How Healthcare Organisations Hire Physicians
Whether in hospitals, clinics, or laboratories, physicians play an indispensable role in providing high-quality treatment in healthcare organizations. This role requires undeniable medical skill and understanding while simultaneously demanding one’s communicative abilities and resistance to stress. It’s a demanding role, but one many, many people aspire to fill and do to the best of their abilities. Understandably, this involves an intricate recruitment strategy to ensure the highest-quality physicians are hired.
Here are the six steps healthcare organizations take to find the correct physician.
1. Setting a recruitment strategy
During this first stage, healthcare organizations must establish the type of person they want to be their new physician, how it aligns with their values, and what unique skills, knowledge or characteristics they may possess.
Once the type of person the healthcare organization is searching for has been agreed upon, it must deploy a strategy to help it find this person.
This could mean strategizing how they advertise the role, the job boards, career fairs, and online boards they use, or if they want to collaborate and outsource elements of the process to a physician recruiter who understands the organization’s needs.
2. Application and Screening
Depending on the recruitment strategy deployed, HR departments, designated committees, or medical recruiters will participate in an overall review of applications received.
The organization will require education, qualification, personal, and experiential experience to be considered for the role. So, any application that doesn’t meet the organization’s requirements will immediately be disregarded.
3. Interviews
Candidates who meet the organization’s criteria will then be invited for interviews. Physicians often face multiple rounds of interviews and have discussions with various stakeholders within the organization, including department heads, senior physicians, and, on occasion, patients who provide feedback to the organization on whether this candidate is someone they’d feel comfortable overseeing their procedures.
The physician will often have to participate in behavioural interviews, case scenarios, and clinical simulations for the recruitment team to gain a stronger understanding of the applicants’ clinical skills, problem-solving abilities, and compatibility with the organization’s wider culture.
4. Background Checks
Once the standout candidate has been identified, the credentialing process begins. A physician will be asked to verify their training, education, licensure, and any previous disciplinary actions so that the organization is abundantly clear that their recruit is suitable.
Conducting as thorough background checks as possible is critical for the safety of the healthcare organization and all its patients.
5. Contract Negotiations
This can be the make-or-break part of the whole recruitment process. The physician will have specific financial insurance demands, such as base salary, incentives, and other benefits. The organization will want to clearly define roles, responsibilities, expectations, and contractual obligations to avoid any future misunderstandings.
6. Onboarding
If contract negotiations are successful, the healthcare organization finally has its physician. The newly hired physician then undergoes an onboarding process consisting of orientation sessions to familiarise them with the organization’s policies, procedures, electronic medical record systems, and quality improvement initiatives. They may also receive training on compliance with regulatory standards and patient privacy laws.