Recruiter News: 2012 Winter Edition

February 1, 2012

State of Neurology Recruiting Today: Majority of Neurology Openings Are New Positions

Demand for neurologists is growing, according to new findings from the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters (ASPR) 2011 In–House Physician Recruitment Benchmarking Report. This is a survey of its membership on physician recruitment involving data from 346 in–house physician recruiters from nearly 160 organizations involving 5,331 active searches.

Jennifer Metivier, MS, FASPR Executive Director, ASPR

Of the nearly 160 organizations involved in the survey, 36 percent conducted 142 neurology searches in 2010. Jennifer Metivier, MS, FASPR, executive director of ASPR, noted these findings involving neurology searches:

• More than 70 percent of these searches were for new positions, not replacements
• Of142 searches, 56 percent were filled; 41 percent remained open, with the remainder either cancelled or placed on hold
• The median days to fill a neurology position was 144 days, longer than the median to fill among all types of specialties of 115 days
• The majority of neurologists were placed into multispecialty groups
• As with other specialties, Internet job boards and referrals were the most effective placement sources

The ASPR physician recruitment data shows a fairly even split between outpatient practice and hospital–based organizations. Metivier says this indicates growing demand for hospital–based neurologists versus prior years' findings that tipped in favor of outpatient practices.

Shelley Tudor, FASPR, Recruiter St. Francis Medical Group

Hospital–based organizations are creating new positions for specialists, and neurology is no exception. Shelley Tudor, FASPR, recruiter at St. Francis Medical Group and ASPR benchmark committee co–chair, said, "The data seems to suggest the need for hospital–based neurologists is being driven by developing or existing neurohospitalist programs, as 52.1 percent of respondents list a hospital or hospital department practice as their primary work site and 66 percent list their employer as a hospital/integrated delivery system."

Kira Fleshman, Physician Recruiter Hospital Corporation of America

Challenges in recruiting neurologists

While neurologists are increasingly seeking employment in hospitals for the clinical practice aspects, there are challenges to finding subspecialists in any setting, says Kira Fleshman, physician recruiter with Hospital Corporation of America. "Stroke neurologists, interventional neurologists, and neuro–critical care neurologists are all in high demand," Fleshman says.

"Out of all of the specialties I recruit for, low demand for subspecialties seems to be most prevalent in neurology," Fleshman says. She notes particular challenges in finding suitable positions for sleep and pain neurology positions. "Candidates often want 100 percent sleep or 100 percent pain. Unfortunately, this is not in alignment with what the practices and hospitals offer. Most of the hospitals and practices I recruit for want general neurologists and stroke neurologists."

More obstacles with subspecialties

As for how in–house physician recruiters do their job, Metivier doesn't foresee significant changes in coming years. "Recruitment professionals already heavily use online job boards and create incentive programs to successfully recruit. We're seeing an increase in technology focused on trying to match physician to jobs, so that is something that may become more effective and popular in coming years."

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How to Maximize Use of the Neurology Career Center

Saving both time and budget resources, the online Neurology Career Center is a highly efficient way for neurology recruiters to connect with job seekers. "Online advertising of jobs gives you the ability to access and realize return on investment right away whereas print advertising alone can take longer," says Amy Schoch, manager of the AAN's Neurology Career Center.

Once a recruiter creates their account, they can access the tools of the Neurology Career to:

• Post jobs online
• Access web stats
• Search for qualified candidates who have publicly posted their resumes
• Receive applications directly to their account
• Make changes to online ads at any time
• Receive reminders when posts expire
• Opportunity to showcase positions with Featured Job/Featured Employer

Use at–a–glance web statistics to gauge performance of your ad

"At any time, recruiters can make changes to their job postings and access the statistics for their ads," Schoch says. She encourages recruiters with active jobs online to make a weekly appointment to review their web statistics at the Neurology Career Center. Log into your account to view these metrics:

1. Job views received
2. Number of apply clicks
3. Total number of job applicants through the site
4. Number of notifications sent out to prospects by the job agent
5. Number of forwards of the job posting

You can also make the task of managing multiple jobs easier and learning more about jobs others at your organization have posted by setting up file folders. "Employers can file all their jobs together. Click 'View All' to see jobs by employer, even if they are not relevant to the position you are advertising," Schoch says.

For more information on features and benefits, download the Neurology Career Center 2012 Media Kit.

Use a Featured Job to add visibility to your posting

Leverage the power of AAN.com by adding a Featured Job upgrade to your online job posting. Postings appear on the homepage of AAN.com, with more than five million page views per year!

Until February 28, save $50 off the regular price of $815 for non–members and $715 for members when you advertise with a 90–day online job ad at the Neurology Career Center. Use Promo Code 50OFF90 when checking out.

Need some help posting a job? Check out our helpful How to Guide.

Purchase the 2011 Career Path Survey

In 2011, the AAN surveyed members on their job search habits. This 14–page survey is available for $300 through the AAN Store.

Your job posting is now on Facebook – for free!

All jobs posted on the Neurology Career Center now appear on the American Academy of Neurology and Neurology® journal's Facebook pages. With over 7,000 fans combined, users can now preview new job postings in real time and access the full posting with one click.

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AAN Online Job Fair Draws Hundreds

The Academy's first annual Neurology Career Week, October 10–14, 2011, was a success and the Online Job Fair contributed by connecting employers with prospects for neurology positions in a completely virtual environment. "The online job fair grew as the week went by with more prospects coming online. Many participated in interviews with job coach Sharol Tyra of Hand and Associates and had their CVs reviewed," says Amy Schoch, manager of the AAN's Neurology Career Center.

Approximately 200 job seekers attended the fair and checked out employer booths, applied for jobs, and networked with representatives of health care organizations. Online Job Fair attendance also overflowed to the Neurology Career Center: a total of 300 active job seekers visited during the week, with nearly one–third of seekers publicly posting their resumes. Additionally, 56 seekers applied for available jobs.

"Employers with the strongest participation at the job fair utilized all the multimedia options offered to showcase their position and their organization," Schoch says. Nearly 20 health care organizations were featured as exhibitors.

Job seekers attended free webinars in the virtual auditorium and had the opportunity to get their questions answered on the topics of:

• Transitioning to a J–1 Visa Waiver
• Malpractice and Liability Insurance
• Stipend Programs: Earn While You Learn
• Employment Contracts

These webinars are available in the archives at the Neurology Career Center.

Schoch says next year's Online Job Fair should prove to be larger and even more interactive as more recruiters and job seekers become aware of the event. Next year's event is planned for October 2012. For more information, contact the Neurology Career Center or Amy Schoch at (651) 695–2749.

About Recruiter News

Recruiter News is a bimonthly e–newsletter designed to provide you with news and tips on the recruitment of neurologists, whether you are with a search firm or on staff at a health care organization. We also will continue to update you on events and marketing opportunities with the Neurology Career Center.

Please send us your feedback and story ideas.

Amy Schoch
Manager, Neurology Career Center
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this posting are those of the author only and do not represent the views of the American Academy of Neurology or any of its affiliated subsidiaries.

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