While the physician shortage is a national issue, it’s especially dire in certain areas of the country—which means that hospitals and private practices have to be strategic about attracting early career doctors to help meet patient demand. There are many factors that go into recruitment, including salary and location, but some of the less obvious factors can have a huge impact as well. Here are some strategies you can use to attract early career physicians.
Modern medicine demands a modern workplace
One of the biggest challenges facing modern medicine is attracting and retaining new talent. As the population ages, more and more physicians are retiring, leaving fewer people to pick up their workload.
The problem is not just that there aren’t enough doctors to fill the void left by retirees and other providers who are exiting the field; it’s also that those doctors who do remain in practice are feeling burned out and overworked, which can lead to higher turnover rates.
Modern technology helps to reduce burnout and errors by increasing physician satisfaction with their work environment. In turn, this leads to increased retention of staff physicians as well as improved recruitment efforts that result in filling open positions more quickly. Updating your work environment with efficient and modern equipment will help retain the physicians you already have.
Five tips to remember when recruiting early career physicians
It’s no secret that physicians are in high demand and short supply, and the shortage of primary care physicians is especially acute. An article published earlier this year by Forbes highlights a new survey that shows up To 47% Of U.S. Healthcare Workers Plan To Leave Their Positions By 2025.
The question is: how can health systems attract more new doctors?
The answer is complex but there are several factors that can make a difference. Here are five tips for attracting early career physicians:
1. Salary isn’t everything but it matters
2. Create a culture that supports work-life balance
3. Create an environment where physicians can thrive professionally while building their skillset
4. Offer opportunities to advance within the organization or become leaders in their field
5. Make sure there’s solid infrastructure so they don’t have to worry about IT or other issues
Put Early Career Physicians at the Top of your Recruitment Strategy and Invest in Retention Tools that Work
Many young physicians are looking for the right environment and a good work-life balance that will allow them to develop their skills and advance their careers. Making your opportunity attractive to young physicians will help your organization position itself for the future.
To ensure that you have enough staff to continue to meet your needs, it’s important to focus on retaining new hires as well as attracting new talent. Good retention programs begin with the first recruitment contact and continue throughout the hiring process, the onboarding process and well into your physician’s tenure.
RM Medical Search has partnered with many hospital systems and practices over the last two decades to help find and place top tier physicians. If you are in search of physicians, at any career level, for your practice please contact kzeller@rm-med.com today.