New physicians and experienced physicians continually wonder: How should I apply for jobs?  Should I go through a personal recruiter, search online, or contact hospitals directly?  Should I call groups in the communities in which I want to live?  Perhaps medical societies are the answer?

eMatchPhysicians has researched every avenue and compiled a step by step process for a successful physician job search.  Click here to access our full tutorial.

H1B Visa Candidates and J1 Visa Candidates have a hard enough time going through the process of gaining an H1B or J1 Visa, but then when it comes to their job search they are faced with an entirely new set of obstacles.  Not only do they have to comply with visa laws and try to find a job within the allotted time, they have to find hiring organizations that are willing and able to sponsor them.  That is very difficult via the internet – our number one source for information in the 21st century.  Visa candidates often turn to the internet and are let down by physician job websites that do not specify which jobs sponsor visa candidates and which do not.  Also, most organizations do not specify whether or not they will give sponsorship as part of their job ad.  So the online search becomes very frustrating.  We highly recommend that you add visa sponsorship to all of your job postings if you are willing and able to offer it.  Further, if you are registered with eMatchPhysicians, you do not have to worry about visa candidates finding you.  We offer a ‘sort by’ option for all of our users to view visa acceptable jobs or visa candidates.  

Until now, many visa candidates have turned to third party recruitment firms who can quickly tell them which jobs and locations accept visa candidates.  These third party recruiters are costly, not to the physician, to you, and currently, they are the number one resource residents and fellows have to narrow their job search.  All you need to do in order to “cut out the middleman” is answer the question of whether or not you accept visa candidates in your eMatchPhysicians profile.  
 
eMatchPhysicians asks the appropriate questions of our hiring organizations and our physicians upfront so we can serve this untapped market of medical minds for you.  You can now search for them and they can search for you.  H1-B Visa candidates come from all over the world; Europe, Canada, Australia, and Asia are just a few of the places.  These physicians are highly motivated meaning they have often trained in their own country and then complete additional training in the U.S.  Many have even practiced in their home country prior to coming to the U.S. for additional training.  You can find some excellent candidates if you are open to this possibility.  You still need to search and sort through visa candidates to find the right fit for your community and your medical staff, however, when you find that diamond in the rough, you may be pleasantly surprised with their strong work ethic and dedication to your organization.  They are often thankful to have an organization willing to support them and will show that gratitude through hard work and compliance.  Visa candidates know the true meaning of hard work because it took a lot of hard work for them to get to the United States to begin with, combined with additional training on top of that.  Most have also studied English, vigorously, and are ready to hit the ground running with both their language and their medical skills.

If you are still undecided on whether or not you will sponsor H1-B or J-1 Visa Candidates, call us or e-mail us today for a phone consultation on what these Visa programs entail and the high qualifications of the physicians who are coming to the US with them.

There are two types of physicians practicing in today’s world: miserable physicians and proud physicians.  Everyone knows a miserable physician yet, thankfully, most of us also know and recognize proud physicians.  Proud physicians are happy in their practice, enjoy helping their patients and have a sense of accomplishment for their years of hard work.  The question is what kind of physician do YOU want to be?  The choice is yours but the key is knowing what you want so that you can recognize the right opportunity when you see it.  There is a major physician shortage in America and it is only getting worse.  Fortunately, many choices are now available due to that shortage.  So take your time and prioritize before you make a move.

Key ingredients for finding a long-term fit are location, practice and financials.  Know what type of practice you work best in, decide what type of community will meet your needs and then set realistic financial expectations.  Not one aspect is more important than another and confidence and certainty in all of these areas will best prepare you for your interviews.  You do not sit for an exam without studying so do not go out and make one of the most important decisions of your life, without first doing your homework.  You will reap the rewards in the end if you take the time now to focus on your destiny.

Know What You Want in a Community

Every community in America needs a physician and communities come in all shapes and sizes.  Your options are vast.  Study the various types of communities and what each can offer you and your family.  Learn the differences in income from a small, rural community to a major metropolitan area. Then decide what amenities you truly need in a community to be happy.  If you move to a place that does not meet your needs, you may end up making a lot of money, but your time there will be short-lived.  You do not want to move your family from place to place searching for happiness.

Location and income go hand in hand.  What you expect to earn will adjust depending on where you want to live.  Physicians in general can expect a much higher salary in rural areas than in metropolitan areas.  Rural hospitals and groups are willing and able to pay more to fill their positions because there are grants and government funding in place to help them meet the needs of their community.  Their residents may not have the time or the means to drive two hours to get medical care.  They need physicians who are in practice to serve them – physicians who know their name and their history.

Know What You Want in your Practice

Consider things like who and what type of physicians you want to work with, how many patients you want to see each day, and how much of the business function you want to take on.  Know your strengths and evaluate your skills versus your preferences.  You may have broad experience in your specialty but have a strong passion for one area in which you want to focus your practice.  Find out if there is a market for that and what areas are best for you to pursue that passion.  Evaluate your work habits. Do you work better in a team or solo?

Will this new job and location meet the needs of your family and lifestyle?  Will the salary be enough to sustain that lifestyle?  Will the practice and environment be compatible with your personality?  By knowing what you are good at and what your priorities are, you can focus on communities that meet your standards while working in a practice that allows you to fulfill your potential.

