Due to the overwhelming need for physicians, human resources personnel sometimes have to think creatively in order to come up with ideas to recruit physicians.  In this series, we will explore physician recruitment ideas that will attract the right kind of physician to your practice.

Sell Your City

Every city or town has its selling points.  If you are not in a larger city or town, chances are good that you will be looking to attract some out-of-town applicants.  If your city has a larger community of Greeks, you may find it beneficial to market that in order to attract a Greek doctor.  If you have a thriving arts culture and a small yet well-respected orchestra, those are selling points as well.  Keep in mind that your demographic are educated and generally family-oriented people to whom the arts and community are paramount.  You may find yourself having some fun in the process as well! 

If your city or town has negative connotations and this has been a problem for physician recruitment in the past, overcome your recruits objectives in advance by simply pushing the positives.  Don’t talk about the negatives at all as this will simply reinforce the stereotype in their minds. 

Be Honest About Time Requirements

New medical school graduates want to have answers to things that traditional job applicants may not have asked in the past.  They want to know how often they will be on call and what hours they will be expected to work.  They are much more conscious of work/life balance than previous generations and want to make sure that they will have some personal time for themselves.  If you can address these issues up front in your ad and in the first stages of the interview process, they will admire your transparency and be more willing to work with your organization.

Sell Your Strengths

Every organization will have its strengths and weaknesses.  Emphasize your strengths, not to hide your weaknesses but to accentuate the positive.  You may not pay as much as that big-city HMO, but you have a more relaxed practice and your doctors can live full time at a cottage.  Salary may be the strong factor where you are, or reputation.  Whatever it is, play it up through testimonials of other doctors that work for you that are featured prominently both in your ads and on the human resources section of your website. 

In Part 2, we’ll explore even more ideas for creative physician recruitment.  Stay Tuned!

Most medical establishments don’t close down for the holiday season, unless they are academic facilities conducting pure research.  For this reason, the holidays are actually a better time to look for a job than the rest of the year.  Human resources personnel don’t feel as rushed and the entire mood is more festive and relaxed.  Many medical establishments are also going to want to know that you want to work during the holidays.  Submission of your resume during this time sends a clear signal that you have a certain amount of get up and go that most of them are looking for.

Due to the fact that it is the holiday season, many hospitals and medical centers won’t bother to post ads to the job boards.  That doesn’t mean that the jobs don’t exist, just that most organizations wait until January 2nd to post them.  You can take advantage of this by using this time to specifically target the organizations that you are interested in by sending your resume in and following it up with a phone call inquiring into any new positions that have become available.  Unlike the rest of the year, human resources won’t be too tied up to take your call and most may actually enjoy chatting to a potential employee right now. 

The bad news with job searching during the holidays is that administrators and senior staff who are frequently involved in the hiring process are probably gone.  This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use this opportunity to get your foot in the door with the staff further down the ladder.  You usually don’t speak to them until later on in the process anyway, so their absence hardly matters. 

Don’t forget to have fun and go to parties with colleagues in the medical industry.  Carry a personal card so that you can hand it out at such a function in case you should happen to make the acquaintance of someone who can help you in your job search.  Send holiday cards to hiring managers that you have recently interviewed with, even if you feel it is a little late for them to receive them.  The thought will be what counts in their minds and it may be a subtle move to the top of the pile for your candidacy if they feel that you are just a little more thoughtful than the next guy (or gal). 

Most importantly, keep your spirits up and don’t lose confidence.  As a medical professional, you are guaranteed to find work, it is just a question of when and where.  Have fun, do a little every day related to your physician job search and keep on pounding on doors.  You’ll be surprised how many will still be answering over the holidays!

Also, just a reminder, eMatchPhysicians.com is hosting a “Physician Job Search Kickoff” Sweepstakes, and you can win a Caribbean cruise and other great prizes, just by registering.  Registration is FREE to all physicians, so be sure to sign up today and tell a friend.

In the medical industry, we are faced with a plethora of jobs to fill and not enough physicians to fill them.   There are going to be times when hiring someone who is missing a qualification or two is acceptable and times when it isn’t.  The team that the physician will be working with should always be consulted before the hire if they are missing some of the listed requirements, as word will get around quickly and you may have some discontent with your team members that is better to deal with before the hire than after.

Years of Experience

Many physician jobs ask for a certain number of years of experience.  In many cases this is because fellow doctors don’t want to work with someone without any real-world experience as this would take additional time away from their practice to train the newcomer in minor things that they would have known if they had been working in the field.  In many cases, any real-world experience would do and the numbers of years that are asked for are more arbitrary than required.  If that is the case, you may be able to hire that young resident with one year under her belt instead of three.

