMSC? Here are six elements of our approach to physician recruitment in a competitive environment:

1. Provide competitive incentives.

“Our team is on top of current trends in the recruitment process and can recommend ways to entice candidates to your open positions,” says Anne Bergeron, Talent Acquisition Manager at SMSC.

Some of the incentives our clients are providing include competitive sign-on bonuses, schedule flexibility, high CME allowance, a robust health plan, and 100% malpractice coverage.

2. Develop a practice profile to promote your organization.

We recommend you present recruiting materials that show the unique strengths of your organization. In this competitive hiring environment it’s important to market your practice in a way that stands out among the crowd. SMAC will help you build a practice profile that shows how your organization can distinguish itself from others as a top choice for candidates.

3. Consider using a behavioral-based interview process.

“Recruiters and hiring teams are often trained in different forms of interviewing. The recruiting team at SMSC prefers using behavioral-based techniques for the best evaluation of how a physician will approach the position,” notes Bergeron.

The behavioral-based interview style tends to probe a little deeper than more traditional interviewing techniques. It requires more training and preparation on the part of the interviewers. SMSC’s recruitment team already possesses these skills, which means your practice experiences the benefits with less investment of time and energy. Past performance is a key indicator of how someone will respond to similar circumstances in the future.

4. Create a streamlined hiring process.

With physician shortages putting a strain on the rest of your organization, it’s ideal to define a process that effectively attracts leading physicians and determines if they will be a successful addition to your community. Putting the time and effort into a robust recruitment process in the beginning will result in a long-term commitment from your candidates.

5. Ongoing communication to candidates.

In this competitive environment candidates need to feel connected to the process and your organization. It is critical to maintain consistent and frequent communication — beyond the initial offer and acceptance stage.

Bergeron emphasizes that, “Given the length of time it can take to onboard a physician candidate, it’s also important to keep this communication going throughout the credentialing and licensing process as well.” 

Building a solid, open foundation of communication with your new hires in these early phases can go a long way in facilitating their sense of integration with the practice as a whole. That, in turn, supports the potential for longevity in their role.

6. Partner with our recruitment team to stand out in this competitive market.

From creating ads and placing them strategically for visibility, to providing ongoing communication throughout the hiring process so that you don’t lose desirable candidates, SMSC’s recruitment team provides all these services and more. We support your growing practice, allowing your providers to focus on patient care.

“Providing organizations with support on the recruitment front is important to me,” offers Bergeron. “When our team takes on the responsibility of recruiting for a client, they can be assured that we will take care of the details so they can continue to focus their time on patient care. Matching candidates with open positions is both exciting and rewarding.”

To speak with Anne Bergeron directly, please email her here. You can read more about SMSC’s physician recruitment services here.

SMSC offers a full suite of practice management services either collectively or on an a la carte basis: