Recruit a young doctor’s family, too

A young doctor’s husband or wife can easily derail a placement. After all, consider the impact of a move on the doctor’s family —and how more physicians place a higher priority on a balanced life these days. Follow these tips to help benefit from the spousal factor in your recruitment efforts:

• Schedule family time in the recruitment visit. Give the doctor and his or her family a chance to try out some community activities.
• Ask a realtor — one who won’t be too pushy — to take the doctor and spouse around for an idea on housing prices and availability.
• Openly discuss any drawbacks early on in your discussions and try to assess the spouse’s interest. You might save your practice a costly wasted recruitment visit.
• If the spouse works, gather some information on jobs and companies in his or her field.
• Point the family to good community Web sites to learn more about your area before visiting.

This nugget was adapted from 101 Practical Tips to Enhance Your Practice, from Advisory Publications, a division of HCPro, Inc. To order click here or call their Customer Service Department at 800/650-6787 for more information.