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Results Speak For Themselves in Physician Recruiting
8 February 2010
In speaking with a number of in-house hospital recruiters from all over Georgia at a conference last Friday, it is evident how fierce the current competition is in physician recruitment. One recruiter shared that she receives about 200 phone calls and/or emails from physician recruiting firms each day!
So, how do you know which firm is right for you? Sometimes it may be about price per search, other times it may be about personalities, or perhaps it is due to a particular type of specialization needed within physician recruitment.
One thing that always matters: results. How do you know if your search will be filled by the firm you hire? Past performance is one very good indicator of future success.
We have recently gathered about a hundred testimonials from current and past clients, to help you to review the type of results we have been able to produce for our clients. We hope that this is a helpful resource for you as you evaluate the options and make your decision as to which firm is the best option for your physician staffing needs.
Click to review client references by region and facility.
Hospitals and Social Media
4 February 2010
Tomorrow a few of us from The Medicus Firm are attending the winter conference for the Georgia Hospital Association’s GSHPSR, which is the Georgia Society of Hospital Physician Services and Recruiters.
One of the speakers in attendance will be an executive of Greystone.Net, a consulting firm that provides internet services to healthcare providers and facilities. Greystone.Net recently released an interesting study of hospitals and social media, according to FierceHealthcare.com
Here are a few of the higlights from the study which was conducted over two months from Greystone.Net’s panel of over 100 hospitals:
- Nine out of ten hospitals are involved in social media “to some degree.”
- One in three has a “formal” plan in place for social media
- Twitter, YouTube, and FaceBook are the most commonly used sites that hospitals are using to drive traffice to their systems’ website, with the ultimate goal of attracting new patients to the facility.
How is your facility or healthcare system utilizing social media? What level of success have you experienced as to driving traffic to your site, or patients to your facility or programs?
For more details about the study, read the full press release at FierceHealthcare.
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Great Places To Work
3 February 2010
The Medicus Firm is excited to have been named one of Texas’ best places to work. A few months ago, we found out we were one of the 85 companies nominated, and then the complete rankings were released this week. TMF placed 8th out of the 20 businesses nominated in the “small company” category.
We are proud of this designation, as it helps us to attract top talent to our firm, which then in turn benefits our clients and candidates we serve.
When your company, be it a hospital, an office, or recruiting firm, is a great place to work, your current employees and associates then essentially become part of the recruiting team, and can be part of your recruiting strategy.
What makes your hospital or office a great place to work? When you’re seeking a new professional opportunity, what do you look for in a great place to work? Is it the people? The pay? The hours? The culture? Most likely it is a combination of many things. If you’re not sure what people like about working at your organization, you may want to talk to your employees and find out what they enjoy most, so that you can build upon those strengths, market them to new candidates, and address any weak areas.
When you are in need of attracting the best talent, such as great doctors, nurses, administration, or office help, being a great place to work definitely works in your favor. Throughout the process of recruiting and introducing people to your organization, your employees will reflect the positive energy, and candidates will pick up on the synergy as they evaluate your professional opportunity. Perhaps it could even make the difference in the candidate’s decision between your opportunity and a similar one that is competing for your ideal candidate!
“Look for an occupation that you like, and you will not need to labor for a single day in your life.” -Confucius
MD Quits Harvard Academic Post for Pharma Gig
1 February 2010
…A sign of things to come? A Boston area physician who specializes in allergy and asthma treatment, has resigned from his post at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching hospital affiliated with Harvard University. That’s not big news; physicians resign from academic and clinical positions all the time, but the story behind his resignation is intriguing.
According to the Boston Globe, the physician was paid $99,375 for 40 presentations he gave during a three month period on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline. The moonlighting conflicted with the policies of the physician’s employer, so he was given an ultimatum – pharma or academia.
Probably to the surprise of the university and of the hospital employer, the 55-year old Harvard medical school instructor chose to jump ship and go pharma full time. According to the Boston.com report, ”this situation shows both the significant amounts of money doctors can make moonlighting for pharmaceutical companies, and the potential impact of the growing restrictions on industry ties at teaching hospitals.”
Could this be a glimpse into a future trend among the physician workforce? As clinical practice income decreases, while pressures, restrictions, and limitations build up for physicians in academic practice, we may be seeing more of this trend in coming years.
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Health Reform in ICU – Can It Be Revived?
