10 Best Practices for Physician Recruiting in 2025
The healthcare industry is facing an undeniable challenge—an intensifying physician shortage that has the potential to disrupt patient care nationwide. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the United States could experience a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. This gap poses significant hurdles to healthcare delivery, particularly for communities that already face disparities in access to medical care.
The challenge is amplified by increasing demand for physician services. Final-year medical residents are inundated with recruitment offers—AMN Healthcare’s 2023 Survey of Final-Year Medical Residents found that 56% of respondents had been contacted over 100 times by recruiters during their training.
The immense competition for qualified physicians demonstrates the urgent need for healthcare organizations to refine and strengthen their recruitment strategies. Our newest white paper, 13 Keys to Effective Physician Recruiting, unpacks the impact of the shortage and provides key insights into building the most successful physician workforce possible.
The High Cost of Unfilled Physician Roles
Empty physician roles can have far-reaching consequences for healthcare organizations, both operationally and financially. Physicians are not just caregivers—they’re economic engines. AMN Healthcare’s Physician Billing Report reveals that physicians generate an average of $3.8 million annually in billing to commercial payors. This figure excludes additional revenue channeled through Medicare, Medicaid, and other healthcare systems.
Unfilled physician roles can lead to increased patient wait times, higher workloads for existing staff, and potential reductions in the delivery of quality care. Logistically, the absence of a physician places stress on other medical staff, increasing the risk of burnout and attrition. Financially, it drains resources, as healthcare facilities turn to expensive temporary staff or locum tenens providers to fill the gaps.
Addressing these vacancies with effective long-term recruitment practices is not just a strategic priority—it’s a necessity for sustained success.
10 Best Practices for Recruiting Physicians
Recruiting quality physicians requires a combination of flexibility, clear expectations, competitive offerings, and an understanding of market dynamics. Below, we explore the most effective strategies to help healthcare organizations secure top-tier talent amidst intense competition.
1. Accept the Challenges and Commit to the Process
Recruiting physicians is critical to the success of any healthcare facility, both in terms of patient outcomes and financial stability. This process demands time, effort, and responsiveness. It’s important for healthcare leaders to take an active role, shape recruitment strategies, define clear incentives, and make quick, informed decisions to secure the best candidates.
2. Assess and Align Your Offerings with the Market
You can’t control your facility’s location or regional culture, but you can optimize your offerings. Does the opportunity include favorable working conditions? Is the proposed compensation competitive and straightforward? Is the organizational culture supportive? Take the time to self-diagnose your opportunity and benchmark it against what physicians value most in the current hiring landscape.
3. Offer Flexible Work Models
Flexibility is no longer optional—it’s a deciding factor. More physicians now prioritize work-life balance overcompensation. Consider part-time schedules, telemedicine options, or hybrid work models to appeal to diverse candidates. Tailoring your offering to accommodate individual preferences can set your opportunity apart in a crowded market.
4. Communicate Clear Expectations
Ambiguity is a recruitment killer. Before beginning your search, establish and document expectations around workload, hours, patient types, relative value units (RVUs), and governance responsibilities. A clearly defined role minimizes turnover by ensuring new hires understand their responsibilities upfront.
5. Compensate Competitively and Transparently
Base salaries and incentive structures should be determined using data from trusted sources, such as the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). Compensating physicians with straightforward, fair formulas reduces confusion and builds trust. An increasingly important approach includes linking compensation to both volume-based metrics (e.g., number of patients seen) and value-based metrics (e.g., patient satisfaction scores).
6. Create Engaging Work Environments
From minimizing administrative burdens with user-friendly EHR systems to employing scribes for data entry, creating an efficient and enjoyable daily environment is crucial to retention. Physicians are most satisfied when they spend their time doing what they are trained for—treating patients.
7. Expand Your Recruitment Reach
To identify the best candidates, cast a wide net through multiple channels. This includes job boards, residency program networking, industry journals, direct mail, and collaborations with physician search firms. Additionally, consider improving the visibility of your website’s careers page by including video testimonials from current employees to emphasize your facility’s culture and caregiving mission.
8. Make Recruitment Personal
When it’s time to interview candidates, go beyond formality. A successful interview often feels just as social as it does professional. Include lunch or dinner with the team and offer opportunities for the candidate and their family to explore the community. This personal touch helps candidates envision how your facility can fulfill both their career and personal goals.
9. Stay Responsive and Agile
Candidates often weigh multiple offers simultaneously. Demonstrating engagement and responsiveness can make all the difference in earning their trust and building goodwill. After the interview, promptly respond to follow-up questions, accommodate schedules, and make it evident that their presence in your organization is valued.
10. Think Beyond Hiring—Recruit to Retain
Your recruitment strategy shouldn’t end once a contract is signed. It’s vital to maintain the same level of care and attention for new physicians after they join as you did during the hiring process. Provide onboarding support, mentorship programs, and opportunities for long-term professional growth. Remember, physician retention begins with the recruiting process.
Aligning Recruitment Strategies with Long-Term Success
Recruiting physicians in today’s competitive landscape involves much more than filling positions—it’s about aligning recruitment strategies with both market realities and organizational goals. Start by assessing your current needs, understanding the broader healthcare market, and tailoring your recruitment approach to reflect these realities.
Having a trusted partner like AMN Healthcare to guide you through these complexities can make all the difference. From creating flexible work models to designing equitable compensation packages, AMN Healthcare helps organizations develop strategic, resource-based recruiting programs for long-term success.
Explore Expert Insights with AMN Healthcare
Recruiting physicians may be challenging, but strategic practices can turn this complexity into success. For deeper insights and an actionable roadmap, access your free copy of 13 Keys to Effective Physician Recruiting today. Don’t just respond to the physician shortage—conquer it.
