Leading Trends in Physician Recruitment, Part 2 — Partnerships
Challenges in attracting specialist staff in the medical industry
We are seeing a steady deepening of the problems with attracting specialist staff in the medical industry. We decided to look at some of the most interesting ideas for recruiting physicians that could help reverse this trend.
Allies in recruitment
The environment of organisations operating in the medical industry includes not only competitors but also potential allies. Establishing and nurturing the right relationships can significantly ease access to potential employees. Medical associations are particularly valuable partners when it comes to building a favourable image among young medics. They have ready-made databases of contacts with physicians of various specialisations, methods of engaging them in their activities, and a willingness to use modern communication tools such as Facebook groups or Slack.
Examples of medical associations
For example, the "Young Doctor" Association is followed on Facebook by nearly 5,000 people, almost all of whom belong to the target group we want to reach. The International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA-Poland) has a strong infrastructure not only in social media (over 5,600 Facebook likes for its general profile, 3,500+ in Warsaw, 2,000+ in Łódź and Szczecin, etc.) but also on the ground (12 local branches).
Cooperating with organisations
This should, of course, not be one-sided cooperation. Both the association and the facility must offer benefits that add value to the day-to-day operations of both parties. It is worth remembering that a young physician is looking above all for opportunities to deepen their knowledge, gain valuable contacts, and take part in events that strengthen their professional prestige. With this in mind, you can offer a partner, among other things:
- organising training sessions at our facility – ideally leaving a trace in the form of event coverage, made more attractive by comments from the trainers and participants,
- scientific conferences that position our brand well,
- webinars, i.e. online training sessions engaging younger physicians, who can gain knowledge and get to know our facility better without leaving home,
- joining as a co-organiser the activities run by the association, such as community campaigns, conventions, symposia, or anniversaries (e.g. the Doctors of Hope Association specialises in helping the homeless, and IFMSA is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, inviting physicians and students from all over the country),
- establishing cooperation and exchanging experience with foreign organisations.
Cooperating with medical platforms
It is also worth remembering to cooperate with the creators of online platforms and services and with providers of medical apps. Students and physicians are keen users of websites that help them deepen and organise their knowledge. Young physicians are especially interested in databases of LEK, LDEK, and PES exam questions, textbook lists, and the ability to interact with other medical trainees on forums.
The leading platform meeting this need is EgzaminyLekarskie.pl, which brings together students, physician interns, and physicians in specialty training. Another popular medical service, Konsylium24.pl, has over 58,000 registered physicians, whose activity translates into 136,000 logins per month and 93,000 topics submitted for discussion. Job postings can also be found on this site – at the time of writing, more than a thousand offers are available.
Online marketing and content marketing
Especially in the 20-45 age group, many medics are active online. Our activities should therefore be calibrated to reach them through online marketing and content marketing. We can advertise our facilities in a simple, straightforward way, e.g. by placing a banner or a sponsored article on a service dedicated to the medical industry, or more subtly – by including expert commentary from our physicians in texts published there.
Cooperating with career offices
Career offices at medical universities should not be forgotten either; joint ventures aimed at offering value to students can also be carried out with them:
- placing recruitment offers on the career office's website,
- publishing our facility's profile there,
- participating in job fairs organised by the office,
- running joint educational and training initiatives.
Pay and allowances
Of course, the work of a young physician, and especially an intern, is – beyond passion – a source of income, so it is worth mentioning in the job ad any allowances for night shifts and rewards that motivate people to stay with our facility.
Partnering with charitable initiatives
An innovative way to draw attention to the brand of a hospital or clinic network could be a partnership with initiatives that help those in need and draw on community mechanisms. Good examples of such organisations are charitable crowdfunding platforms such as SiePomaga.pl or Pomagam.im.
B2B cooperation
One form of partnership is also B2B activity. By establishing relationships with business entities, we can gain access to our target group even on a barter basis. In cooperation with a publisher of medical journals and books, we can organise a competition for physicians or medical students, with medical titles as prizes.
Accommodation and support for employees
In agreement with the owners of rental apartments, we can fund accommodation for potential employees or the stay of a renowned specialist who, for example, will deliver training to our staff at the facility we run. By offering a company that runs activities for physicians the opportunity to take part in the events we organise, we can count on reciprocity – e.g. having information about our recruitment or the innovations introduced at our facility sent out to that organisation's contact database.
Seeking new solutions
The most important thing is to keep looking for new solutions and to use your own resources so as to offer your partners real value.
