ATLANTA, Feb. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey from Jackson Physician Search, a permanent physician recruitment firm, and LocumTenens.com, a temporary physician staffing firm, provides fresh insights to help rural healthcare organizations make progress in resolving their chronic physician recruitment and staffing challenges. Takeaways from the study titled Rural Physician Recruitment and Staffing Survey Results suggest the market could be shifting, as 90 percent of surveyed physicians indicate they have some level of openness to considering rural practice.

"Our findings provide a recruitment roadmap for rural healthcare," said Tony Stajduhar, president of Jackson Physician Search. "Considering the reality that 20 percent of the population lives in rural areas — yet only about 10 percent of physicians practice there — combined with COVID-prompted early retirements and job changes, these new insights suggest that rural healthcare organizations can more effectively market open positions by better understanding what physicians want and need."

The recent survey of 1,311 physicians and 169 administrators, as well as 158 advanced practice providers, explored the dynamics of what it's like to work in rural, suburban and urban healthcare environments, and how physicians are thinking about rural practice opportunities. Interestingly, physicians sometimes vary in their viewpoints based on their current practice location and stage of life.

In addition, administrators were asked about the likelihood that they might consider locum tenens as part of their staffing strategies to meet the immediate needs of their communities — whether that be for a temporary gap in coverage or to mitigate the negative impact on patients and organizational revenue during a lengthy vacancy.

The new report, Rural Physician Recruitment and Staffing Survey Results, details:

Physicians' and advanced practice providers' sentiments on what they want in a permanent rural opportunity and how these compare to what administrators think
Physicians' and administrators' views on rural locum tenens, as well as recommendations for its strategic use
Insights into rural physician retention, including what physicians value most when considering whether to stay
A snapshot of how COVID-19 is impacting physician retirements and rural recruitment
Physicians are clear about what they want; administrators can take heed
The study found that physicians who are currently practicing in urban and suburban locations are looking for higher compensation, bonuses and benefits (64 percent), more flexible hours (47 percent) and improved work-life balance (46 percent), and many are open to finding those characteristics in a rural opportunity. Administrators, on the other hand, ranked compensation as the fifth most important factor, indicating there's a disconnect that must be overcome. Noted Stajduhar, "This suggests that if physicians are well paid and assured of better work-life balance, a rural location may be less of a negative factor than once believed."

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