Education

Obviously items like medical degrees are not negotiable - they are the basics that a physician needs in order to work in the medical industry.  However, if you run a Sports medicine clinic and a fellow comes along who is just finishing up his additional education in Sports Medicine, it isn’t going to hurt you to hire him.  Just make sure that all of your patients are told that he is in training until he actually receives his certification.

Experience in a Certain Setting

Some job descriptions call for experience in an HMO or experience in a family practice.  In many cases it doesn’t matter where the physician has acquired the experience, as long as he knows how to properly practice medicine.  An exception to this may be a specialty treatment center like a cancer center or a heart disease clinic - senior staff may be actively recruited who have had experience in such a setting before.  Usually these skills are transferable between settings regardless of what people may think.

Experience with Billing and Administrative Duties

If a physician went through school to get a degree, you can reasonably assume that he will be able to handle invoicing and paperwork.  For the most part physicians don’t like to do paperwork, but the question of whether or not they can do it is a semantic one.  If a physician complains of a genuine lack of skill in this area, most community colleges offer evening courses in administrative functions that you could offer to pay for him to go to.  You may actually be surprised at how such a measure helps out your organization’s bottom line, if it is small enough to have doctors performing administrative functions.

For Immediate Release.  Aliso Viejo, CA.  December 10, 2008.  MedMatcher, Inc. today announced a sweepstakes to kickoff the physician job search season for 2009.  eMatchPhysicians.com is hosting this contest to help physicians around the country get a jumpstart on their New Years resolutions of finding the physician job of their dreams.  What better incentive to start your physician job search than a chance to win fabulous prizes? 

The “Physician Job Search Kickoff” Sweepstakes runs through March 31, 2009 and is open to all physicians who are U.S. residents.  Physicians are invited to complete a free online registration at www.eMatchPhysicians.com for a chance to enter the sweepstakes.

Prizes include:

• One Grand Prize winner will receive a fabulous 5-Day/4-night Caribbean Cruise for Two;
• One First Place winner will win an Apple MacBook computer,
• One Second Place winner will receive an Apple iPod Touch,
• One Third Place winner will receive a $500.00 Target gift card, and
• One Fourth Place winner will receive a $100.00 Regal Entertainment gift card.

Pioneering a new and improved way for physicians and hiring organizations to connect, eMatchPhysicians has developed a sophisticated technology that allows physicians and hiring organizations to complete a confidential, online profile that conducts a comprehensive matching to quickly and confidentially take full control of the search process.
eMatchPhysicians.com works with hospitals, medical groups, private practices and healthcare systems that offer physician placement opportunities in various specialties, including Cardiology, Dermatology, Family Practice, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, Radiology and many more physician jobs by specialty.
“We hope more people will learn first-hand how simple the eMatchPhysicians way of searching for a physician job is,” says Jessica Joseph, President and CEO of eMatchPhysicians.  “At eMatchPhysicians.com, physicians and hiring organizations can spend more time reviewing and contacting their best matches rather than searching through thousands of online job postings or sifting through hundreds of physician CVs.”

To register for the eMatchPhysicians service or enter the “Physician Job Search Kickoff” sweepstakes, please visit http://www.eMatchPhysicians.com/sweepstakes.  No purchase is necessary to win. 

About eMatchPhysicians.com:
Established in 2007, eMatchPhysicians was founded by Jessica Joseph, President and CEO, with the vision of providing the most comprehensive, virtual physician recruitment service. eMatchPhysicians.com is a revolutionary, online matching service that helps practice seeking physicians connect with hiring organizations and physician recruiters that have physician job opportunities. The eMatchPhysicians.com process is simple. Physicians and Hiring Organizations complete a simple registration page that collects basic information needed to get you started. You build a personal profile in minutes and let the advanced algorithms do the rest. Updated daily, matches appear on your homepage, highlighting your best prospects first.

Many people decide to become specialists in oncology after losing a friend or loved one to cancer.  There are several careers that the doctor specializing in oncology can choose from.  The median salary for an oncologist in the US is $250,000 if one enters a private practice as opposed to academic medicine.  Academic careers average around $150,00 to $175,000. 

