During the past year, Megan Schwertner has placed a Family-Medicine physician, two OB-GYNs, two Hematology-Oncology physicians, two Urologists, a Nurse Practioner in Oncology, and a Hospitalist — all for the same client in Kentucky. How did she do it?
Across the country, organizations large and small need help to recruit OB-GYNs. High malpractice insurance, laws about reproductive care, and unpredictable schedules may be contributing factors, but whatever the cause, the national average time to fill an OB-GYN job is 8.4 months. This is why Director of Recruiting Megan Schwertner’s recent placements of two OB-GYNs in just 5 months is extremely notable. During the past year, she has also placed a Family-Medicine physician, two Hematology-Oncology physicians, two Urologists, a Nurse Practioner in Oncology, and a Hospitalist – all for the same client in Kentucky. How did she do it?
Megan had been with Jackson Physician Search for about a year when she reconnected with one of her first clients about some big recruitment needs. At the time, the community-based hospital had four jobs to fill: Family Medicine, OB-GYN, Hematology-Oncology, and Urology. Because of Megan’s familiarity with the facility and her existing relationship with the organization’s leadership team, she was able to dive right in and start working on all four searches.
The client is located in Kentucky, a little over an hour from Nashville, Tennessee. With a population of 30,000, it’s not a major metro, but the hospital has impressive resources — the ability to offer physicians competitive compensation and access to cutting-edge equipment. The hospital is also a partner of Vanderbilt Medical Center. Megan highlighted all this in her job ads posted on our broad network of job boards while proactively reaching out to potential candidates through Doximity, the largest online network for physicians, and the Jackson Physician Search database, the largest opted-in candidate database.
Resident Outreach
After conducting market research to ensure the Kentucky healthcare organization was offering competitive compensation (and advising the client to incorporate a resident stipend), she knew the offers were right, and it was just a matter of time before she found the right candidates.
Regarding the search for a urologist, she ultimately found two. Megan was thorough in her outreach and connected with multiple residents who would eventually accept offers. Signing two second-year urology residents was especially satisfying, as the urology search had been open for several years when Megan took it over.
Megan connected with another resident, Dr. S, about the OB-GYN job. The two connected on a Saturday to discuss the opportunity. Dr. S was in her final year of residency, and though she had planned to take a job working with her fiance, her engagement had ended, and she needed a new plan. She was happy to hear about the position with Megan’s client, and the client was eager to meet Dr. S. They called her right away, quickly arranged an interview, and extended an offer just a few weeks later.
Culture of Teamwork
One thing Megan always stresses to potential candidates is the culture of teamwork at the organization. Everyone is hardworking, but they also value work-life balance and are committed to providing coverage for each other so that no one feels overworked.
Megan is comfortable sharing this with candidates because she has seen the culture in action – in her visits to the facility and in her regular meetings with the leadership team. If someone from one department can’t attend, he or she makes sure the rest of the team is updated so the process is never hindered. Megan appreciates the way they work together and keep everyone informed. She knows that this culture of teamwork starts at the top but is experienced all the way down.
It was specifically this that attracted another candidate, Dr. R, to the OB-GYN position. In private practice in Michigan, she was building a lakehouse in the area and looking to join a supportive team. She told Megan it was a specific line in the job ad that piqued her interest:
“An ideal candidate would be someone who is a hard worker, but also understands the importance of having a work/life balance. We have a very collegial team and take care of each other, and get along well. We would appreciate adding a like-minded partner to our team.”
After speaking with Megan and progressing through the interview process, Dr. R had seen enough to know that the culture was exactly what she had been looking for. She had struggled to build a team of providers in her practice and was tired of carrying the burden alone. Though the client had only planned to hire one OB-GYN, they extended an offer to Dr. R as well.
Secrets of Physician Recruitment Success
Megan attributes much of her ongoing success to her strong partnership with the organization. Having worked together for many years, she is deeply familiar with their needs and can speak from experience about the culture of teamwork. She also credits the client for creating a positive work environment that is apparent to every candidate who goes onsite for an interview.
Most importantly, each member of the leadership team is actively engaged in the recruitment process. Megan can reach out to any one of the leaders for feedback or with a question, and each one is current on the situation and able to keep the process moving – which is, of course, always essential to physician recruitment success.
Whether your organization is seeking to hire one physician or many, the team at Jackson Physician Search has the recruitment experience and market expertise to accelerate the process. Reach out today to learn more.
