Physician Recruiting About to Get Tougher for Rural Hospitals

Between 2011 and 2012, there was an increase of 18% in positions unfilled.

Seven in 10 (71%) of searches are done by hospitals/integrated delivery systems, up 10% from 2011. Referrals and Internet job boards remain atop the sourcing list. However, 12% of candidates contacted hospitals directly through their websites, indicating the importance of an organization's online presence.

Median time-to-fill was 155 across all physician specialties (222 days on average) compared to a median of 120 days (208 days on average) from 2011.

Median time-to-fill for primary care physicians was 151 days compared to 125 days last year. Time-to-fill for advanced practice providers, such as nurse practitioners and primary care physician assistants, was only 90 days for both the 2012 and 2011.

A decline can be seen in the number of searches that were filled (51% in 2012 vs. 60% in 2011) and an increase in those that remained open at the end of the year (42% vs. 36% in 2011). Specialties that were least likely to be filled during 2011 were: med-peds, neurosurgery, dermatology, urology, and otorhinolaryngology.