Slow Summer? Start Recruiting Next Year’s Graduating Residents

Summertime, and the recruiting ain’t easy? Maybe it’s time to change your tune. A lot of physician recruiters tend to think residents have been offered their dream jobs by summer, and are therefore not looking for work. That may be true for this year’s graduating residents, but there’s still a tremendous recruiting opportunity with the next wave.

 

According to MDR HealthCare Search, summer is a prime time to connect with residents. In their Physician Recruitment Cycle infographic, MDR HealthCare Search states:

Most recruiters think of the summer as a time when graduating residents have already committed to a new position and are relocating. But most residents begin their search 12 months before graduation, making this a prime time to recruit residents for the following year.

As you know, the physician recruiting process takes a lot of time! On both sides, there are multiple steps, busy schedules to coordinate, and all kinds of red tape to get past in order to move forward. An offer to schedule an interview often takes two to four weeks alone, and the entire recruiting process can take an average of six months. Credentialing and obtaining any necessary state licenses add another chunk of time on top of that.

Another obvious reason residents get cracking early is competition. About 10-15% of currently practicing physicians change jobs each year, which means young doctors are up against highly experienced contenders, as well as their own peers. And of course, with so many residents completing their contracts at the same time, the market is flooded with eager new physicians.

For all these reasons, residents are encouraged to start their job searches early. What that means for you is: residents who will graduate next summer are already looking for post-residency jobs. Now.

So, if things seem a little slow at the office in summer 2015, perhaps it’s time to rethink your recruiting strategy and focus on those 2016 post-residency candidates! And if you haven’t clicked through to the MDR HealthCare Search infographic yet, please do so for tips on a year-round recruitment cycle.