Physicians Affairs Committee Helps Recruit More Doctors to Onslow County
growth, health care, jacksonville-onslow chamber of commerce, onslow memorial hospital, onslow memorial teams, physician affairs committee,
In the world of staff recruiting, information is everything. In other words, no matter how great your community is, you’ve got to get the word out.
That’s the mission driving the Physician Affairs Committee, an arm of the Jacksonville-Onslow Chamber of Commerce that’s teamed up with officials at Onslow Memorial Hospital not only to get physicians and health-care professionals to come and see the hospital, but also to take a look at the community.
“Our CEO, Dr. Ed Piper, told the chamber board that we were working on a medical staff development plan and working to increase the size and scope of our staff,” says Tim Strickland, director of public relations and marketing for Onslow Memorial. “Then other members of the board had a discussion about the economic impact of physicians in the community, and eventually this committee was formed.”
When the hospital uses professional recruitment firms to bring in doctors, much time is spent showing off the hospital’s many features. By connecting those visitors with chamber members and others who can highlight the entire community, as well as target specific areas of interest such as parks and recreation, the arts and schools, the physician and his or her family can get a much deeper impression of the area.
When a physician has agreed to a site visit, he or she is sent a questionnaire that gauges a variety of interests. Then some side trips are set up in addition to meetings with the hospital staff.
“We have a good track record for recruiting, well above the national average,” Strickland says. “But this really enhances that effort. Now when we get them here, we’ll have information about each physician and his or her family. We’ll have an idea of their personal interests, whether it’s fishing, soccer, drama, theater, horses or NASCAR, and connect them with people who can speak to those activities.”
A group comprised of physicians’ spouses, the Onslow County Medical Society Alliance, had begun similar efforts and now has joined forces with the committee to further enhance the process.
“They’ve been doing a great job helping spouses feel comfortable about moving to our community, and we’re doing an even better job of recruitment because of the alliance and their involvement in the program,” Strickland says.
Not only will this effort help with recruitment and retention of physicians, it also can be replicated for other business sectors and even bolster tourism efforts, says Mona Padrick, president of the chamber.
“This can be used across the whole gamut of jobs in the area that are executive-level positions,” Padrick says. “And because there are sometimes challenges with attracting people to those positions in many different market sectors, this is a solution that brought a lot of people together, and is a very sustainable program for the future.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Ian Curcio
