I don’t often quote founders of Western philosophy, but I ran across a saying by the great Socrates that I believe is very pertinent to the physician recruitment landscape today. 

<p>
  I don&rsquo;t often quote founders of Western philosophy, but I ran across a
  saying by the great Socrates that I believe is very pertinent to the physician
  recruitment landscape today. Socrates stated, &ldquo;the way to gain a good
  reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.&rdquo; What does
  this have to do with recruiting physicians? Lots. Let me explain.
</p>

<p>
  Anyone who is tasked with finding, attracting and hiring physician talent in
  today&rsquo;s market knows it&rsquo;s competitive. In fact, with 76 percent of
  residents receiving
  <a
    href="https://www.scribd.com/document/359319085/Mha-2017-Resident-Survey-PDF"
    >50 or more job solicitations</a
  >
  during medical training, and 55 percent receiving 100 or more, it&rsquo;s
  quite literally a war. So, how can healthcare employers win this war for
  physician hires? There are lots of ways, but it begins with self-awareness.
</p>

<h2>What does your organization have to offer?</h2>

<p>
  In order to build a reputation as an employer of choice, you must first know
  what you truly can offer physician candidates. We know from our years of
  experience recruiting physicians, and from third-party
  <a href="https://www.themedicusfirm.com/physician/annual-practice-survey/"
    >research</a
  >, that practicing physicians and those still in training rank
  income/financial rewards, geographic location and schedule/call/work hours as
  the top three deciding factors in choosing practice opportunities.
</p>

<p>
  But what if your organization can&rsquo;t compete when it comes to these
  factors? For example, for hospitals in rural settings the promise of an
  alluring location may be hard to sell. Or, for academic hospitals, the ability
  to offer candidates salaries in the top brackets of the MGMA salary survey may
  not be in the cards. These situations aren&rsquo;t necessarily deal breakers
  in your ability to lure candidates but knowing and accepting the situation is
  what&rsquo;s vital.
</p>

<p>
  Once you are aware of your potential shortcomings in the eyes of candidates,
  your next step is to identify what you DO have to offer. If your location is
  not highly competitive, are you able to offer a great salary? Or, do you offer
  candidates more flexible work schedules? Can you sell a better quality
  of life? If you can&rsquo;t compete on salary, location or schedule, find
  other factors that make you stand out &ndash; maybe your facility is a leading
  adopter of innovative technologies or clinical trials, or maybe your benefits
  package is among the best in the region. Or, maybe your culture and teamwork
  make for a tremendous work environment. The point is, know what you
  can&rsquo;t offer, identify what you can offer and then turn your attention to
  driving that home in candidate recruitment efforts. Build the message, hone
  the message, then share the message.
</p>

<h2>Endeavor to be what you desire to appear</h2>

<p>
  Getting back to Socrates&rsquo; words of wisdom, once you know what you can
  hang your employer reputation hat on, endeavor to live and breathe it
  throughout every aspect of your candidate recruitment. If a flexible work
  schedule and work/life balance is what you can offer physicians, have the
  candidate meet with physician staff who can espouse on the benefits of the
  work culture. If your organization sits in one of the most desirable places to
  live in the U.S., be sure that every interviewer reinforces the many benefits
  of your location.
</p>

<p>
  These are just a few examples of how you can walk the walk when it comes to
  promoting your value as an employer. In part two of this series, I will
  address the importance of market awareness when recruiting hard-to-find
  clinician talent.
</p>

<p>
  Please <a href="https://www.cejkasearch.com/contact-us">contact us</a
  > to learn more about how Cejka Search can help you design your
  winning strategy.
</p>


Blueprint for Modern Physician Recruitment 4-Part Series Part One: Importance of Self-Awareness