The literature review highlights the importance of involving spouses in the recruitment process. Spousal and family contentment was cited several times as one of the main determinants for physician recruitment and retention. These spouses often have their own career path outside of healthcare, which they might find difficult to continue in a rural community. Therefore, rural hospital managers should inquire about the preferences of these individuals and try to find solutions that favor all parties. For example, the hospital can extend loan repayment options to cover both the physician and their spouse. Additionally, the recruitment team can aid families with small children by providing things such as an on-site …show more content…
As a result, rural hospitals with limited resources have to try to get the most out of their marketing efforts. This starts by utilizing organizations to help promote the available position; these include: State Office of Rural Health, hospital associations, medical schools, residency programs, State Department of Labor, and National Health Service Corps. These organizations often have pool of candidates already dedicated to working in rural communities. The Technical Assistance and Service Center (2014), notes that rural hospital should use both traditional marketing such as classified advertising, as well as, online marketing. In terms of online marketing, the hospital should create a website with the following features: online application capability, virtual tours, facility maps, testimonials from current physicians and their spouses (Cohn and Harlow, 2009). Whatever the medium, the message should focus on four things: get the candidates attention, generate interest, create a desire for more information, and create urgency to take immediate action regarding the …show more content…
Once the recruitment team begins receiving responses they have to track each individual to ensure adequate communication between the parties involved. Having an open channel of communication with the candidate help to build interest and prevent them from going elsewhere. Additionally, when inviting applicants to interview the recruitment team should extend its hospitality by making lodging, food, and travel arrangements for the visit. The actual interview process should involve multiple hospital personnel to ensure that the candidate suits the values and culture of the organization. Cohn and Harlow (2009) suggest that the interviewers should include a mixture of specialists, generalists, and at least one member should have a similar background and training as the candidate being