5 keys to courting a colleague: Have a recruitment strategy, then follow it

To hire the physician you really want and increase the chances of a good fit, here are the recruiting steps you need to follow.

By Larry Stevens, AMNews correspondent. Sept. 10, 2007.

For many physician groups, hiring a new doctor is a straightforward process. There's a salary, specialty, level of expertise and experience in mind. A recruiter does the screening legwork and suggests a short list. The group interviews a few candidates and makes the hire.

But this system can hide some serious deficiencies. The new doctor might not be the practice's first choice, might not stay long, or might not fit in with the group's culture and goals or "click" with patients. Sometimes a hire just goes wrong.

Some physicians and experts say this risk can be minimized by establishing a standard strategy for adding new physicians.

This boils down to five steps: be realistic about who you attract; talk compensation; show off the sites; keep the spouse or partner in mind; and have a big send-off. By that fifth step, experts say, both the practice and the candidate should know if the partnership is a good, long-term fit.

David A. Josephson, MD, a neurologist and CEO of Josephson-Wallack-Munshower Neurology, says his group's hiring process allows current members and a prospective doctor to consider each other in a realistic light.

"The more we know about someone we might hire, and the more they know about us and also our community, the more successful the decision on both sides," Dr. Josephson says. In the last 10 years, his Indianapolis-based group has grown from eight to 22 neurologists.