After its longtime surgeon retired, a small critical access hospital in rural Virginia had no choice but to use locums to meet the needs of patients. Four years later, they were no closer to finding a permanent hire. When Search Consultant Colin Feltrop was assigned to the search, he leveraged a targeted digital strategy to find the candidates most likely to be interested in the position.
Healthcare organizations nationwide are facing a surge of physician retirements as Baby Boomer physicians prepare to leave the industry. Rural healthcare organizations are disproportionately impacted due to the higher number of older physicians working in these areas. According to Rural Info Hub, in 2021, more than half (51%) of the physicians working in non-metro areas were 65 or older, and an additional 18% were between the ages of 55 and 64.
Discussions about the implications of an aging physician workforce have been going on for more than a decade. Yet, many organizations, both rural and urban, are unprepared to deal with the vacancies caused by physician retirements. Succession planning can help, of course, but according to the physician retirement research from Jackson Physician Search, more than two-thirds (69%) of administrators reported they do not have formal succession plans at their organizations.
Long-time General Surgeon Retires After 40 Years
This was the case at a small critical access hospital in southwestern Virginia. For forty years, surgical services had been provided by a single general surgeon who ran a nearby clinic. When he closed the clinic and retired in 2019, the organization used locums to fill the need temporarily. The COVID pandemic then caused the organization to delay finding a replacement, and four years later, the hospital was still spending millions each year for temporary help.
Being aware that using locums long-term was not a fiscally sound strategy, the hospital’s leadership partnered with Jackson Physician Search to help with a permanent physician placement. Search Consultant Colin Feltrop was assigned to the search and immediately planned a visit to the rural community. He wanted to gain a better understanding of who the hospital was looking for and what type of candidate might consider the unique position.
The Significant Challenge of Rural and Remote
Colin enjoyed meeting the team and touring the facility but immediately recognized several challenges. 1) The community, comprised of approximately 800 residents, was rural and remote. Nestled in the Appalachian mountains, the town was two hours from a major airport and had little shopping, dining, or entertainment. 2) Like the physician who had held the job previously, the new hire would be working as a solo practitioner. Anyone considering the job would need to have enough experience to work alone and be comfortable doing so long-term.
The experience requirement ruled residents out of the candidate pool, so Colin felt the right candidate would be mid-career, already living in the region, and seeking a slower pace of life and better work-life balance. In order to find this unique candidate, Colin trusted he had the resources to be successful and would incorporate rural physician recruitment strategies where applicable.
A Proactive Strategy to Identify Candidates
Colin knew the right candidate might not be in an active job search, so he leveraged every database available to him to identify general surgeons within a given radius of the town. He reached out to them by email, text message, DocMail, and other messaging tools, slowly expanding the radius when needed to reach more candidates. Direct messaging allowed him to tailor the description of the opportunity to the candidate and connect in a more personal way. He also leveraged our 10+ national job boards to provide even more exposure.
“Many times, I’d get a candidate on the phone, but once they realized exactly how remote the town was, they weren’t interested,” says Colin.
Of course, Colin never stopped sending messages to potential candidates.
Persistence Pays Off
Eventually, Dr. E sent a reply to one of Colin’s messages. Though he had ignored the initial outreach, his situation had changed, and he was willing to consider something rural. Colin spoke to him about the community and was transparent about the challenges of the job. He also emphasized that the high physician compensation was guaranteed despite the low volume of cases he was likely to see. This work-life balance would be a welcome change for Dr. E, and he felt that the opportunity sounded like a perfect fit.
The organization moved quickly to schedule an on-site interview. Since Dr. E lived only two hours away, he could visit almost immediately. He was charmed by the small town and felt he could truly fit in at the organization. The hospital’s leadership team agreed that Dr. E would be perfect for taking on this critical role and made an offer that day, which he accepted soon after.
Secrets of Rural Recruitment Success
Colin humbly acknowledges that there’s an element of luck involved when you successfully close a tough search, but it’s clear that he created his own luck with his diligent execution of the Jackson Physician Search digital physician recruitment process. He leveraged every tool available to him to identify potential candidates for the job and never stopped reaching out and following up with anyone who fit the criteria.
Of course, the client also did their part by first setting an attractive salary guarantee and then quickly scheduling calls and visits. They understood the importance of striking while the iron was hot! As soon as a candidate was presented, they were swiftly moved through the recruitment process. In fact, it took a total of three weeks between the day Colin presented Dr. E and the day he signed a contract.
This search demonstrates the importance of diligence and persistence in tough searches. Despite the significant challenges, Colin never wavered in his commitment to finding candidates. By leveraging the trusted tools in the Jackson Physician Search digital recruitment strategy, he was able to successfully place a general surgeon in an area of significant need.
If your organization is facing a difficult search, the recruitment team at Jackson Physician Search has the strategy, tools, and persistence to get results. Reach out today to learn more.
