Pinnacle Health Group (PHG), a 15-year physician recruitment firm, conducted a survey which was sent to 5,000 actively practicing physicians as well as 2009 residents and fellows between March and April 2010. The survey queried what physicians think of recruiters and asked if they had any advice on the subject.
When asked to describe a search firm recruiter, 54% of respondents compared them to salespeople who are ultimately just concerned about placing physicians to their assigned facility. 39% of the physicians commented that the recruiters they have worked with are too aggressive in selling them practice opportunities, and only 30% of surveyed doctors believe that they have more opportunities to offer.
A general surgeon remarked, “Variable quality and effectiveness is important for me. Most recruiters I worked with don’t listen well and are more interested in filling the vacancy. It seemed to me that they were really just looking to place a physician.” An Atlanta-based hospitalist said, “They often can’t answer specific questions about the placement, even simple, basic questions. They want a CV on file before they’ll even disclose what state the opportunity is in, and they will continue to call and e-mail even after having been asked not to do so.”
When asked to suggest how recruiters can build further rapport among physicians, a third replied that recruiters should get more personal and interested in the needs of physicians. Surveyed doctors also considered that the recruiting process should be more organized, educational and transparent.
A physician observed, “There are hospitals which constitute a very bad fit for a very good physician. Recruiting firms should screen for bad hospitals and refuse to represent them to good doctors. Savvy doctors do not relocate before testing the new practice. It doesn’t take long to discern a substandard operation, and it can be seen as early as the interview trip.”
Another doctor suggested, “Recruiters need to provide more realistic expectations to their clients, particularly those in private practice. It is simply unreasonable to expect doctors to invest large amounts of money for practice buy-ins. The sellers are often pricing themselves out of the market especially among oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Other professions provide paths to partnerships that do not encumber new associates or partners with extreme debt.”
PHG’s Chief Operating Officer Michael Broxterman relates, “It depends on who you are working with. The advantage with recruiters is that they increase the chances for physicians finding more opportunities and getting through a lot of red tape in a facility. They do the legwork and they have a larger network.” Cautionary tales among surveyed physicians included recruiters having a limited list of opportunities to draw from, which Broxterman furthers as “a sign that the firm you are working with is not as competitive and capable as they must be.”
“At Pinnacle,” Broxterman concludes, “We present doctors a realistic picture of the job. As a tenured company, we understand what matters most to physicians. Our approach is to ask the right questions, gain credibility, educate them on the process and ultimately address their needs. Our skills and experience are our best attributes. For instance, what may seem trivial or awkward questions can affect how they fit to the opportunity we are representing. Our diverse facilities enable the physicians we work with to choose where to practice. We don´t just sell practice opportunities. We get personal and consider the physician’s needs, along with our clients´.”
SURVEY RESULTS
| How would you describe a search firm physician recruiter? (Physicians were given the option to mark multiple choices.) |
||
| • | Appears as a real estate broker whose incentive / commission is based on matching you with their opportunity |
54% |
| • | Aggressive in selling you the opportunity | 39% |
| • | Proactive in matching the job with physician needs / parameters | 33% |
| • | Has more practice opportunities to offer | 30% |
| • | Has less information about the opportunity | 28% |
| • | Less forthcoming / proactive than in-house recruiters | 15% |
| • | More impartial in informing you about the pros and cons of the opportunity | 10% |
| • | More experienced than in-house recruiters | 8% |
| What qualities would you like to see in a search firm physician recruiter? | ||
| • | A well-organized, educational and transparent recruiting process | 30% |
| • | More interested in the physicians’ needs when filling the opportunity | 30% |
| • | Proactive and personal level of communication with physicians | 13% |
| • | Updated industry information physicians can use for their careers | 3% |
| • | Offers diverse, high-quality practice opportunities | 8% |
| • | Has free, value-added services such as CV-building and other tips | 8% |