Physician recruiting is a fact of life for any medical practice. Whether it’s replacing a retiring doctor or adding a new physician to a busy practice, hiring is inevitable and the stakes can be high. Hiring a new physician is a huge undertaking which will have a lasting impact on your practice. While it can take a lot of time and a lot of expense, it’s worth the investment. Keep reading for some tips to make it a little less stressful.
Have a strategy in place.
When your practice decided that it was time to hire a new physician, you probably discussed the skills you wanted this person to bring to your practice. For example, you may have decided that your practice needed a physician with expertise in rheumatology or a background in geriatrics. Or you maybe you wanted someone who spoke another language that also is an expert with social media. Turn these skills that you are all looking for into skills that you must have. Put together a strategy along with the other people in your practice that includes a prioritized list of what you want this new physician to bring to the table.
Thoroughly evaluate resumes.
Look over even the best resumes with a fine toothed comb. Pay attention to the details. Is there a consistent work history? Are there gaps in education or work history that need to be reviewed? Are there numerous, short-term work episodes? If this is what you are looking for from a physician, this may be entirely acceptable. However, if you are looking for a long-term hire, you may want to put this candidate to the bottom of the pile. Keep your priorities in mind as you look through the resumes.
Utilize those references.
Former coworkers, previous employers, family and friends can give you great insight into your potential hires. Obtain references from partners and supervising physicians, but also consider other sources that will give you a deeper look into who these people really are.
Start with a telephone interview.
Medical offices are busy and the interviewees are busy. Don’t jump into overly long face-to-face interviews. Start with something more casual and comfortable such as phone interviews. Telephone interviews enable you to gather information beyond the resume without completely diving in. Start evaluating each person from the onset of the call. Once you’ve gathered information from the telephone interviews, select five or six candidates that are the most suitable. Once you have narrowed it down, invite them to the office for face-to-face interviews.
Selecting the right physician for your practice is not easy, and there’s always an element of the unknown. However, you can increase your chances for success by evaluating each candidate in correlation to the needs of your practice. We hope these tips help ease you through the hiring process and make it a little easier. If you have any ideas to add to this list, let us know on our Facebook page!
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