Adam Ullman,FASPR, CMSR is a Senior Physician Recruiter for Henry Ford Health System.
Adam has over a decade of experience in healthcare recruitment, support services, and project management, as well as a background as an RN.
1. If someone is in healthcare recruitment right now, what is your advice to them during this virus season?
My advice is, first and foremost, be safe. Secondly, be prepared. Be sure to know if your employer will still likely be needing the current positions. Needs may change as a result of the current environment. Thirdly, be active. While the market has become slower in certain specialties like emergency medicine and critical care medicine because of how busy those providers are, the market is ripe in other specialties that are viewed as somewhat elective (certain surgical specialties fall into this category). These providers find themselves with unscheduled time they are not accustomed to having. You may find benefit from targeting those with ties to your area. Early trends show doctors are more likely to want to be closer to family because of this experience.
2. As someone heavily involved in healthcare recruitment, what are your biggest concerns right now?
My biggest concern is fear. Not a personal fear, but the fear of the unknown that so many in our industry are feeling. None of us have seen anything like this during our lifetime. I empathize with those of us who are on the frontline every day. As an RN, I have seen this face to face as well, albeit not to the degree that many others have. My heart goes out to them, and I hope they can find some peace with their experiences sooner rather than later.
3. How do you best make video interviewing replace ‘in-person’ interviewing?
Most importantly, we ensure that we can get a secure connection. Having the right technology can make or break an interview. This means we take steps to work with our providers to make sure that they are in a secure, quiet place in which to conduct the interviews. We have all interviewers come to one location to minimize interruption risk. Additionally, we utilize videos of our campus and our community as an introduction, so the candidate has a feel for the “physical” structures. Currently, all of our interviews are being conducted remotely. We will bring people on site for a final interview when it is safe and prudent to do so.
4. How do you think healthcare recruitment will change once we are on the other side of this virus season?
I think it will definitely change, that is for sure. It is challenging to predict, given that we still see massive changes daily. That said, if I look into my crystal ball, I think a few things are possible. First, we will see a much greater use of technology than ever before. Many of us were doing video interviews already, but I think the use of them will expand exponentially. So many new users have become comfortable with the process. Secondly, we will see some shifts in high demand specialties. Telemedicine may be the biggest winner of all here, and fewer providers may become necessary in specific locations. It will be easier to get state licenses and privileges so, the recruitment process would take less time. As everyone has had to adapt their processes, key streamlining opportunities have developed. I would hope that many of these will be carried forward when “regular” recruitment resumes.
NP Now is a search firm for NPs, PAs, MDs, RNs and CRNAs, located in Charleston, South Carolina and serving clients in all 50 states. We recruit for permanent placements in all clinical settings.