Search Consultant Bennett Dorion showcased the unparalleled access to top candidates that a physician recruitment partner provides when he found the mission-minded family medicine physician that a post-acute care practice in rural Idaho was looking for in just 38 days, leveraging Doximity for success.
As the population of Americans over the age of 65 is expected to double from 52 million in 2025 to 95 million in 2060, the market for post-acute geriatric care is growing rapidly. Meanwhile, there’s a significant shortage of physicians performing post-acute care, particularly affecting rural areas.
That makes it both an exciting and challenging time to be the owner and director of a post-acute care practice in Idaho. On one hand, the business has been extremely successful. Founded in 2020, it’s already the dominant provider in the area, serving 45 clinics, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities around the state. However, good help is hard to find in rural Idaho.
So, how did Bennett Dorion, Search Consultant at Jackson Physician Search, place an experienced, caring, and compassionate family medicine physician with a passion for rural healthcare in only 38 days? With trust, transparency, and an open mind.
When Frontier Spirit Meets Phone-a-Friend
Initially, the Director of Operations — a plucky woman who embodies the resilience and can-do attitude that personifies the American West — started the search on her own. She was looking for a family medicine physician to tend to patients in Lake Coeur d’Alene or Lewiston, a city in the Idaho panhandle that is the gateway to the scenic Lewis-Clark Valley, a mecca for outdoor recreation that is home to 34,000 people. With both areas’ stunning beauty, she was optimistic that physicians would be interested in the communities and the opportunity to be part of a successful, growing practice with a warm, collegial culture and a 9-5 schedule.
Unfortunately, both were proving to be a hard sell. When she got a call from Bennett, she was happy to hear from him. She could really use the help and had enjoyed working with him on a previous search.
An Alchemy of Chemistry and Doximity
Bennett was excited to get started. He logged into Doximity, the largest community of healthcare professionals in the country. As the only firm to have every recruiter licensed to use and certified by Doximity, he knew it was a great place to connect with qualified physicians — even those not actively looking for a new role. Bennett took advantage of the practice’s proximity to Washington State to expand his slate of candidates. Using Doximity’s specialized filters, he was able to target his search to area physicians specializing in family medicine, geriatrics, and rural healthcare in both Washington and Idaho. The result returned several promising profiles, full of important details that he was able to use to craft a compelling pitch, focusing on the Lake Coeur d’Alene opening.
Bennett sent personalized emails to his refined list of candidates, one of whom was Dr. P. While Dr. P was not necessarily looking for a new role, she was active on Doximity and open to a new adventure. When she saw the details about the mission-minded, patient-centered culture, she promptly responded to learn more.
Looking Past the CV to See the Soul
It only took a few minutes talking to Dr. P to convince Bennett that she was the perfect physician for the organization. She had experience with a wide variety of patient populations, and her top priority was caring for underserved communities that needed her the most. Hearing this, Bennett decided to propose the Lewiston location, even though Dr. P had reached out about the Lake Coeur d’Alene opportunity. It was an immediate hit.
There was one challenge, though. For the past 25 years, Dr. P had worked exclusively as a locum tenens physician, which meant she didn’t have an established history with any practice — something prospective employers seeking a permanent physician might view as a red flag. Luckily, the green flags were everywhere. Dr. P was a doctor who was dedicated to providing patient-centered care, who believed in the importance of rural medicine, and who had experience — and love for — working with geriatric patients. She was genuine and forthcoming about her previous experience and what she was looking for, and she even loved the idea of living in Lewiston.
As expected, the Director of Operations was skeptical about her resume and told Bennett to keep looking. Still, Bennett trusted his gut, urging her to give Dr. P a shot. Despite her uncertainty, the Director of Operations both liked and trusted Bennett, so she agreed to have a conversation with Dr. P, which ended with an enthusiastic invitation to an on-site interview.
Candor Is Key for Out-of-Site On-Site
Before the Director of Operations began the office tour and made introductions to the team, she thoroughly briefed Dr. P about what to expect from the job — both the positives and the negatives — as well as a candid background on everyone she would meet that day. Transparency was an important value for both her and the culture of the practice overall, and she wanted to ensure that everyone enjoys both being at work and working together over the long term.
As it turns out, approaching the on-site with openness and compassion was essential to convincing Dr. P that this was a place where she would work alongside people who genuinely cared about her, and where she could bring her authentic self to the office.
Meeting the rest of the team reinforced everything that the Director of Operations had shared about the practice. Knowing what to expect from the job and the colleagues she met that day put Dr. P at ease and allowed her to ask the questions that were important to her, which made the visit a success. When the day ended in hugs, the stage was set for a smooth negotiation.
The Sweet Spot
This 38-day success story proves that sometimes the best matches happen when you look beyond the obvious candidates. Bennett’s advocacy for Dr. P, combined with the practice’s commitment to transparency and authenticity, created the perfect conditions for a placement that works for everyone. In a world where rural healthcare faces mounting challenges, finding physicians who are genuinely passionate about serving these communities — and practices brave enough to see past unconventional resumes — makes all the difference.
If your organization is searching for a physician, the recruitment team at Jackson Physician Search has both the national reach and regional expertise you need to find and connect with the most qualified candidates from all over the country. Reach out today to learn more.
