When a vascular surgeon in rural Kentucky needed to hire a partner, he turned to Jackson Physician Search for help. Search Consultant Mary Helen Katz used her digital physician recruitment expertise and keen understanding of the position’s unique needs to identify the ideal candidate.
When the owner and sole practitioner of a vascular surgery center in Kentucky decided to expand into a new market, he knew he would have to bring in a second surgeon. The new hire would likely be a future partner, so finding the right personality fit was critical. He viewed a professional partnership like a marriage and wasn’t willing to enter it lightly.
This was exactly what he shared with Search Consultant Mary Helen Katz when she was first assigned to the search. She immediately understood that cultural alignment was a priority, and Dr. B was extremely specific about who he hoped to find. Mary Helen was prepared to look for this ideal candidate but also needed to prepare her client for what it meant to take on a partner. He had never hired a physician, so he had no basis for their expectations regarding physician compensation or a partnership track. Mary Helen provided market data to demonstrate what they would need to offer in order to attract and hire the right candidate. Dr. B accepted her guidance on a signing bonus, production incentives, partnership terms, and more.
The Search for “Dr. Right”
With those details finalized, Mary Helen was able to turn her attention to identifying potential candidates. The physician job ad was doing well to attract candidates. Despite the remote, rural location, the fact that the job was all outpatient, had no call responsibilities, and came with a fast track to partnership made the opportunity attractive. Still, Mary Helen knew the candidates most likely to be a good fit would have ties to rural areas. So, while screening applicants, she also leveraged several physician databases to seek out vascular surgeons in the region who were working or had previously worked in rural areas. These physicians weren’t actively looking for jobs, but she contacted them to tell them about the opportunity regardless.
Before long, she had identified four candidates with the necessary experience and who she felt would match Dr. B’s personality well. She presented all four candidates to Dr. B and scheduled calls. After speaking with all of them, Dr. B’s favorite was Dr. C. He was originally from a small town in Kentucky but was practicing in Alabama at the time. Mary Helen had found him through Doximity, the largest online network for physicians, and while he wasn’t actively looking for a job, the opportunity appealed to him.
Managing Cold Feet
The two physicians hit it off on the call, but as Dr. C’s on-site interview approached, Dr. B began to have second thoughts. He started worrying about whether he could be sure that this would be a long-term fit, and he wanted to cancel the interview.
Mary Helen knew this would be a mistake. She reminded Dr. B that they had only sensed green flags during multiple lengthy phone conversations with Dr. C. Wasn’t it worth investing time to get to know him in person? Dr. B agreed.
As Mary Helen suspected it would, the interview went exceptionally well. Dr. C made a great impression on everyone he met, and he and his wife instantly felt at home in the community. Dr. B was thrilled to have found a physician he trusted and was extremely grateful to Mary Helen that she had pushed back on his initial desire to cancel.
Secrets of Rural Physician Recruitment Success
We often compare physician recruitment to matchmaking, and this story truly emphasizes the parallels. Dr. B needed to hire a physician he could envision as a long-term partner in the business, so it was essential that he find someone with similar values and goals and a personality that clicked with his. Mary Helen spent time understanding who this candidate would be and used her digital physician recruitment expertise to identify potential candidates online.
She found Dr. C by searching Doximity, the largest online network for physicians, and reaching out to him through DocMail. Her access and expertise with this tool were essential to the success of the search. Just as important, however, was her ability to recognize the personality traits that would work best with Dr. B. She screened countless candidates by phone, ultimately presenting four candidates whom she knew would work well with Dr. B. He knew after meeting Dr. C that he had found his ideal candidate, and fortunately, the feeling was mutual.
In addition, this was Dr. B’s first time hiring a physician in general, so Mary Helen played an invaluable role in setting the offer up for success and guiding him through uncharted waters. Ultimately, Mary Helen helped Dr. B to feel comfortable trusting the process and found the right match for him and the practice. What they expected to be a long, difficult search took less than 90 days, and all signs point to a happily ever after for this blossoming partnership.
If your organization is searching for a physician to meet your unique needs, the recruitment team at Jackson Physician Search has the access and expertise to accelerate your efforts. Reach out today to tell us more about who you are looking for and find out how we can help.
