eMatchPhysicians is happy to report a positive trend in physician recruitment. According to Physician News Digest, first year enrollments in medical schools nationwide rose by 2 percent over 2008 to 18,400 students. While this looks good for the future in seeing more doctors, the same students may also face a shortage of residency training positions once they graduate.

This includes data from four brand new medical schools, which are:

- Texas Tech’s University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of  Medicine
- FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
- The Commonwealth Medical College
- University of Central Florida College of Medicine

These four centers account for half of the enrollment increase numbers. 12 existing medical schools expanded their class sizes by 7 percent or more for the 2009 season.

The recession does not appear to be having an effect on the number of enrollments in medical schools, according to the data which was provided by the American Association of Medical Colleges.

For more information please visit the online edition of Physicians News Digest.

In California and Texas, hospitals cannot hire physicians directly under state law. The law was originally intended to protect patient choice, but it is swiftly turning into a factor in underemployment of physicians at rural hospitals in these states. Without the ability to hire, hospitals don’t actively recruit. Without the active recruitment, rural areas suffer since the benefits of living in such an area can’t be advertised.

Rural communities, regardless of the state they are in, typically lose doctors to metropolitan areas for many reasons. More money, more culture, and a perceived higher standard of living usually draw younger doctors just out of med school. In California and Texas, add the lack of recruitment and the ability to offer employer incentives to the mix and the result may be disastrous to the future in reducing patient access to care.
California hematologist and oncologist John Rochat, MD, is employed by Mendocino Coast District Hospital. He was hired through a 2003 pilot project and he argues in this article that being employed by the hospital does not interfere with his rights as a physician. He also argues that he cannot stock necessary chemotherapy drugs without the support of the hospital.

While it is all very well and good to suggest new legislation that allows employment of doctors by hospitals in these states, the question remains of how these hospitals can recruit until then. Recruitment can be done effectively and inexpensively online through job matching services tailored to physicians, such as eMatch Physicians. Even if they are not employing them directly as hires, such inexpensive means can be used to at least advertise that they do, indeed, need physicians to staff their hospitals. Rural locations in both California and Texas may appeal to the older physician with a family that wants to be home more, and these points can be sold on such a service.

In a recent study of 20 healthcare workers conducted at Roudebush VA Medical Center, researchers found that pen and paper workarounds to electronic medical records (EMR) actually improved the efficiency of the work being conducted. The most frequently cited reason for the 125 incidents of paper use was efficiency and ease of use. A computer can’t be with the healthcare worker at all times, so jotted notes usually substitute until they can make it back to a terminal.

While EMR’s and their availability will no doubt make the national healthcare system more efficient in terms of reporting and improving patient care through access to records from other physicians, at a microcosmic level individual work is enhanced by pen and paper use. The most important thing is that the pen and paper workarounds are teed up later with the electronic record, as a failure to do this may lead to serious mistakes in the EMR.

One of the items labeled as useful in the study was the issuance of pink index cards to patients admitted with high blood pressure, which were then passed on to the physician. This offered an expedient visual clue as to the state of the patient and the information was later entered into their EMR.

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.

Experts believe that we are facing a physician shortage over the next 15 years. One study in particular was published by Edward Salsberg, a respected specialist in issues related to the physician workforce. It states that there will be a shortage of 200,000 physicians by the year 2020 if current trends continue in the health care marketplace. This study effectively ended the arguments of those who were arguing that there was a physician surplus.

Most notably, The Council on Graduate Medical Education endorsed the Salsberg report in 2003. This council of healthcare experts reports to Congress on issues that effect healthcare on a regular basis. The AMA has also abandoned its position that there is a surplus of physicians.

Now that everyone agrees on the fact that there will be a physician shortage, the question is exactly what to do about it. 85% of hospital organizations report that they are actively recruiting physicians, something that the remaining 15% probably want to consider doing as well. The shortage has changed how health care human resources departments do business. Where in the past the assumption was that you were lucky to get a job as a physician, the skew is now towards the need to attract physicians to your organization.

The sooner your organization department jumps on the need to recruit, the better off you will be. In the coming years, other health care organizations will be stepping up recruitment efforts and if you aren’t careful, your organization will be left behind. There is still a battle raging in many health care boardrooms over whether or not there is a physician shortage, mostly because it is easier to be a buyer in a buyer’s market than it is to be a seller. If you have colleagues that still maintain that there is a surplus of physicians, present them with the relevant studies that have made the AMA and COGME change their minds in order to get them on to the same page.

Some key reasons that there is a physician shortage are:

-Population Growth
-Aging Population
-Economic Factors
-Dimishing Supply through attrition and fewer new entrants
-More temporary physicians

There are more that are referenced in the study, but these are some of the major factors that are contributing to the shortage.

