RSS FeedWhere Physicians Look for Jobs
21 January 2010A 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
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