Private Practice vs. Academic Medicine

Oncologists who wish to engage in pure research often find themselves in the academic medicine career path.  Academic medicine is also a good start down the path of a career in a private practice, where much higher salaries are possible.  Private practice may also be the path of choice for those who prefer the “bench-to-bedside” hands-on approach.  Usually three to four years in academic medicine is necessary before progressing to private practice careers.  Those who choose to stay in academic medicine will be able to conduct pure research studies and enjoy less working hours than their private practice counterparts. 

Academic Medicine

In order to pursue a career in academic medicine, the oncologist must be a jack-of-all-trades.  They must learn how to get grants, write scientific papers and the usual pursuits of oncology such as research and clinical trials.  Grant and paper writing are both necessary to sustain a livelihood when one relies on pure academics and as such those looking to pursue a career in academic medicine would be well-advised to take professional courses in both grant writing and paper writing if they do not feel that their education sufficiently provided for these items. 

Hospital Oncology Specialist

This career will appeal to those who enjoy the hands-on approach.  As with all medical professions, demand for oncologists in hospitals is high.  You may even be able to join up with an organization that specializes in oncology rather than a general hospital.  In any case, the world is literally your oyster if you have an academic medicine background coupled with an education in oncology. 

Pharmaceutical Company Consultant

This post will frequently see you involved in research and development of drugs intended for use in fighting cancer.  Sales and management positions are usually available within pharma companies for oncologists as well.  Higher up positions in pharma companies are usually extremely well-paying, but are reserved for oncologists who have spearheaded major breakthroughs or have extensive experience both in academic and private practice. 

To begin your search for a physician job in Oncology, click here to get started with eMatchPhysicians.com physician job search process.

One of the best parts of working as a family practice physician is that you work in a small practice with greater flexibility and a more personal touch.  Those who prefer a more hands-on approach as a doctor do very well in family practice.  While your eventual goal may be to open your own family practice, until you do there are lots of jobs in small clinics across the country.  In fact, this is one of the hottest job areas. 

According to the AMGA, family practitioners make a national average of $190,182 a year.  Those who choose to enter obstetrics as well will see a bit of a higher starting salary.  As family physicians become more in demand, perks such as extra vacation time and coverage of ongoing education fees may be negotiated in a contract.  Many young people entering the field of family medicine may be looking to eventually get their CAQ, or Certificate of Added Qualification, in sports medicine or further specialties within the family medicine field.  Family physicians are sorely needed in the United States as more medical students go into what they see as more lucrative professions. 

Family physicians see an average of 22-25 patients per day and they work about four or five days a week.  The largest advantage of choosing a family physician career over another physician career is the quality of life - availability for surgeries and emergencies is far more limited than it would be for a physician working in a hospital setting.  Hours are consequently more predictable and there is more time for a personal and family life of their own. 

If you are considering a career as a family physician there will be no shortage of oppurtunities for you - your only concern is where you want to live and whether you see yourself in a small, medium or large organization.  There are advantages to all of them.  A medium and large organization may make you see more patients, but will also have the administrative staff to deal with insurance company claims that you may have to fill out yourself in a smaller practice.  There may be more flexibility on hours at a smaller organization.  The best thing to do is to put your CV out there and see what you think of the many different offers that will come in.

A great place to start your search for a job as a family practice physician is at eMatchPhysicians.com.  Click here to join now for free and let us do the searching for you!

In a traditional job search, most people get excited when handed the employment offer and just sign it.  However, when considering accepting a job as a physician you may want to take a little longer with this process since you are making a decision that will impact not only yourself but your family and an entire community as well.   

Research

You are used to research.  Research the hospital or group that you are considering joining as if you were writing a publication or abstract.  How many physicians do they have and how long has each physician been there?  What is the turnover rate?  How large is the overall organization?  You may also ask to speak with the physicians that already work for the organization and see what their experience has been.   Answers to these questions will help you decide what questions to ask and how much negotiating room you have.  Read through your offer in a quiet place and then take some time to think about it before responding.  Come back to it a couple times and write down questions as you go.  Once you have gathered your thoughts, set up a time to discuss the offer with the hiring organization and politely ask your contact to explain each clause or provision that you do not understand.  You are dealing with a legal document and it is nothing but intelligent to ask questions.  

Legal Counsil

The organization should be very willing to accomodate you during this time so that you can make an educated decision without having to turn to legal counsil.  Legal counsil can be very costly and very time consuming when time is of the essense.  Contracts are not left on the table to marinate - the longer you wait, the better the chance that another physician will come along and take the position you want.   However, if you do not feel confident and very clear about the offer in hand after going through your questions with the hiring organization, you may have no choice but to turn to a lawyer for help.  Do not sign a contract that you do not understand.  Many physicians have found themselves trapped or in a compromising situation because they did not take the time to understand their contract before signing it.  