New Technologies

eMatchPhysicians and other new technologies can keep your organization on the leading edge of recruitment. eMatchPhysicians can deliver potential candidates to your inbox while you attend the other duties that we all know are filling your schedule. You may also want to consider technologies that allow you to interview candidates remotely through videoconferencing such as GoToMeeting.com and Skype. Many candidates may not be willing to travel to every opportunity they hear about, but they may be willing to entertain more opportunities through video conferencing. Then if they do choose to visit, you will already have established a strong, genuine interest.

In 2008, residency programs were changed to limit residency hours so that residents wouldn’t be made to work shifts that are longer than 16 hours without sleep, and various other changes designed to maintain the health and quality of life of medical residents. However, according to a new study just put out by the New England Journal of Medicine, these changes will cost the health care industry roughly $1.8 billion.

The facts that the study is based on are the costs of hiring replacement workers for those hours. This is good or bad news depending on what side of the industry you are on – if you are in a medical profession, there is bound to be more work for you at the entry level. If you are a health care organization of any kind, you are probably already experiencing the manpower dent that these regulations have made.

There are also debates about patient safety if they are being handed off between doctors and residents. This is an issue that is likely to resolve itself when mandated EHR’s come into existence over the course of the next few years. For the time being, the general consensus is that a patient would prefer a well-rested resident to one who hasn’t had any sleep in the last day.

In Part One of our series we suggested that you sell your region, sell your strengths and be honest about time requirements.  Gear up for the next installment of creative ideas for your physician recruitment team to get physicians knocking on your door!

Use the Internet

Pay a web design company or your in-house team to develop a mini-site for physician recruitment that sells the benefits of your community and your organization.  Make sure that the site address is included in all of your recruitment literature.  Include links to Arts organizations and other features of interest in your town.  Talk to a few of your staff physicians and see what kinds of social activities they enjoy – then post the results as a testimonial on your new site.  New physicians are extremely web-savvy and will want to see this information, particularly if they are coming from out-of-town. 

Advertise Out of Town

If you are in a small city or town, advertise in a newspaper or magazine that is circulated in one or two of the larger cities in your state.  You’ll catch the attention of students looking to graduate shortly and doctors who are currently working burnout hours at city institutions.  If you are trying to recruit for an institute in a larger city, advertise in larger cities out of state – physicians there may be looking for a change of scenery and your ad may prompt them to pick up the phone. 

Offer Signing Bonuses

If you are having chronic problems attracting new physicians to your practice for whatever reason, consider signing bonuses.  Anyone in a medical profession is generally paying off a hefty student loan that most would like to knock down as quickly as possible, particularly in tougher economic times.  Signing bonuses can differ depending on the exact specialty or profession, so consult with the relevant professional association to determine what your bonus should be. 

Signing bonuses are not a first resort.  You should be trying all of the tricks in your bag before offering signing bonuses.  While they are a great enticement for a new employee, they are temporary in nature and won’t reduce your turnover.  You will also want to tailor bonuses to the length of the contract – small bonuses for a one year contract, larger bonuses for a two year.

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,

Stop searching for physicians to fill your physician jobs and start interviewing!  eMatchPhysicians.com helps simplify the physician recruitment process by using a comprehensive matching profile that matches potential candidates based on various lifestyle and practice preferences.

Hospitals and medical groups often turn to outside recruitment firms when they have a difficult search or time-intensive need and this can become rather costly. eMatchPhysicians has taken a new approach to the way recruitment is handled. One recruiter can work tirelessly learning about your available practice, initiating all advertisement efforts and finally speaking with as many candidates as possible to find the perfect, long-term fit. Our aim is to reduce this timely process and also reduce human error, for a fraction of the cost!

Watch this interactive video that explains how eMatchPhysicians.com can help save you and time and money by finding the perfect candidate to fill your next physician job opportunity.

Register now and start focusing on the most important aspects of your search: interviews, negotiations and personal touch!

Thank you for visiting eMatchPhysicians.com.

As of August 15th, 2008, we launched the site to offer the most comprehensive physician matching service connecting physicians seeking employment with hiring organizations and physician recruiters.

We are currently in BETA, and are offering an introductory FREE TRIAL offer to any hiring organizations that would like to sign up and list any physician job openings. This offer is currently being extended until October 15th. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of our introductory offer, because after October 15th, the retail price for membership will be $500.

To complete your registration, click here.

If you have any questions about how eMatchPhysicians.com works, please contact us at (949) 215-0501 or email us at support@ematchphysicians.com.