Do They Really Need You? - Continued
Are you familiar with federal physician recruitment regulations? Hospital administrators should be pleased rather than disturbed that you asked this question. It shows that you wish to be a part of a good faith effort to bring needed services to the community and that you have the hospital's best interests in mind. Hospitals should demonstrate that they are aware of these regulations and that they are committed to abiding by them.
How do existing physicians feel about my recruitment? Hospitals are becoming increasingly attuned to the need for gaining physician support for recruitment. It is important to meet with as many staff physicians as you can during your interview to gauge their level of acceptance. In addition, some hospitals conduct medical staff surveys that ask physicians to indicate which physician specialties they believe are needed in the community. Again, established physicians are often reluctant to support recruitment. Therefore, if over 30 percent of physicians surveyed see a need for a particular specialty, the chances are good that a need really exists.
What are new patient wait times in my specialty? It is not unusual for primary-care physicians to be booked two weeks out and for specialists to be booked 10 days out. In some communities, new patient wait times are considerably longer. You can test this yourself by calling a few medical offices in the community and asking to book an appointment.
What is the disease incidence in my specialty? Some service populations are healthier than others. Can the hospital show you what disease incidence rates are in your specialty relative to national averages? Disease incidence will have a good deal to do with how old the service population is, which leads to the next question:
Who are my patients and where will they come from? The recruiting hospital or medical group should be able to provide you with demographic statistics describing the service area. You should be able to see where most patients reside, where physician offices are located, patient income and education levels, and patient payor mix. You should have a pretty good idea regarding whether your patients will be white collar or blue collar, young or old, insured or uninsured.
A typical physician interview lasts for 24 to 48 hours, and it can be some of the most intense time you will spend in your professional life (for more information on interviewing see How to Interview. During an interview you will meet with a number of people, and topics will range from equipment, to compensation, to schools, to recreation, to the availability of piano lessons for your children. In all the excitement and pressure, a fundamental question can be overlooked: Are you really needed? It's a question you can't afford not to ask.
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