Size Matters when Negotiating

The larger the organization, the less flexibility they have to make contractual changes.  A small group or small community hospital typically has more flexibility so you must do your research, consider the size of the organization, and then decide how much time to spend disecting your contract versus how much time to spend on the negotiating points such as financials, vacation, CME credits, and benefits.  The larger the organization, the more you risk wasting time and money by hiring a lawyer because their contracts do not change.  They must remain fair and consistent among all physicians in all locations.      

Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate

When an organization posts the financials for a job, what they are willing to pay is typically from the bottom of the scale to the middle.  The top rung is reserved for professionals with stellar qualifications that blow away the requirements.  If you meet the requirements and a little more, you can negotiate yourself into the middle salary position.  You will probably also be able to get a little more vacation time and anything else that is negotiable in your contract.  Though many hiring organizations leave room for negotiation, it doesn’t hurt to ask when recieving your contract (before you have read it).  The successful job hunt is all about the relationship you create along the way and you do not want to insult anyone by assuming they are willing to negotiate when they have already given you the best offer possible.
 

If you’re a resident or fellow about to complete your training or an experienced physician who’s thinking of changing jobs, you may be wondering when is the best time to start your physician job search process.   Unlike many other careers where you can change jobs and find a new job opportunity in a matter of weeks, the process for finding the right physician job can take anywhere from 6 months to over a year.  That’s why, timing can be crucial in a successful physician job search. 

As we contact training programs in October and November, we often hear them say that it’s “recruiting” season.   Recruiters around the country are faxing job descriptions for residents and fellows who are completing their training in June.  While this may be a good time to learn about a variety of new physician job opportunities, the truth is… it’s ALWAYS recruiting season for hiring organizations.

Hospitals and medical groups throughout the country are hiring physicians all year round.  In some high-demand physician specialties, such as OB/GYN, emergency medicine and hematology and oncology, the job search process can begin even sooner, with some physicians securing jobs up to two years in advance.   

To help you formulate the best plan of action, we’ve put together some general guidelines to help you estimate the time involved with each stage of the physician job search process:

• The “Search & Discovery” Phase -   Before finding the right job to apply for, you may spend 3-4 weeks networking, viewing job postings, either online or on job boards, and talking with recruiters. 
• Talking to Future Employers - Once you have a good idea of some job opportunities that may interest you, you may spend another 2-3 weeks talking to potential employers and scheduling site visits to get more familiar with each individual practice setting.  Site visits may be scheduled anywhere from 2-3 weeks in advance to coordinate with everyone’s schedules.
• The Interview Phase - Congratulations!  You’ve secured your first interview.  This process may take 2-3 weeks, and then, if you’re lucky, you may be asked back for a second interview.  You can expect this to take another 2-3 weeks.  The good news is… many second interviews result in a job offer.
• Contract & Negotiation Phase - After you’ve been offered a job, typically, you will receive the first draft of your contract within a week or two.  Now, it’s negotation time, which can range from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending upon factors like lawyer involvement and priority of your negotiations with the lawyer. 
• Giving Notice -  If you’re currently employed as a physician, you will have to give notice.  The standard time for a practicing physician is 3 months, depending on the type of practice and speciality.
• Relocation -  If you’re new job, requires relocation, you’ll have to look for a new house, and possibly put your current house on the market to sell.  Given the current real estate market, this process may take anywhere from several weeks to several months.
• Obtaining a new license -  This last phase may not be required in all cases, however, if you are moving to a new state, you may be required to get new licencing and credentialing, which can take anywhere from 3 months to 8 months, depending on the state. 

So, as you can see, by adding the times in each of the phases above, a very conservative estimate for a typical physician job search process is between six months to one year.   That’s why we suggest physicians who are considering a new physician job opportunity to start the job search process between six and nine months from the date they want to begin their new job. 

You can start your physician job search immediately by registering for FREE at eMatchPhysicians.com.  You can complete a personalized profile that will help us find the best employer to match your practice and lifestyle preferences, so you don’t have to search through thousands of online jobs that are not right for you.  The best time to start your physician job search is now.  Join today!

Whether you’re a graduating resident, fellow or practicing physician with years of experience, searching for a new physician job can be very daunting.   Despite the slowdown in the economy and the increase in layoffs and unemployment rate for most careers, the demand for jobs in healthcare continues to rise, so competition for physician jobs is at an all-time high in some areas. 

