Recruiting During a Physician Shortage: Play Up Mission

We are in a physician shortage and there has been a lot of media attention on how to attract and retain physicians. However this article we found in NPR brought up a new idea to attract physicians, focus recruitment efforts to new candidates on highlighting missionary work, a reverse-recruitment model.

Hospitals in more rural areas having even more difficulty attracting new physicians have started offering potential candidates up to 8 weeks off to do missionary work overseas. The appeal of mission-based work has been effective with certain candidates, physicians can elect to do missionary work in under-served countries such as Haiti or Mexico.

Under healthcare reform, an estimated 32 million more Americans with health insurance is expected to strain the existing healthcare workforce.

We work with many physician candidates seeking missionary work or short-term locums assignments overseas in countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar. However hospitals highlighting these opportunities and providing significant time off for physicians to participate in missionary projects is a forward-thinking, innovative way to attract potential candidates.


Read the full article in NPR, or click here:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/02/02/145860801/how-one-hospital-entices-doctors-to-work-in-rural-america