When Is It The Right Time To Hire A Physician Recruiter?

The demand for more physicians continues to grow faster than supply.

In other words, there are more healthcare jobs than physicians available.

According to the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges), the U.S. will see a shortage of up to 122,000 physicians by 2032.

So, when is it the right time to hire a physician recruiter?

As a healthcare organization, you understand that physicians have many options when finding a place to work. So, you try to implement as many tactics to prove your facility is the best place for them. However, healthcare staffing and recruiting has proven to be a major problem for healthcare organizations.

A survey by the Massachusetts-based firm Leaders for Today states that:

• 31% of hospitals cannot find enough candidates to fill open positions
• 23.9% of hospitals have a quick turnaround for filling positions, but not all candidates are qualified to do the job
• 51.6% of hospital leaders said that the ability to find good people within a reasonable amount of time is “not very good”

One way to determine when it’s the right time to hire a physician recruiter is by asking yourself 3 key questions.

Does your healthcare organization have a:

1. Physician Recruiting and retention strategy/plan in place?

Hiring landed the 3rd spot on the list of top responsibilities for hospital staff. Knowing the staffing challenges hospitals face, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate priorities? Developing a strategy/plan that puts hiring first, but that also allows hospitals to adopt a culture where permanent and interim employees work as a team can be one way to overcome these staffing challenges.

2. Team with enough bandwidth to fulfill all staffing and physician recruiting needs in a timely manner?

Keep in mind, the number of staff dedicated to recruiting varies by size – and tends to grow as the number of hospital beds increase.

3. Recruiting partner they can rely on for staffing and physician recruiting support when positions cannot be fulfilled in-house?

It has been shown that hospitals (of all sizes) are starting to hire outside help. Have you considered hiring a physician recruiter or staffing agency to assist in filling vacant leadership, clinical, senior and mid-level roles?

If you answered no to these questions, then it’s time to look for a physician recruiter or staffing agency to help your healthcare organization overcome staffing and recruiting challenges.

Want more blogs like this? Explore our free physician recruiter 101 online resource to view similar information, all in one place.