If That Happened to You, Here is Why and What You Need to do “Right Now!”
How an organization manages during a time of crisis can be extremely revealing and is a time when culture and core values shine the most. Offers have been pulled, new recruitment has been put on hold, all of us should helping to figure out what they need to do to be part of the solution, all of which is understandable.
Very tough decisions have been made that were unavoidable but the way they did it reflects their corporate culture. Those that do it well will be rewarded with loyalty and those that don’t,.. Well, at least you have been exposed to what they are really made of.
We are seeing the very best and worst in organizations. Among the worst is where organizations have made little or no effort at all in supporting their physician medical staff, even cutting salaries by 80% or more with no warning and leaving their physicians to fend for themselves. It is disheartening to hear stories of how poorly people have been treated.
Don’t just brush off how badly they treated people as an honest mistake, they chose their systemic behavior and it is very telling. Core values should be how you do things both when people are looking and more importantly, when they aren’t.
For those that have been treated poorly, many will understandably seek better organizations to align with and a few will see this as a challenge and opportunity if they stay.
Understanding the Why
If your offer was pulled, first try to understand why they had to pull the contract. Below are a few reasons they may have needed to rescind your offer or contract:
- Current physicians are now asking hospitals to hold off on adding new physicians until they have fully recovered and are again seeing stability in their own volume and finances.
- Hospitals and groups may not have the financial ability or the short term ability or appetite to take on the investment and risk of adding new physicians for absolutely legitimate reasons. Remember, hospitals usually rely on 70-85% of their revenue coming from electives and diagnostic services and those have been nearly non-existent for nearly 3 months. Many of the best hospitals and health systems have made commitments to their staff and employed physicians to maintain everyone on payroll throughout this crises which of course is the right thing to do if they can, but carries significant risk.
Like most businesses, their immediate focus must be on preserving cash, managing risks, and figuring out the fastest and safest ways to get back to “situation normal.” All while simultaneously trying to figure out how to recover any losses. Basic triage applies here: “The Greatest Good, for the Greatest Number.”
Uncertainty is really scary! How fast will surgeons and proceduralists be able to get their electives back on track? Terry Neill, MD added, “Physicians have to be prepared for another month or two (hopefully not more) before their case volume is somewhat back to normal.”
Dr. Neill also stated that he “feels very fortunate” to be affiliated and employed with a large national medical group that made a very powerful commitment to all of its’ employed medical staff early in the crisis.
Terry Neill, MD, FASPR
Neurology
MedCV Physician Advisory Board Member
Essential to ensuring success in re-starting services and the entire medical economy, hospital and health system leadership teams are involving BOTH employed and private physician leaders to help guide organization’s in the re-opening of cases. This of course has to be individualized to the resources of particular health care systems and communities. It’s important to remember, something of this magnitude has never been done before so there will likely be a few bumps in the road ahead. Figuring out rapid testing and processes will be key as well, “if you don’t know who is sick that’s rolling through your doors, you will never get this started,” he continued.
Then there is the biggest question of all, “What will happen in the fall?” Will everyone be prepared? Is it even possible to be fully prepared? These questions are equally valid for physician practices and hospitals.
What Are the Very Best Organizations Doing?
We wanted to learn more about how the very best organizations have managed so far during this crisis. In addition to Dr. Neill, we spoke with several MedCV Top Employer Partners across the country including Jason Junker with AdventHealth in central Florida.
“At AdventHealth, we were certainly affected by COVID 19 in numerous ways, like every other hospital. At the start of the pandemic, the organization committed to all staff positions and we have not furloughed nor let any employees go to date. That speaks to the organization’s financial stability. Of course, business decisions are now being made for cost savings and our provider opportunities are being analyzed to only keep the ones active that are essential (based on quality, coverage needs or cost savings). This will last a period of time and certainly makes sense. “
“What is important and certainly speaks to the organization’s integrity is that we stayed committed to ANY provider who had an offer in hand, a signed letter of intent or those who were in a contract phase. No offer was pulled back on a provider once the pandemic hit. ”
Jason Junker, MA, FASPR
AdventHealth
Director | Provider Recruitment
“We also stayed committed to any provider who had a verbal offer and keep moving forward. I am proud to work for an organization who found it most important to keep integrity in the process and still make the proper business decisions.”
First Physicians Group (FPG) of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is another outstanding example where they put their medical staff first. Word gets out quickly when an organization cares. Joelle Hennesey with FPG, stated that they too have kept all their promises to candidates and are continuing to recruit.
FPG is seeing a significant increase in applicants from not only new residents, fellows, and practicing physicians that had their offers rescinded, but also from physicians that are now experiencing first hand the business and personal financial risks of not being with a larger stable employed model.
Joelle Hennesey, MHA, FASPR
Senior Manager, Physician Services
Joelle is also hearing stories from candidates that never thought they would leave where they are now, stating that “This has made us realize how much they don’t care.”
Physicians should be aware of the type of positive activity seen with the very best organizations like AdventHealth and First Physicians Group when they are looking for new opportunities, as this will not be the only crisis or pandemic in many of our careers.
AdventHealth and First Physicians Group are exceptional examples of what we have learned but the story of transparency and loyalty is consistent within all of the very best organizations that live up to their commitment to their core values and culture. We have certainly seen this throughout our MedCV Top Employer Network.
So Now What Should You Do if the Job You Planned on Starting Vanished?
First, if you had a second choice you were considering, call that recruiter immediately!
Be prepared to fight for this new job. You might actually face competition like physicians have never seen before because everyone else might be doing the same thing.
“CV submittals are up between 20%-30% per month in March, April and May as compared to same time last year as a result of physicians seeking new jobs due to the COVID situation” stated Joelle. “There are also more physicians wanting to go from private practice to being employed with a larger group than we have ever seen” Joelle continued.
Organizations are now having to re-evaluate their recruitment demand resulting in fewer jobs as well! When you factor in the human need for safety and security, jobs with the very best organizations are becoming more scarce by the hour.
If you are now serious about looking elsewhere, we strongly recommend you get in the “Que” NOW by applying and making some calls. Timing is everything!
This might also be a great time to find an organization that may indeed now need new “physician leadership” to help them get back on track quickly. Kurt Scott, founder and CEO of The Physician Leadership Career Network, said, “If you want to take on a leadership position, you need to have your plan together including a solid history of past performance with the details to back it up. The competition is as competitive.as it has ever been.” If this is a challenge you are interested in, your timing might be just right. Check out the leadership job postings from the PLC Career Network on MedCV.
Inside your MedCV Vault, you can quickly apply to jobs with a “click” and easily track all the jobs you have applied to. The organizations below represent a sample of MedCV Sponsor Partners that have demonstrated that they are living up to their core values.
Click Here or on the logo image to learn more about who these great organizations are and if that “trusted” next opportunity is still available.
MedCV Tips & Updates 