Rural Physician Recruiting Challenges and Solutions

Grow Your Own Many rural healthcare facilities have had success “growing their own” physicians. In some cases, this may mean identifying local students interested in medical careers and sponsoring their education in return for their commitment to practice in the community. Dr. Jasmine Sulaiman, who was named 2016 Country Doctor of the Year by Staff Care (a division of AMN Healthcare) began a program of speaking at the local high school in Cleveland, Texas on the topic of medical careers. A local student now is in medical school and in several years may provide the help that Dr. Sulaiman needs. Dr. Sulaiman also has recruited a total of seven physician assistants and nurse practitioners to the FQHC where she serves, all of whom rotated through her practice. Dr. John Haynes of Vivian, Louisiana, Staff Care’s first Country Doctor of the Year (1992) worked with academic centers in his state to establish a rural residency program in his practice which has placed over ten primary care physicians in rural practice. Physicians on staff who have a mission for rural medicine can be an important asset in “growing your own.” Leverage Your Web Site Before the Internet, physician candidates generally had to visit a community before they could truly visualize it. Now, as soon as they learn where an opportunity is, they can visit a chamber of commerce site or use Google Maps to take a virtual tour. It therefore is important that the facility offer as many positive images as possible through its web site and that the home page include a link to a section of the site devoted to recruiting physicians and other healthcare professionals. This section should feature video testimonials from current staff physicians extolling the benefits of the practice and the community. Perhaps the best recruiting resource available to healthcare facilities of all kinds is current staff physicians who are satisfied and welcoming, and these doctors should be leveraged on the site and during interviews. The site also may include virtual tours of the community, featuring images of schools, favorable real estate options, recreational areas and other highlights. It also is important to coordinate with the local chamber how the community is portrayed online so that the message is consistent and positive. Leave No Stone Unturned Rural facilities should be in continual “recruitment mode” to assure staffing needs are met. This means networking with clinicians already in the community as well as with other community members to determine if any have friends or relatives in medical school, in residency or in practice who would consider a rural practice. It also means creating relationships with residency programs state-wide, using resources available through the NRHA, and networking with state medical and specialty societies. When an active search is in progress, multiple sourcing tools are available, including personal mail, physician employment sites, social media, journals, physician conventions, and email. Personal mail offers a key advantage in that it allows rural facilities to target physicians born, trained or licensed in the state or those practicing in rural zip codes. It is physicians who are from rural areas or now practicing in rural areas who are more likely to select a rural practice and it is important to focus on these in sourcing efforts.

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