When a rural Texas hospital was not getting the results it wanted from its current recruitment partner, Jackson Physician Search stepped in to recruit the exact candidate it needed, building a strong, new physician recruitment partnership.
The best relationships don’t happen overnight. It’s as true for business partnerships as it is for friendships and family relationships. A strong, lasting partnership begins with a willingness to get to know someone new. When a connection is made, there must be an effort to build trust by delivering on the small commitments, and eventually, the big ones too. New recruitment partnerships are no different. They go through the same process–a meeting, a connection, a commitment, and most importantly, a successful physician placement. And when all goes well, the partnership grows, often lasting long beyond one’s time at a single organization.
A Reunion of the Recruitment Minds
Such was the case for a Top 100 Rural Community Hospital in Texas. Like so many relationships, this one began with a “set up.” Jackson Physician Search Senior Vice President Dane Altman reached out to a prior business acquaintance who was now the CEO of a medical facility in the Texas Hill Country. Dane asked the CEO how physician recruitment was going at the organization, and when he heard they were not getting the results they wanted from their current recruitment partner, Dane suggested a meeting between the medical group’s administrator and JPS Divisional Vice President of Business Development Cheyenna Villarreal.
Cheyenna understands that you only get one chance to make a first impression, so she was well-prepared for her meeting and confident JPS could help. The facility has a strong reputation for living its values and enjoyed great physician retention. She knew JPS could deliver the high-caliber physicians they required.
The immediate need was for a Gastroenterologist, and Cheyenna listened carefully to the details of who the administrator believed would be most successful in the role. She then explained the details of the JPS 100% digital physician recruitment strategy and expressed her confidence that we would succeed where others had struggled. She walked away from the meeting with a signed contract in hand.
Delivering on the Commitment
Cheyenna introduced Dan Rixon, a seasoned Search Consultant with the JPS recruitment team. With no time to waste, Dan flew out to meet with the administrator and others from the in-house recruitment team, as well as to gather specific information about the facility and the community. In the new age of virtual meetings, some things are best done in person. This certainly is the case in physician recruitment. Physician candidates are more likely to accept an interview when they have a clear picture of what it might be like to live and work there. Dan knows success lies in his ability to represent the facility and community from a first-hand perspective.
During this initial physician search profile, the client was very clear about the qualities a successful candidate would possess. They wanted a physician with strong Texas roots who would comfortably relate to the large retiree population in Hill Country.
“I kept conversations focused on the specific needs of the client,” Dan explained recently. “They had strong opinions on what a successful candidate would look like, so it was most important for me to do more listening than talking.”
Dan quickly impressed the client by sourcing several strong candidates that fit the specific parameters. He also continued building the relationship that Cheyenna had established with the administrator, providing consistent updates and transparency throughout the process.
Soon, Dan found the physician he believed was the ideal candidate. Dr. A was working in Central Texas and was very familiar with the Hill Country region. Dan worked closely with the administrator to ensure Dr. A’s experience during the on-site physician interview gave her a clear picture of what life in Hill Country could look like for her and her family, as well as what it would be like for her as she furthered her career with a new administration and team of colleagues. Though she was initially reluctant to relocate, Dr. A was won over by the small-town family values prevalent in the community and the organizational culture at the facility.
The Beginning of a Lasting Physician Recruitment Partnership
Dan’s success with this first opportunity earned Jackson Physician Search the chance to conduct even more searches. Dan has since placed a Pain Management physician and an Interventional Cardiologist with several more in the pipeline. Cheyenna discussed how the relationship with this client has grown since that first search.
“We place great value in relationship building with all of our clients,” she explains. “Now we talk about this client’s succession plans, what they have coming up in the pipeline, and other topics with an eye to the future. By carefully listening to them and delivering candidates to their specifics, we have become their go-to recruitment partner.”
Whether you have one physician vacancy or a dozen, Jackson Physician Search will partner with you to find the physicians you need now and in the future. Contact our team of healthcare industry recruitment professionals today.