28 January 2010
Health reform has been a hotly debated topic, and was in very stable condition - until the Massachusetts Senate election. Since then, all bets are off, and the health reform movement has declined into a critical state. The nation anxiously awaited the State of the Union address last night to determine the current condition of health reform – has it flatlined? Can it be resuscitated? Would the President even attempt to revive health reform?
Interestingly, President Obama did not address health reform at all until over a half hour into the speech. Many observers and pundits are saying that the timing in the speech is a reflection that Obama is giving up on health reform – that it’s not a priority for him. However, perhaps he delayed mentioning the issue because he knows it’s an unpopular topic right now for many, not because he feels any less determined to pass health reform. I still think that Obama feels that health reform is what the country wants and needs, and that only a (relatively) few vocal opponents derailed his plans for health reform. I think he finally realizes that there are some other very pressing issues with the economy and unemployment, but I just cannot see that he is abandoning the health reform issue. What the President did say about health reform was strongly worded, urging people not to walk away, that we’re too close not to implement health reform. However, skeptics point to the fact that Obama provided no specifics as to how he plans to pass and implement health reform, as an indication he has given up on it altogether. And when does President Obama ever provide preceise details as to how he plans to achieve something? His speeches are often about the “big picture” as opposed to the finer details.
Obama also claims in his speech that medical professionals, including doctors and nurses, overwhelmingly feel that the current 2,000 plus page proposals are a “vast improvement” over the current system. The President has proclaimed this support repeatedly over the past year, yet there seems to be no evidence that the majority of medical professionals feel that way. Yes, the majority of medical professionals probably do support the idea of some type of health reform, but not necessarily the current proposed legislation, especially based on a recent physician survey conducted by The Medicus Firm which showed that many physicians oppose health reform in its current form.
Many reporters and other media outlets seem so sure Obama has all but dropped the health reform issue. However, if you consider the language Obama used in his speech regarding health reform, combined with the time, effort and campaigning that has been devoted to the issue, plus all that Obama has riding on health reform in terms of his reputation, it seems premature to presume that the President is ready to lay this issue to rest.
More on Health Reform:
- TMF Physician Survey – “What if Half of America’s Physicians Quit Medicine?”
- FierceHealthcare - “Health Reform No Longer Top Priority”
- HealthLeaders – “What Stays, What Goes, in Health Reform?”
–Andrea
Small Town USA
26 January 2010
Over the holidays I drove through numerous small Texas towns on the way to my wife’s grandparents in Olney, TX. This particular day happen to be the day of the high school football state finals. One of the towns we drove through was Graham, TX (population 8716). The Graham high school team was playing in the 3A state championship game in Dallas that evening. As we approached the city we noticed numerous cars on the side of the road with people dressed in team colors and signs showing their support for the local team. Once we got to Graham the streets were literally lined with people young and old wearing Graham Steers gear. There were even 2 fire trucks that had their ladders raised and extended across the main drag for the team bus and their fans to drive under when they leave town for the big game. Our kids were blown away by the “scene”. Needless to say they have never seen anything quite like that living in the city of Austin.
Small Town USA generally gets a bad rap. Statistically less than 5% say that their first choice is to relocate to a town of 10,000 or less. Granted, some specialists can’t make a living in a small town but for primary care providers there are opportunities galore. The 95% that don’t list small towns as their first choice often cite lack of shopping, restaurants and other amenities as their primary reasons. Here are several of things you usually do get with Small Town USA;
• True sense of community pride (see above)
• Your kids have the opportunity to play sports in high school even if they aren’t the next Colt McCoy (ironically he went to a small 2A high school and his dad is the head coach for the Graham Steers) and they don’t play select ______ (pick a sport) from the time they are 8 years old.
• Lower cost of living
• Lower crime rate. When I have meetings in small towns with clients it is very common for them to leave their keys in the car when we go from point A to point B.
• You know your neighbors. Not just know their name, but really know them. The kind of neighbors that bring you casseroles when you move in and if you are sick. The kind of neighbors that let you know if they see your kids doing something they shouldn’t be doing.
• Smaller schools where you know the teachers and they know you and more importantly they really know your children
• Family, faith and friends seem to be what matters the most
I don’t live in a dream world. I know Small Town USA isn’t perfect and isn’t for everyone. But I also know that when you take a step back and evaluate your priorities sometimes Small Town USA is a much better option than anticipated.
