Blair Chappell, CMSR
Physician Recruiter
UNT Health Science Center
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Physician Recruiter Tips for Hiring Physicians
As a physician recruiter since 2005, Blair trusts the Health Career Center to find the country’s best physician talent for the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth, TX. Here, she shares helpful tips on what to look for during your search, and how you can tailor your search criteria and expectations to find qualified candidates for your organization.
Blair also offers insights on how industry changes are affecting recruiting practices today — which will affect the way you scout for talent tomorrow.
What are your best tips for physician recruiters?
Encourage physicians to read contracts carefully, because even the smallest details can make a huge difference. Nobody likes surprises, especially if it means that the candidate will leave soon after coming onboard. Also encourage physicians and recruiters to understand malpractice insurance. In this area, knowledge truly is power. Find out what physicians’ three biggest priorities are for making a practice change. These should align with the goals and values of your organization.
In your opinion, where is the best place to find strong leadership talent in the medical field?
Obviously, the Health Career Center is a great place to start. But when you’re recruiting for a higher-level position, it’s also a good idea to leverage journals, websites and educational/leadership avenues and websites. I also think it’s smart to dig through databases to find candidates that would qualify and solicit them directly. Sometimes the best candidates aren’t the ones that are looking necessarily.
How does the Health Career Center connect you with the talent you want?
Its connection to National Healthcare Career Network (NHCN) helps me cast a wide net to find good quality candidates. In fact, the Health Career Center helps us with 10-15 providers of the 30-35 that we hire per year. The site and application process keeps unqualified candidates out.
Plus, we have an Osteopathic Medical School here (TCOM), so we need access to the Doctor of Osteopathy websites that NHCN has agreements with. It gives us the best bang for our buck!
What big challenges await employers in the healthcare industry, and how can they overcome them?
Unfortunately, we’re facing a large void of patient providers in 2020. Stay informed on healthcare changes and community needs to address that issue, keep up with the technology needs/EMR systems, and don’t forget to use Non-Physician providers such as NPs, PAs, CNMs, PTs, PhDs, Psy.Ds, and LMSWs. They are our best friends and cost half as much! And of course, it’s always important that we stay abreast of average salaries so we can attract and retain talented providers.
Want to find out how the Health Career Center can work for you? Contact our sales team at careercentersales@aha.org or 312-895-2517.