When a New Jersey private practice with a compelling job opportunity needed help attracting candidates, Jackson Physician Search’s national reach and 100% digital strategy uncovered the right physician.
The stats on physician burnout are high, and healthy work-life balance continues to be a top-priority goal of many physicians. The pandemic saw a number of physicians (and other professionals) embracing the idea that life is too precious to spend it stressed about work and absent from family. At Jackson Physician Search, the years following 2020 have increased the number of physicians seeking jobs with a better work-life balance, partly due to the pandemic but also due to generational differences between Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Millennial physicians. Generally, the younger physicians value balance more than their older peers — at least at that age. As Baby Boomers and older Gen X physicians grow closer to retirement, they, too, tend to seek opportunities that allow for more balance.
So when a private vascular health practice in Southern New Jersey had an opening for a no-call Interventional Radiologist with high earning potential, the Jackson Physician Search team felt confident they could find physicians who would be excited about the position. Senior Business Development Manager Zach Underhill sat down with the leadership team and laid out the exact approach his team would take to identify and connect with those candidates.
“They needed a physician quickly, and I let them know that our national reach and 100% digital strategy would give them their best chance at finding a well-suited physician quickly,” explains Zach. “Of course, they were worried about the expense, but they also knew that they couldn’t afford to try on their own for a while and come up short. They wanted to give themselves the best chance of finding the right candidates from day one.”
Knowing What to Highlight and How
Senior Search Consultant Sydney Leone flew to New Jersey to meet with the client, tour the facility, and learn more about who they hoped to hire. She enjoyed getting to know the people, allowing her to gain a clear picture of who would be a good fit for the organization’s culture.
The fact that the Interventional Radiology job required little to no call would certainly be a focal point in Sydney’s marketing strategy. She knew how important work-life balance had become to the majority of physicians she spoke to every week, so she planned to highlight the optimal schedule. The position also offered an income potential approaching a million dollars annually, which she knew would capture attention.
She was not blind to the challenges of the opening, however. Most candidates seeking physician jobs in New Jersey were looking to be in the northern part of the state, closer to Manhattan. Finding candidates willing to relocate to southern New Jersey would be more challenging, but if she marketed the job right, she was confident she would find the right people.
Skillfully Screening Applicants
The Jackson Physician Search marketing team emailed Sydney’s job ad to all relevant physicians in their database and posted it on their extensive job board network. The lack of call and high compensation attracted enough interest to keep Sydney busy screening candidates from all over the country. She had soon narrowed it down to several well-suited candidates, including Dr. T.
Dr T. was currently working in academic medicine in Florida and was looking to make a change into private practice where he might enjoy a higher income and more work-life balance. Sydney was initially concerned that he wouldn’t want to leave Florida for a cold climate, but she was pleased to learn he had trained in Philadelphia, just 45 minutes away from the client, and he was familiar with southern New Jersey. He still had family in the area, so he was excited about a potential move back.
Sydney presented Dr. T and four other candidates to the client in early November, less than a month after initiating the search. They spoke to all of the candidates and invited several for on-site interviews–including Dr. T., who was able to visit the week of Thanksgiving. He was impressed with the organization, and it was clear to everyone he met that Dr. T would be a great fit. They quickly presented him with a letter of intent, and a few weeks later, he signed a contract.
Secrets to Physician Recruitment Success
The Interventional Radiology job was appealing due to the lack of call, great work-life balance, and income potential. However, even attractive jobs are tough to fill if the organization lacks a network of physicians with whom they can share the opportunity. This is how Sydney and Jackson Physician Search first proved to be valuable. Sydney highlighted the most attractive features of the job and then used her extensive toolbox to make sure relevant physicians around the country would see the physician job ad.
Sydney then used her recruitment expertise and comprehensive understanding of the organization’s culture to screen applicants and drill down to those most likely to be a good long-term fit. Once she presented those candidates, the client moved quickly to schedule phone and on-site interviews. Sydney credits the client for their response time, which is essential to maintaining momentum with any physician search.
The client was thrilled with Sydney’s results, and she is currently helping them with another search. The winning combination of an attractive job, a targeted physician network, and recruitment expertise will surely lead to more success.
If your organization has an urgent need, the team at Jackson Physician Search has the access and expertise to help you attract candidates from all over the country and identify those most likely to be a good fit. Reach out today to learn how we can help you hire physicians who fit, succeed, and stay.