Bob
Trauma Surgeon Flees Chaos of Haiti
25 January 2010
“Surgeons [who] expect to just show up and operate are delusional” – Dr. Dean Lorich
This is a truly riveting account of a volunteer medical mission to Haiti, written by a surgeon who has recently returned from the ravaged country. Dr. Dean Lorich is a trauma surgeon from New York City who wrote a letter describing what he and his team experienced during his trip to Haiti, and sent it to Dr. Val of Better Health Network who will be interviewing him soon for more information. After treating a number of patients, Dr. Lorich and his team needed armed security to get out of the hospital safely and back to the airport for departure.
If you are thinking of going to Haiti to help out, this may help you to prepare. Please be careful and know that your heroism is inspirational and even life-changing to so many people. Even if you’re not considering a trip to Haiti, this is a fascinating read, and an eye-opening story about the situation medical professionals are facing there.
More: Read Dr. Lorich’s incredible story
– Kevin
Just When You Think You’ve Seen It All. . .
22 January 2010
An acquaintance of mine in the medical industry sent an email out earlier this week, to all of us who are members of his medical professional networking site. I took one look at the headline: “Meteorite Crashes Into Doctor’s Office” and hit the “Delete” key without viewing the video or reading the attached story. I was sure that it was a metaphor for some great product or service that some vendor was promoting; perhaps it was an advertisement that read “Now that we’ve got your attention . . . let us tell you about our great product…”. Creative, but no thanks!
Had I not been so jaded, I would have seen that the email was not a gimmick, and, in fact, an actual meteorite did crash right into an exam room at a family medicine practice in northern Virginia. Fortunately, the exam room was empty (thanks to a recent cancellation) and physicians and staff in adjacent rooms were unharmed by the grapefruit-sized space object. But what an amazing story! And to think I almost missed it! Fortunately HealthLeaders and others are running the story today, but I could have been one of the first to know, instead of one of the last, if I hadn’t assumed I already had seen it all and had it figured out. And I bet I’m not the only one who thought that when the email came around… which goes to show, you just never know. Even if you’ve been around for many years, expect the unexpected!
-Andrea
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Where Physicians Look for Jobs
21 January 2010
A recent whitepaper from HealtheCareers.com explores the various methods and avenues that physicians utilize when searching for jobs. Although the sample size was a bit small, (about 250 physicians participated in the survey) the results were interesting.
Of the “most-used channels to learn about job opportunities”, the HealtheCareers whitepaper shows that professional associations rank the highest with 69% of respondents utilizing them, followed by job boards and careers sites at 60%, recruiting firms/agencies at 59%, and referrals at 52%.
Other sources for job listings were association newsletter or other communication (50%), email contact from the hiring company, (48%) and word-of-mouth (46%).
Among the least-used methods are social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace, with only 8% of the sample utilizing these sites, newspapers with 8%, mobile media at 7%, and diversity-specific sites at 5%.
DocHunterDiary predicts that social media utilization among physicians will increase exponentially over the next few years, as we have networked with many physicians via social media and already see an increase in this type of traffic. If you are active in social media, you have probably noticed this trend as well. Again, these low figures could also be due to the small sample size of the group surveyed, and may or may not be representative of the larger physician population of hundreds of thousands of doctors.
Physicians are definitely utilizing social media at increasing rates, and while many are most likely doing so to help market their practices or related products and services, certainly they will start to see that there are many recruiters, search firms, and job boards represented on social media.
The HealtheCareers white paper also surveyed the physician sample on which sites they use – and the company’s own site came up first at 61%, a little curious, as they published the whitepaper, and the physician sample may have come from their own database, but DHD does think HealtheCareers is a very good site, and we do utilize HeC regularly to post opportunities.
Also high on the physicians’ list of job boards was professional association job boards (31%). After that, ranging from 15% to 21% were six other boards, including CareerMD (21%), CareerBuilder (20%), MDsearch (19%), MedScape Physician Connect (19%), and NEJM.jobs at (18%). Rounding out the list were JAMA (17%), MDJobsite (16%) and Sermo (15%).
Additionally, when asked what is the most important component of website content, 97% of physicians stated that the quantity and quality of available jobs posted is the most important factor. The more detail the better, with salary, benefits, facility infomation included.
Also important on jobsites for physicians is the usability of the site, the specialty related information, upcoming events, and industry articles and content.
For more on the whitepaper, or to obtain a copy of it, visit www.HealtheCareers.com.
-Andrea Santiago
A Bet Repaid
19 January 2010
My Cowboys let me down on Sunday. As part of the terms of the bet, I agreed to be photographed in this silly viking helmet and to put it on this site. In the picture with me is Justin Ballinger, a vikings fan, who was victorious.
I don’t have much more to say other than GO SAINTS!
Jim
