Every day on her way to work at the Jackson Physician Search Dallas office, Director of Physician Recruiting Tonya Hamlin passes by the new tower being built for a hospital that happens to be one of her ongoing clients. Over the past year, she’s been speaking with candidates for this client and simultaneously watching the development of the tower, allowing her to share the building’s beauty as construction progresses.
“The idea of working in a brand new building is appealing to candidates,” says Tonya. “And because I live here in Dallas, I can tell them firsthand what I see as the building goes up. I can also help them understand the different parts of town and where they might want to live in terms of traffic and access to the hospital and other parts of town. I know and love Dallas, and I think that comes through when recruiting physicians to the area.”
Tonya demonstrates the advantages her Texas clients gain by working with her and the Jackson Physician Search Texas office. Having spent years recruiting physicians to Texas healthcare facilities, she understands the state’s unique market and can quickly identify physicians most likely to find long-term success there. Her state pride shines through whenever she speaks with candidates, though she is also transparent about the challenges of living in some areas. Tonya paints a realistic picture of life in Texas for potential candidates, which physicians appreciate. Her clients also enjoy that she is easily accessible for face-to-face meetings when needed. She can hop in the car to visit local sites, and direct flights from Dallas are readily available for those farther than a few hours’ drive.
So, does it really matter where a physician recruitment partner is based? The current popularity of remote work and telework might make you think geography is less relevant to business partners. It is true that the work of physician recruitment can be done from anywhere, and it is important to work with a partner that has established connections nationally, not just in one region. However, a recruiter who lives and works in your region will be more likely to understand and react to the nuances of your market, communicate the area’s appeal to candidates authentically, and be available when and where you need to connect. Keep reading to explore the advantages of working with a physician recruitment partner that has both national reach and regional expertise.
Regional Physician Recruitment Advantage #1: Market Expertise
Working with a physician recruitment partner in your region ensures your recruiter knows exactly how to attract and retain physicians nationwide to your specific area. When a recruiter is exclusively focused on recruiting physicians to one region, he or she becomes an expert on that market in terms of what employers are offering in the area and what physicians expect.
In a recent physician search in rural Nebraska, Senior Search Consultant Evan Kaspar was able to present his client with real-time data on signing bonuses offered by rural organizations in the same market. From his own experience in the market, he knew precisely how much was needed to make an impact. The client trusted Evan’s expertise and moved forward with a bonus in line with Evan’s recommendation. As a result, the position quickly had multiple applicants.
Takeaway: The physician recruiters at Jackson Physician Search are constantly communicating with healthcare administrators in their regions as well as physicians working or seeking work in their specific areas. This gives each recruiter a finger on the market’s pulse, which he or she can then leverage to help clients make the right offer to the best candidate.
Regional Physician Recruitment Advantage #2: Regional Pride
When recruiting physicians to a new area, no one sells an opportunity better than a recruiter who loves and lives in the area he or she is recruiting for.
Senior Director of Recruiting Carly Clem demonstrates this truth in her 11-year partnership with a hospital client out of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Not only does she visit the facility several times a year, but she also previously lived in the area. Having firsthand knowledge of the city, Carly can reliably describe what it’s like to live there. This is especially helpful because, while the client has built up a strong employer brand locally, physicians coming out of residency are typically unfamiliar with the facility and its location. Carly’s genuine depiction of the area and its amenities often makes candidates more inclined to visit.
Takeaway: While not every recruiter will have direct ties to a client’s location, residing in the same region establishes common ground and ensures an appreciation of both the rewards and challenges of a given location.
Regional Physician Recruitment Advantage #3: Ease of Access
Helen Falkner, Regional Vice President of Recruiting for the Jackson Physician Search Western Division, is based in Denver, where she manages a team of recruiters who also live in the area. They work with clients all over the region that often face similar recruitment challenges, so she and her team have become experts in the market, which clients value. Helen notes that clients also appreciate that she can hop on a direct flight to reach most of her clients.
“If we were working out of the Jackson Physician Search headquarters in Atlanta, traveling to some of our Western clients would require a full day of travel and multiple flights. But from Denver, we have many clients within a few hours’ drive or accessible by a direct flight,” Helen explains. “Being in the same time zone as most of our clients is also helpful in terms of scheduling calls and meetings.”
Takeaway: Working with a regional recruitment partner makes scheduling calls and in-person meetings easier and reduces travel costs.
National Reach, Regional Expertise
As noted earlier, it is critical that a physician recruitment partner has a reputation nationally and the tools to source candidates from all over the country. A quality partner has the ability to reach active and passive candidates nationwide; however, they should also have expertise in your given market. That is, they understand the specific challenges organizations in the region face and know what it takes to attract candidates to jobs there. Their enthusiasm for living in the region shines through with candidates, and they are easily accessible for calls and client meetings. For these reasons, working with a nationally backed, regional recruitment partner will best position healthcare organizations for physician recruitment success.
If your organization needs a partner with both national reach and regional expertise, reach out to the Jackson Physician Search recruitment team today.