When a New England boarding school needed to hire a Medical Director, it partnered with Jackson Physician Search to identify the best candidates for the job. Director of Physician Executive Search Mark Dotson quickly presented ten qualified physicians who were interested in the unique position, completing the search in just 54 days.
Jackson Physician Search works with hospitals, health systems, and medical groups in all 50 states to help them recruit and retain physicians, physician executives, and advanced practice providers. While our clients are often healthcare organizations, we also get the opportunity to work with other types of organizations in need of these providers — a corporation seeking a chief medical officer to oversee occupational medicine or a healthcare technology company seeking a physician leader to consult on product development. Circumstances can vary widely, but the physician executive recruitment process established by Jackson Physician Search can be successfully executed in any scenario. Director of Physician Executive Search Mark Dotson recently demonstrated this when he skillfully recruited a Medical Director for a Northeastern boarding school in just 54 days.
A Quick Start to a Unique Search
Within a week of opening the search, Mark visited the small town in New Hampshire where the school was located. He knows the value of meeting members of the organization face to face and immersing himself in its culture, especially when it comes to searching for a leader. This allowed him to visualize who would be a good fit, form a complete picture of the opportunity, and further understand the role’s requirements.
Mark was impressed with what he found — a prestigious school that meets students’ healthcare needs in a dedicated clinic with 14 inpatient beds, two advanced practice providers, six nurses, seven mental health counselors, and five athletic trainers. The current Medical Director would be leaving at the end of the school year but was already on sabbatical, so the school was using several locum physicians to fill the gap temporarily. Their goal was to hire someone full-time before the beginning of the new school year in August with an adolescent focus, leadership experience, and, preferably, experience in an academic setting.
The compensation was both competitive and guaranteed. The Medical Director would not have to deal with productivity targets, medical billing, or insurance companies — the school covered all student medical costs. Mark knew this fact alone would be attractive to many physicians, but how many would have the management and academic experience the client sought and be willing to relocate to the small New Hampshire town?
A Targeted Physician Executive Recruitment Strategy
Mark knew the candidate pool for this unique opportunity would be small, but he felt confident the combination of digital tools and personalized outreach would surface the right physicians. Mark began by leveraging the Jackson Physician Search network of 10+ national job boards and mining databases for physicians who matched the criteria, including our own job board and extensive, opted-in candidate database.
Thinking creatively and strategically, he posted the job under several specialties, such as pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatric internal medicine, to account for physicians who could realistically succeed in this role. Mark’s efforts didn’t stop there. He identified all of the fellowship programs for pediatricians focusing on adolescents nationwide that he could find and pursued alums of those programs, seeking those experienced with patients aged 13-20.
Soon, Mark had more than ten qualified candidates interested in the position. The client spoke to five of them on the phone and invited three to interview on-site. Ultimately, Dr. T, a pediatrician living in Boston, won the favor of the Assistant Principal tasked with hiring. Dr. T was currently serving as Medical Director for a Boston-based healthcare organization and was interested in making a change to improve his work-life balance. The opportunity at the school was exactly what he needed. Once his family warmed up to the idea, he was eager to sign a contract.
Secrets of Physician Executive Recruitment Success
Less than two months after partnering with Jackson Physician Search, the client signed a contract with Dr. T. Mark attributes his success to his ability to digitally target candidates with the exact experience he needed. Knowing it was a small candidate pool, the client was impressed to have ten physicians to choose from so quickly.
Mark also says his visit to the school was essential as it gave him a clear picture of who the school was looking for, which made the screening process much easier. Once he presented the candidates, the client reacted quickly, scheduling calls and inviting candidates for in-person interviews. They were motivated to hire someone before the end of the school year, so they kept the process moving, which is essential to holding the candidates’ interest.
Ultimately, Dr. T found an ideal opportunity in a unique setting, and the school hired a qualified physician to ensure its students’ health and well-being.
No matter the setting, if you are in need of a physician leader, the team at Jackson Physician Search is well-positioned to connect you with candidates who fit your needs. Reach out today to learn more.
