At its annual conference, being held this year in Chicago from Aug. 14-17, the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters will address how healthcare organizations can successfully recruit and retain physicians in an increasingly competitive market.
“With an impending physician shortage, physician recruitment has become a very timely and crucial topic,” said Jennifer Metivier, MS, FASPR, executive director of the ASPR. “This year’s conference will not only highlight recruitment trends, but also how healthcare providers can make strategic choices to ensure patients have access to care.”
Presenters from such organizations as Dartmouth Hitchcock School of Medicine, The Lewin Group and the American Medical Association will speak about the changes in supply and demand for medical personnel and its impact on access to care.
“Recruiting physicians continuously gets more competitive because there are just not enough doctors to keep up with the demand as the population ages,” said Allen Kram, conference education committee co-chair and ASPR board member.
Through its seminars, roundtable discussions and presentations, the conference will focus on strategies for recruiting the right doctors for the right positions, different ways to structure compensation and incentive packages and methods for successfully onboarding new physicians as they join a hospital or physicians practice, Kram said.
“We will also focus on physician extenders as part of the solution to physician shortages,” said Kram. “We’ll discuss the role of physicians assistants and nurse practitioners.”
The conference will also emphasize how physician recruiters can best manage their stress and workloads in these demanding times. “We will discuss how recruiters can do more with less and how to manage too many assignments. People need to know what their limitations are,” said Kram.
In addition, the conference will feature exhibits from the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, American College of Physicians and Elsevier, among others. More than 350 ASPR members are registered to attend.
Metivier believes the conference offers something for everyone. “We are able to offer our members innovative techniques for attracting and retaining physician’s in today’s competitive environment,” she said. “The conference offers information for all levels of physician recruitment professionals – from C-suite to recruitment coordinators.”