What you need to know about recruiting passive physician candidates at healthcare conferences and trade shows.

By Craig Fowler, Senior Vice President Recruiting, Pinnacle Health Group

Building and actively nurturing a pipeline of physician candidates is the best antidote to both planned and unexpected turnover. However, with the physician shortage only worsening, that’s a tall order for recruiters. Tasked with filling open roles quickly, as well as planning for departures a year or more away, today’s most successful physician recruiters are committed to developing and executing a passive candidate recruiting strategy that delivers doctors on demand—or as close to it as possible.

Time is money when you have a physician vacancy.

The Association of Staff Physician Recruiters reported in 2016 that nearly 75 percent of healthcare organizations that responded to a survey conducted a search for a family medicine physician last year. Because these providers generate up to $1.5M in revenue per year, minimizing the number of days a position is vacant is optimal.

Depending on how long you have to hire, the difficulty of recruiting a particular specialty and the desirability of your location, building an active list of potential candidates requires multiple sources. And there are fewer better avenues than industry conferences and trade shows where you can begin to network with the best physicians.

With 80 percent of physicians planning to attend at least one medical conference a year according to Pharma Marketing News, recruiters have an excellent opportunity to meet physicians face-to-face. When the event is over, nurturing potential physician candidates who may not be ready to make a move, or whom you don’t yet need, can shorten the recruitment cycle considerably.

Four ways physician recruiters can build their candidate pipelines at healthcare events.

1. Download the attendee list prior to the show. You will want to do some pre-show research and put together a short list of who you’d like to meet. Think about the roles you need to fill right away or the specialties you struggle with most. Review and plan to attend the sessions that you think will provide good learning and networking opportunities. Plan to attend the social functions as well.
2. Network first. Recruit later. Conferences and trade shows are generally positive events where a great deal of learning, networking and fun is built into the agenda. When meeting potential candidates, treat it as an opportunity to make connections. What do they like to do? What are they passionate about? What are their personal and professional goals? Are they interested in making a change in the future? You might be surprised at how much people will share when guards are down. Regardless, the only commitment you should be asking for at this phase is to follow up after the show to discuss potential opportunities.
3. Ask for referrals. While you don’t want to approach these initial points of contact anything resembling a formal interview, it is more than okay to ask for referrals. After all, the best physicians network with those of their own caliber. You can simply ask if they know of anyone who may be a good fit for the role you have open, and if they would be willing to make an introduction. As all recruiters know, networking and referrals are far more effective than cold calls and direct mail.
4. Follow up within 24 hours of the event. You need to follow up directly with the physicians you met immediately after returning to your office. Connecting by LinkedIn, sending a personalized email or even making a phone call gives you an opportunity to begin exploring a candidate’s interest and cultural fit in your organization.

We’d like to offer one last piece of advice about incorporating conferences and trade shows into your formal physician recruitment strategy. Recruiting firms attend shows year-round both to find candidates and new clients. They have perfected the art of networking versus recruiting in these venues, so how you measure the value of this approach may need to be modified. These are professional events where physicians are committed to learning and networking. Seek first to gather names and interest in building a relationship. Then, if you’re able to advance the relationship to a phone interview or a site visit, you can consider it a success.

With the anticipated physician shortage expected to be between 61,700 and 94,700 physicians by the year 2025 according to a 2016 report released by the Association of American Medical Colleges and prepared by IHS, Inc., adding key industry events to your sourcing strategy is a cost-effective addition that could result in hires you might never have made if you relied only on more traditional recruiting tools like job boards, advertising and direct mail.

Pinnacle Health Group offers permanent physician search, Locum Tenens and advanced practice providers. Together, we’re committed to meeting your staffing needs. Call 800-492-7771 to learn more.