Building A New Recruiting Program

I have been a recruiter for 14 years and in my last two positions I have been tasked with building two physician recruitment programs from the ground up.  The trials and tribulations of building a physician recruitment program are many but the rewards are so fulfilling that you forget how you got there.  Like any project, the developer, creator, or designer goes through a process of giving life to something that did not exist before.

That process is guided by a few simple, yet very important principles.  Here are a few points to consider:

• Discover why a physician recruitment program makes sense for the organization
• Why now?
• What was done in the past?
• What worked and did not work before?
• Find out who the key stakeholders are
• Are they the right stakeholders?
• Are there additional ones?
• Discuss with the stakeholders what it will take to recruit successfully
• Organizational mobilization (everyone recruits)
• C-suite support (commitment)
• Recruitment strategy
• Medical Staff Development Plan/Community Needs Assessment
• Budget 
• Competition (local & national)
• You as the content expert (trust)
• Policies/Procedures/Forms
• Technology
• Networking (ASPR, Cass, career fairs...)
• Onboarding
• Retention
• Implement your recruitment program and strategy
• Launch the initiative
• Create an atmosphere of success
• Create an atmosphere of cooperation
• Promote team building
• Analyze successes and failures
• Provide feedback and opportunities for growth
• Continue to grow as an organization
• Attend seminars, conferences and workshops
• Stay current on industry trends and new advances
• Maintain a strong network of colleagues
• Try new things

No two organizations will have the exact same physician recruitment program and never will.  It is up to us to maintain acceptable standards of practice that allow us all to do the best job we possibly can.