Navigating the world of physician recruitment as a job-seeker can be quite challenging. There are many companies, websites, agencies . . . how do you know with whom you’re working?
You realize that you have to return some emails and take some phone calls, but which ones? You know that you should start considering where you want to practice and start making efforts toward finding a job, but where do you start? Who is there to help?
Since you are reading this article, you already have one of the many free tools that PracticeLink provides to empower you with information and support you in finding a practice that is right for you, your family, your interests and your career!
At PracticeLink, we are not physician recruiters. We are not compensated on whether or not you are hired. Nor are we are involved in any of your negotiations.
Instead, we are the meeting ground for you and a variety of opportunities across the nation that might be good fits. We are here to provide you with career advancement information and job options that fit your desires and your needs so that you can make all of the decisions!
More than 5,000 healthcare facilities nationwide post their job opportunities on PracticeLink. Our network is comprised of both in-house physician recruiters and third-party recruiters (also known as agency or search firm recruiters). With PracticeLink, it’s totally up to you to choose with whom you work in your job search.
Types of physician recruiters
In-house physician recruiters are employed by the healthcare facilities they represent to find candidates for the opportunities there. In-house recruiters usually live in the communities they serve, making them uniquely qualified to determine which providers will be good long-term fits. They are primarily paid salaries from the organization, not a commission based on hires.
Third-party, agency or search firm recruiters are contracted by health care organizations to find candidates for a fee. Retained firms are paid an ongoing stipend to conduct searches on behalf of the hiring organizations. Contingency firms are paid on a per-candidate basis—sometimes upwards of $20,000 per candidate the organizations end up hiring.
It’s your choice if you decide to work directly with the hospital through in-house recruiters or through third-party agencies.
PracticeLink gives you access to the most comprehensive list of available jobs in your specialty.
When you search for a job on PracticeLink, you’ll see three tabs of results: In-house, Agency and Both, which combines all opportunities.
On PracticeLink, only if you decide to respond to an agency-represented job will the agency recruiter see your profile.
You can always search the PracticeLink Job Bank anonymously. However, by creating an account, you can apply for jobs, hear about unadvertised positions and receive new and updated opportunities in your specialty. Our goal is to put control of your job search in your hands!
What’s the difference between in-house recruiters and third parties?
In-house recruiters (a.k.a. internal or staff recruiters) are employed by the health care organization for which they’re recruiting. They usually live in the towns where the open jobs are located, so they tend to be more familiar with the organizations and their communities.
third-party recruiters (a.k.a. external or agency recruiters or search firms) are contracted on a contingency or retained basis by health care organizations to find physician candidates. Third-party recruiters, whose services are generally free to physicians, are then paid by the hiring organizations.
March 1, 2016
Marcia Layton Turner
