Our Blog

Recruiting physicians for groups, hospitals, and medical facilities in small rural towns can be challenging. Standard job ads with generic details will not work when trying to sell a physician or advanced practitioner on a rural position. Selling your position to candidates is going to take a lot more work, so if you’re struggling to find physicians or advanced practitioners, you should be looking at the following:

Evaluate What You’re Offering

How does your position stand out from the others in neighboring areas? Are you offering compensation, perks and/or a benefits package that would entice physicians or advanced practitioners? Offering “carrots” such as sign-on bonuses, relocation packages, loan repayments, stipends, partnership tracks, flexible scheduling, and professional development can all help in making your ad stand out.

Market the Community

Whether through videos or photos, show the prospective candidates what it’s like to live in the community that they will be working in. Words can only describe a community so much, but by adding video or photos, you can give prospective candidates an idea of the culture, what the community events are like, available recreational activities, the neighborhoods, and the schools.

Sell the Practice

One of the best ways for a prospective candidate to get an idea of what it is like to work at your practice or hospital is to have them speak with one of the current physicians or advanced practitioners. By having an “ambassador,” you ensure that the physicians or advanced practitioners you’re trying to market the practice to get a positive and detailed idea of what day-to-day life is like working with your healthcare team.

Outreach to Residency/Fellowship Programs

Marketing your jobs outside of your database of candidates can be tough. You need to be able to reach candidates that are currently training in and around your state so that you can have a strong referral source. Reaching out to program directors, through call or email, is a great way to get your job in front of thousands of candidates that may not be in your database yet.

Research

Look into rural health organizations that will educate you on programs, trends, or ideas that can assist in the recruitment of physicians and advanced practitioners for your rural healthcare jobs. Check out the National Rural Health Association for that information!

Visa Candidates

One of the other areas your facility or group should investigate is if you can employ H1 or J1 visa candidates. Many times, facilities do not realize that they are able to accept visa candidates. You can do this by going to the Health Resources & Services Administration website to see if you’re in a shortage area, and if you are, then visit Conrad30.com to see your state’s deadlines, practice areas, requirements, and number of waivers remaining. If the process seems overwhelming, immigration lawyers like Siskind Susser PC are a great resource.

Partner with an Experienced Recruitment Firm

We know recruiting physicians and advanced practitioners to work in a rural health setting can be time-consuming and that you may not have the resources to reach the right candidates. This is why partnering with an experienced recruitment firm like Enterprise Medical Recruiting can help you market your job to a larger population in a more cost-effective way, so that you’re spending time interviewing qualified candidates while we do the legwork.