Know What They Want

When you go in for an interview, be prepared to talk about yourself and your ambitions.  The recruiter will want to know why you decided to go into medicine and where you attended medical school.  They will also be interested in knowing why you want to work for them and what you like most about their community.  This is why it’s good to have long-term goals in mind when choosing your job.  The organization that hires you will want to be confident that you are planning to settle into their community and practice there for many years to come.  Your future goals and ambitions will interest the recruiter just as much as your professional strengths.

What they want to know is that you know what you want and you have found it in their community!  The choice is yours of whether you are going to be a miserable physician or a proud physician.  Work hard to discover what you want and go after it.  You deserve to be proud.

eMatchPhysicians is the only website that offers practice and community matching, by match percentage.  Do your homework on the eMatchPhysicians website for free by viewing colorful profiles detailing each community and the financials associated with each position.   We can help you find that right practice and the right place while still maintaining your busy schedule.   Begin the matching process today! »

This is part Two of our Physician Shortage series. In Part One we explored the studies proving that there is, indeed, a physician shortage, and some of the factors that led to it. Our main focus in this part of the series is dealing with the realities of recruiting in a physician shortage.

By now you’ve probably shown your colleagues the statistics and studies proving that there is, indeed, a physician shortage. Some organization management does not like to accept this view as it does inconvenience them financially and otherwise. However, if managed correctly, a physician shortage is an opportunity rather than a challenge.

Find Your Weak Spots and Work on Them

Whether you do it through internet research, querying colleagues, or doing formal market research, find out what the buzz is about your organization from both patients and doctors. Are you perceived as being excellent at some things and not-so-great at others? Physicians, particularly those who are very career-minded, care a great deal about the reputation of the organization that is hiring them and will check you out with their colleagues before ever going for an interview. Try to find out what they will be told and work on any perceived weaknesses that you may have. This will not only have the pleasant effect of attracting doctors to your organization, but it will filter down into patient satisfaction as well.

Review Pay Packages

While you are doing your research on your own reputation, research competitive pay for all new physicians. It will not matter how sterling of a reputation you have if you come to the table with a seriously low offer. Make sure that benefits are also up to snuff – physicians expect a good benefits package and don’t take well to skimping in that area to save in others.

Speak To Your Audience

If you are targeting a younger physician, you should be prepared to offer flex time, added benefits, and other perks that would not have been negotiable even five years ago. Those just coming out of residency work just as hard as their predecessors, if not harder, but expect to be able to take off time from work if needed without penalties and have flexible hours. What’s more, these new doctors will shop around for an organization that will give this to them. If your organization is an early adopter of such items as flex time, you’ll attract fresh young talent in droves.

Retain Who You Have

Set up quarterly appointments with your physicians to listen to what they want in their job. In situ employees don’t tend to make too many demands, but you should stand up and take notice of the things that they do ask for. If repeated demands are ignored, they may start looking somewhere else. Also, make sure that anything that you have implemented for new hires, such as flex time, is an organization-wide perk. Nothing makes your current employees more angry than concessions that you give to new hires but not to the rest of the group.

Look at Malpractice Premiums

If you are in an area with high malpractice premiums, explore ways that you can help offset the cost for your hires and current employees. This one one of the top reasons cited to change jobs among physicians in the US.

The health care reforms present in the economic stimulus bills met with praise from Jeffrey P. Harris, MD, FACP and president of the American College of Physicians. He had some advice for House and Senate negotiators who are currently trying to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the economic stimulus package.

He is asking Congress to retain the $600 million in funding that is currently present in the House version of the bill for training of primary care physicians under the Title VII and National Health Services Corps programs. The Senate “regrettably left funding out of its bill” according to Dr. Harris. The country needs 16,000 physicians to even out care standards in underserved portions of the country, physicians that could be paid for with this funding. This funding is of particular interest to any hiring organization as it may facilitate hiring of these doctors where they are most needed.

He asked the government to retain $20 billion in funding to improve health care information and records and access to the same, with a longer wait time for adoption of these measures for smaller physician practices which was spelled out in the House bill but not the Senate bill.

He also notes that the House version of the bill contained higher subsidies to COBRA for lower-income unemployed persons (65%) over the Senate version of the bill (50%). He stated that persons who lost their jobs temporarily should also be included in such subsidy programs. “Some say that Congress must choose between short-term measures to stimulate the economy and longer-term health care reforms. This is a false choice,” said Dr. Harris. “We need to make sure that people who lose their jobs are able to obtain affordable coverage. We need to make the investments in health information technology, primary care, and effectiveness research that that will create jobs today – and make health care more affordable tomorrow.”

Due to the overwhelming need for physicians, physician recruiters 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 physicians who also have those same cultural interests, resulting in a long-term fit.  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 there are negative aspects about your city or town and this has been a problem for physician recruitment in the past, overcome the physician objectives in advance by being honest and upfront on the phone prior to a physician interview.  Accentuate the positives and simply mention the negatives.  This way there are no surprises when the physician arrives for their interview.  Paint a picture of the community over the phone and set expectations low so that physicians are pleasently surprised upon arrival.       

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 advertisements or on the phone, early on in the interview process, they will respond positively to your transparency and be quick to apply and set an interview date.

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 physician jobs section of your website. 

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