After 18 months of trying to find the perfect Radiation Oncologist, a Georgia health system decided to turn the challenge over to Jackson Physician Search, who successfully recruited the physician it needed in less than 90 days and sparked a lasting partnership.
With a specialty pool of fewer than 5,000 actively practicing physicians, a large health system located in a major metro in the Southeast had spent 18 months trying to recruit a radiation oncologist. The system’s highly-skilled, internal recruitment department was attracting candidates to the physician job posting, but none had the right mix of experience. With a heavy load of physician searches that demanded their attention, partnering again with Jackson Physician Search was a smart move.
Vice President of Recruiting Helen Falkner had successfully filled other tough physician recruitment assignments for this system and was confident she could help. In her role, not only does she specialize in candidate acquisition, she also builds a collaborative partnership rooted in trust and a sense of urgency with the in-house physician recruitment team.
“Considering that only 10% of physicians are actively searching for a new opportunity, specialties with small candidate pools make for an extremely demanding search,” says Helen. “My goal is to take some of the pressure off by using every tool in our arsenal to source both active and passive candidates who fit the parameters of the role.”
In-house Physician Recruiters Juggle Multiple Responsibilites
According to the Physician Recruitment Search Success Survey by AAPPR and sponsored by Jackson Physician Search, in-house recruiters manage an average of 32 searches at any given time. In addition to physician recruitment, their days are spent fielding general inquiries from active physician candidates, scheduling calls and interviews, planning itineraries, and serving as host when physician candidates come for their on-site interviews.
“Their responsibilities are so much broader than ours,” Helen says. “They don’t have enough hours in their day to spend cold calling for a single vacancy when they have 30-plus searches that they’re working on. That’s where we come in.”
Helen knew right away that filling the role would require a more proactive approach to candidate acquisition. Working with the in-house recruiter, she learned more about the specific experience needed, and together they generated a list of practices and groups that were most likely to have someone with that experience. From there, Helen leveraged her seat on Doximity, the largest online social network for physicians, to conduct an advanced search. She sent personalized DocMail messages to the physicians who matched the criteria.
Helen’s message hit Dr. G at exactly the right moment. While he was happy with his job in Philadelphia, the location of this opportunity was appealing. He and his wife both had family in the Southeast, and he would be willing to relocate if the role was right. He responded right away to express interest.
Sparks Flew – Less Than 90 Days from Search Initiation to Signed Contract
Helen presented Dr. G to the in-house recruiter in May and a call was immediately scheduled. As the phone and virtual interview process moved forward, Helen stayed in close touch with the physician candidate to maintain his interest in the opportunity until an on-site interview could be scheduled.
Large health systems often have an intensive on-site interview process, and this client was no different. Helen knew they would provide a well-organized visit and do whatever they could to win over Dr. G. Their efforts were successful. Dr. G was excited about the opportunity and hoped to receive an offer.
Just a few weeks later and with some help from Helen, the system successfully negotiated a contract that Dr. G was thrilled to accept. In less than 90 days from the time Helen was asked to lead the search, the system had a signed contract in hand.
Something to Celebrate – 8 Successful Placements and Counting…
Dr. G’s placement exemplifies how health systems can best leverage a strong physician recruitment firm as this marks our 8th placement with the system. The organization needed a very specific physician, and a passive recruitment strategy wasn’t producing an adequate pipeline of candidates.
“What we do is different. The physicians that we are recruiting are not the ones who are already reaching out or applying to jobs. In fact, most are not considering a job change at all. We are truly head-hunting physicians who fit the culture, and in many cases, persuading them to consider the job.”
One of Helen’s sparkling tools is her access to Doximity. As an important part of our digital recruitment strategy that includes all jobs posted on 10+ national job boards, an extensive social media presence, and targeted email campaigns to our large, opted-in physician database, Jackson Physician Search is the only physician recruitment firm where every recruiter is Doximity-certified and holds a license.
It is this level of access and experience that Jackson Physician Search brings to physician recruitment. If you’re seeking to ignite your physician recruitment efforts, Jackson Physician Search is ready to help. Contact a recruiter today.
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