By David Myrice, CPA, MBA
David Myrice, CPA, MBA
While the market for new radiologists is not as challenging as in previous years, practices must still exercise caution when seeking out the right staff members—and must avoid attrition by developing strategies and procedures for effective physician retention. In fact, recruitment and retention of the right physicians is one of the most critical practice-building activities that radiologists can do, but groups sometimes have misconceptions and do not take a best practices approach.
With radiology industry changes also come changes to the most effective recruitment and retention practices. As an example, short paths to partnership were a recruiting reality until recently. With recent changes in the radiologist job market, making longer or no partnership track offers is now more feasible.
Taking these factors into consideration, below are a few guidelines that radiologists can follow as they consider physician recruitment and retention.
Recruiting: Sell the Practice and Look Ahead
Recruitment should not only be seen as hiring; it should also be seen as the process of selling the practice to the best possible candidates. To that end, the group’s recruitment committee should be selected carefully to include current physician leaders who are outgoing, thorough, and strong communicators. So, viewed as a sales process, practices would be wise to take a proactive approach. Practices that are looking ahead and anticipating their future staffing needs should consider speaking with desirable candidates while they are still in medical school, unless a need for prior experience is required.
When seeking candidates, practices should first and foremost consider stability. Ideal candidates will contribute to the long-term stability of the group, not disrupt it. Fortunately, most candidates are also looking for stability and a long-term situation. That means that strong practice leadership, good hospital relationships, and a collegial environment will be as important as, if not more important than, standard requirements like competitive pay and benefits, especially in an era of uncertainty regarding radiology’s future.
Practices cannot effectively select job candidates based on resumes or curriculum vitae alone. Candidates’ qualifications and credentials are important, but equally important is whether they will fit within the existing culture of the practice. Conducting in-person evaluations with candidates can give the practice the opportunity to evaluate the candidate’s work style, bedside manner, ability to get along with colleagues and technologists, and other personality traits. Practices also need to look beyond a candidate’s references, since it is likely that only positive references will be listed. To truly get to know a candidate, try tapping into the experiences of colleagues from their professional or academic networks.
Spending time with candidates outside of work hours and engaging their spouses is also important. If a new recruit relocates their family to join the practice and the family winds up dissatisfied with the change, the recruit may leave just as quickly as they arrived.
Finally, practices can afford to be choosier about their new radiologists in this market, and should not rush to fill a position if the right candidate has not yet been found. Filling in with extra hours or locum tenens coverage until the best recruit becomes available will pay dividends down the line.
Retention: Offer Stability and Stay Competitive
Retention is similar to recruitment in that it requires practices to stay competitive in what they offer their physicians, both in terms of compensation and benefits and in terms of intangible elements like culture and clarity of duties. Once again, stability is a key component in today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment; practices that work to grow their market share and deepen their business relationships will see that stability reflected in the makeup of their radiologist staff. However, clear communication of expectations along with regular constructive feedback and follow-up are equally important.
Establishing a mentorship program that pairs newer radiologists with older colleagues for guidance and professional development is a good idea in building relationships and keeping physicians grounded. The advantage of these programs is that they provide an organic means by which to address the most common complaints that can drive away talented physicians: having no recourse for issues that need to be addressed, having little support for their professional development, and feeling that their opinions are unheard by practice leadership.
Practices also can bolster retention by creating a more positive work environment for staff members. However, sometimes losing a radiologist is not a bad thing. In fact, practices should have policies and procedures in place for identifying troublesome, disruptive radiologists who ultimately don’t fit culturally, and should have a structured timeframe by which they let these physicians go if they do not improve. In these cases, a bad cultural fit or work ethic can become like a virus, infecting hospital relationships, referring physician relationships, and the culture of the group. Dismissal of these individuals helps maintain the stability of the group.
Finally, establishing a formal exit interview and evaluation process is key for practices as they work to improve their recruitment and retention strategies. This process can yield surprising insights into the issues that may drive away talented physicians, and can help practices take a more proactive approach to retaining staff in the future.
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David Myrice, CPA, MBA, is a director of practice management with Zotec Partners.