At eMatchPhysicians.com, we are committed to helping physicians find the perfect job opportunity. That’s why we’ve prepared some helpful tips to help you succeed in your physician job search process.     

1. Define your purpose.  What are you looking for in your next physician job?  Some questions to consider are: environment (rural, suburban or urban), practice set-up (group, partnership, employee, etc.), and compensation plan for physician employment. 
2. Preparation.   Stay current on news and trends in the healthcare industry because you want to be as prepared as possible when the right employer calls you.   Practice makes perfect.  Do your homework before interviewing.  Anticipate possible questions concerning physician practice opportunities and write answers for each.  Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.  This statement especially rings true in terms of the site visit. A number of things are involved in making a good first impression. Common sense will tell you that personal presentation is important, but there are other issues involved in presenting your fund of medical knowledge, your personal interests, and how you can make a contribution to the potential employer.  
3. Be Professional.   Exuding professionalism during your physician job search process does matter.   Now is the time to brush up on your phone etiquette skills. Few things are more frustrating for a department head trying to fill a position than a rude doctor. You can be professional while still being friendly to your prospective employer. After all, you want the department head to get the impression you’re glad they called.  Also, don’t forget to create a professionally named email account, if you haven’t already.   JohnLovesDogs@yahoo.com just won’t do.  A simple suggestion is to use your first and last name with an underscore.   Of course, dressing the part for any interviews is essential.  Stick with something traditional like a pants suit.  Power colors like red are best used as an accent; for example, a black shirt with a red tie.  Also, you want to have the general appearance of cleanliness (brushed hair, ironed cloths) given the profession.  The expression “dress for the job you want” applies perfectly here.
4. Keep a positive attitude.  Seek support from friends and family during this challenging time.  It may take months to land your ideal physician job opportunity, but keep your enthusiasm throughout the entire job search process.  If you’re among the few to get chosen for an interview with your ideal employer, bring a positive attitude without being too familiar. This is your opportunity to sell yourself. The difference between bragging and self confidence is enthusiasm.
5. Consider alternatives.  Expand your physician job search to include hospitals and medical centers outside the metropolitan areas.  Consider physician jobs in rural areas or smaller towns that may not have as many qualified candidates applying for the same position as you.  If you are open to a change of scenery or slower paced lifestyle, this may work in your favor.   Another way to get a leg up on your competition is to use alternative methods to find the right physician job opportunity.  Websites, such as eMatchPhysicians.com, offer physicians and hiring organizations with comprehensive matching technology to simplify the physician recruiting process.  Thousands of physician jobs exist nationwide and it is impossible to research every job and speak with every recruiter.  Expand your possibilities and let eMatchPhysians search physician jobs so you don’t have to.  You can spend your time viewing only the best physician jobs for you and your family.  This eliminates the hassle and frustration and allows you to focus on what  matters most - interviews and negotiations.  

If you follow the above tips, and mix in a dash of common sense, you should be able to dazzle potential employers and have a successful physician job search.  Good luck!

There has been a lot of talk in the news about the critical state of America’s emergency medicine facilities.  According to witnesses who testified before Congress this summer,  emergency departments across the country have grown so fast to meet patient needs that they are now finding themselves under-staffed and under-funded in several key areas.  If presented with a national disaster or terrorist strike, it may be difficult for some emergency facilities to handle the patient surge.

The primary reason for this sudden demand is simply that the patient view of American healthcare is changing. Rather than visiting a general practitioner for medical attention, patients find it more gratifying to visit the emergency room, have all tests done on the spot and receive treatment immediately - even if it isn’t a threatening emergency. The rising demand for emergency care can also be attributed to a national shortage in healthcare professionals and insurance payment procedures. To compensate the high demand, many facilities have begun hiring board certified family practitioners in to their emergency medicine department.

Physician recruitment agencies and physician search firms are working with hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide to fill a variety of temporary and permanent assignments in emergency medicine.  However, as you know, sifting through hundreds of physician resumes and relying on physician recruiters to find the perfect candidate for you to interview could take months - if you’re lucky.  

So, why not take the physician recruitment process into your own hands and let eMatchPhysicians.com do the matching for you.  As a hiring organization, you simply have to complete an online profile listing all the pertinent details about your emergency medicine physician job opening and the specifications of who would be the right candidate, and you’ll receive instant matches.  Stop searching through stacks of resumes and wasting your time, and start interviewing the right match today.

eMatchPhysicians.com is proud to work with emergency departments nationwide to place qualified physicians to fill their needs.   Get started with a more effective way to fill your physician job opening,