Physicians not part of medical shortage

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While St. John's Regional Health System and Cox Health Systems are doing anything and everything they can to recruit nurses and other medical personnel, physician recruitment doesn't seem to be a problem for either health system both hospitals are continuing to attract top-notch physicians to the Springfield area, said Steve Edwards, Cox's senior vice president of regional services and Lori Barnes, St. Johns' director of physician recruitment services. |ret||ret||tab|

St. John's and Cox both utilize recruitment methods such as advertising and databases, but they are also increasingly relying on the Internet to attract physicians. Edwards said Cox employs a full-time recruiter with a psychology background who flies all over the country to meet prospective Cox physicians. |ret||ret||tab|

"He has access to databases across the country that can sort applicants by the credentials and specialties we're looking for. He's very hands-on and will fly to Colorado to meet a physician at a softball game or do whatever it takes to know them," Edwards said. He said Cox's physician recruiter ensures prospective Cox physicians complete their medical records on time, treat their staff well and generally would be good fits at Cox. |ret||ret||tab|

Barnes said the majority of St. John's recruiting is performed through the Internet.|ret||ret||tab|

"We do a lot of postings on the Internet ... it's been a boon to our industry," Barnes said. "We still do the mass mailings and the classified ads, but we tend to veer toward the Internet. It's cheaper, it's faster and it's more convenient," she said. |ret||ret||tab|

Barnes said St. John's also hires many physicians after they have completed Cox's residency program. St. John's is not a teaching hospital and it does not have a residency program.|ret||ret||tab|

Edwards said Cox employs outside recruitment firms to assist with physician recruitment for particularly difficult searches, which "tend to be specialists who typically practice in academic settings. Springfield is so uniquely advanced for our size when it comes to medicine. Although they may specialize, the physicians who really want to focus on providing care and not on research and education are drawn to this kind of community," Edwards said. |ret||ret||tab|

He said the nature of physician recruiting is cyclical, and that most new physicians tend to look for employment with hospitals during July, August and September because that's when most physician training is completed. |ret||ret||tab|

"In a year's time, we probably bring in eight new primary care physicians. Some of those replace physicians who retire and some of that is growth," Edwards said. He said currently, the most challenging specialty for Cox's physician recruitment is neurology. |ret||ret||tab|

He said while Cox is not directly involved in Ferrell-Duncan Clinic's recruiting, the physician-owned specialty clinic has an exclusive arrangement to serve Cox patients.|bold_on||bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

"There's an under-supply of neurologists right now, but on the other hand, there are other specialists who might work for lesser pay to get a job. It's all about supply and demand," Edwards said. |ret||ret||tab|

Barnes said St. John's hired 43 physicians during its last fiscal year and currently, the most difficult-to-find specialists for St. John's are dermatologists. |ret||ret||tab|

"Right now, my most difficult search is for dermatology. Dermatology programs have been limited so they don't produce too many and flood the market, and they've done a good job of keeping the demand for that specialty high," Barnes said. "(Dermatology) is also still an area where physicians can do well in private practice and not have to be in a hospital employee situation or have to be part of a big multispeciality clinic."|ret||ret||tab|

Edwards projects that the demand for physicians will steadily increase as the baby boomer generation ages, and that medical schools and health systems must prepare for that demand.|ret||ret||tab|

"The biggest part of our population are the ones taking care of the sick and the elderly. That part of our population will become those who need the most care in the years to come," Edwards said. |ret||ret||tab|

Last year, Cox employed approximately 671 physicians while St. John's employed 537. [[In-content Ad]]