Doc recruiting getting more creative: AMGA

Medical groups are getting more creative with their efforts to recruit and retain physicians, a new survey found. The use of mentoring programs, part-time work schedules and sabbaticals were found to be on the upswing in the survey, conducted by the American Medical Group Association and Cejka Search, a St. Louis-based executive search firm.

In 2007, 56% of the responding groups said that they assigned mentors to new physicians, compared with 52% in 2006 and 35% in 2005. “That reflects on the value of having a structured mentoring program to engage the physicians and give them the coaching that is needed to make them successful,” said Carol Westfall, Cejka’s president. “Because, often, a successful physician is a happy physician.”

Medical groups also are hiring more hospitalists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants in order “to create a better clinical atmosphere,” according to the results, which were presented March 8 at the annual AMGA meeting in Orlando, Fla. The survey included responses from 43 medical groups representing a total of 14,705 physicians.