A Quick Look at The Future of Physician Recruiting
Recruiting Physicians can be a real challenge. Factors like changing healthcare policies, Physician shortages and evolving attitudes about the workplace can test even the best recruiters in the quest to fill a vacancy. Taking advantage of available insights about your target audience can give you a leg up when facing this challenge. Knowledge is power and knowing who your future Physician recruits are is essential if you are to be successful in reaching them.
Gender
As times change, so does the profile of the American Physician. Gone are the days of predominately male medical staffs. Over the last decade there has been an increase in the number of female MD's. Women have seen a greater overall rise in the number of medical school enrollees when compared to men. This rise is fast approaching an even split between the sexes(1).
Race
According to the AAMC, the 2016–2017 U.S. Medical school enrollment rosters reflect a more diverse Physician population. While Caucasian students still predominate with over 46,000 enrollees, Asian enrollees are increasing with over 18,000 students. African American students edged out Hispanic enrollees with over 5,800 students.
Hometown
Knowing where your future recruits are coming from can give you an advantage if you're planning to target your recruiting efforts at a certain geographic location. The Northeast boasts the distinction for producing the highest numbers of MD/PhD matriculants. More Physicians call this area of the country home with New York, Maryland and Massachusetts topping the list(1). Many future Physicians also hail from out west, with the largest concentration calling California home.
Top Producing Medical Programs
While there are many medical schools to choose from, certain schools matriculate more Physicians each year than do others. In the 2015-2016 school year, Indiana University Medical School topped the list 319 total graduates(1). Second on the list is Illinois University with 314 graduates followed closely by Wayne State University with 284. Targeted recruitment efforts focused on top producing universities can yield greater exposure for your recruiting initiatives with less expended effort.
Marital Status
A Physician's marital status frequently effects their employment choices. Spousal input is a top reason many Physicians cite for whether they accept or decline an employment opportunity. According to the 2016 Graduate Medical School questionnaire, 1 in 4 graduates were married(2). When it comes to dependents, 9% report having children. This equals out to a lot of Physicians looking for good schools and access to amenities that families need.
