A private group of orthopedic clinics and outpatient surgery centers with locations throughout Georgia needed to quickly recruit a family medicine physician in order to meet increasing patient demand. On December 1, 2020, Jackson Physician Search Senior Search Consultant Ross Hegenwald was selected to lead the charge.
With the holidays fast approaching and determined to meet the group’s sense of urgency, he immediately conducted a site visit to gather all the details he would need to find a physician who not only met the qualifications but would fit in with the group. Hiring for cultural fit is imperative with any search as long-term physician retention begins with a doctor whose beliefs align closely with the organization.
“Strong Interest” from the Start
Less than 48-hours after our partnership commenced, our 100% digital sourcing process was put into action. The physician job description was published on several physician job boards, on physician-forward social network Doximity, and distributed via email to our robust database of physicians. A few days later, Ross received an email from Dr. P with the subject line, “Strong Interest.”
In the email, Dr. P explained that he was finishing up a sports medicine fellowship in Savannah, Georgia. He had seen the physician job description posted online and wanted to learn more. Ross called him that very night and it was during this conversation that Ross said his intuition kicked in. He listened carefully to everything Dr. P was looking for, and Ross immediately knew the position would check all of those boxes. Likewise, Dr. P appeared to be everything the client wanted.
“Sometimes your intuition just kicks in. I had a really good feeling that this was going to happen.”
– Ross Hegenwald, Senior Search Consultant
Ross passed along Dr. P’s information to the client immediately, and the practice manager called him the next day. Ross appreciated the quick response. “Timely communication is so critical in placing physicians,” he said. They were off to a great start.
A Perfect Match
Despite the sports medicine requirement, the job would not largely involve the treatment of athletes. Most of the clinic’s patients suffered from chronic pain, so the new physician would spend a majority of time administering injections. What could have been a turn off for some applicants was exactly what Dr. P was hoping to find. The impressive base salary – with a productivity-based option for more – was certainly attractive, but it was clear to Ross that Dr. P’s interest was about more than money. The specifics of this particular job in an Atlanta-area location made the position exactly what Dr. P wanted.
With this confirmed, the next step would be to find out if Ross’s instincts were right. Would the client like Dr. P as much as he suspected they would? After several productive conversations with the partners, Dr. P’s on-site interview was scheduled for December 21st.
As Ross knew they would, Dr. P and the partners hit it off. The exceptional on-site interview and facility tour confirmed for Dr. P that the job was everything he was looking for, and Dr. P’s enthusiasm for the work, coupled with his down-to-earth manner, made him a great cultural fit for the group.
They extended an offer on January 1st – just one month from the date of search initiation.
The Importance of Timing and Intuition in Physician Recruiting
Ross attributes the quick success to the transparent and timely communication between everyone involved. Dr. P sent an email to Ross as soon as he saw the job description online. Ross called Dr. P on a Friday night and immediately had a good feeling about him. The client called the very next day, a Saturday, and set up additional calls with the partners. All parties were motivated to keep the process moving and respectful of each other’s time. Physician recruiting is competitive and a strong recruitment partnership often requires going above and beyond, which is why it was so pivotal that both Ross and the practice manager worked beyond standard business hours to reach Dr. P.
The speed at which Ross was able to find and present a strong candidate impressed the client, and as a mark of their confidence, they’ve asked Jackson Physician Search to lead searches at two additional locations.
Recruiting physicians isn’t an exact science. Certainly, there are necessary steps involved – crafting a job description, advertising the position, broadcasting the need to an existing network – but so many other factors come into play. Timing obviously matters – is the time right for the physician to make a move? Can the clinic wait for the right physician to finish a fellowship? But the timing of communication is also critical. In the competitive physician market, everyone involved in the recruitment process must be willing to work together and act quickly.
If your physician recruitment efforts have stalled and you’re not sure why, perhaps it’s time to trust the timing and intuition of a physician recruitment firm with proven success. The team at Jackson Physician Search is ready to help you find your perfect match. Contact us today.
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