Vanderbilt University Medical Center has created a centralized Physician Recruitment Office that will serve all Vanderbilt hospitals, clinics and its affiliates.
The office, which is ramping up and will eventually have a staff of 10, will provide physician candidates with a “high-touch, white glove experience” through the recruitment process, said Carey Deacon, director of the Physician Recruitment Office. The office plans to be fully staffed and helping departments with recruits by the end of February.
Deacon said that as recruitment offices become common among large medical centers, Vanderbilt’s office is essential to remain competitive by promoting the advantages of a career at Vanderbilt and life in Middle Tennessee.
“There has never been a more competitive time in physician recruitment,” said Deacon, who comes to Vanderbilt from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where she headed its recruitment office. “We want to separate ourselves from the competition, and that starts with our candidate’s first impression of Vanderbilt, which happens during their interview. We are curating an experience, showcasing Middle Tennessee and helping our candidates envision their lives here.”
“We are delighted to have Carey lead this centralized and expanded capability at VUMC,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer. “This is important because of the increasing difficult recruiting environment in certain physician specialties and because of our significant clinician growth plans.”
The idea is to take a “one Vanderbilt” approach, recruiting for prospective physicians systemwide, for faculty and non-faculty positions, whether they’re interested in working in an urban setting on the Main Campus or in a suburban or rural setting at one of Vanderbilt’s community hospitals or clinics.
The office will provide knowledge, advice and a structured approach. It will create an applicant tracking tool to guide the recruitment process.
“By providing an improved recruitment experience, we can improve our acceptance rate, and the feedback of our candidates will be stronger,” Deacon said.
Physician Recruitment Coordinators will work one on one with candidates, booking their travel, creating itineraries, offering virtual interview assistance and escorting the candidates for on-site face-to-face interviews. They will arrange community tours, appointments to view schools and provide connections with local real estate agents.
Deacon said she has met with 110 people throughout the enterprise in her first eight weeks, and has been touching base with department chairs, division chairs and administrators. Every department will have an assigned recruiter. “The Physician Recruitment Office is going to take some of the administrative burden off our physicians and their staffs,” she said.
Michael Darden, MBA, RN, vice president of Regional Ambulatory Services, welcomed Deacon to Vanderbilt.
“Carey brings a wealth of experience in physician recruitment from her years at the Mayo Clinic,” he said. “Her infectious personality and passion for creating a world-class recruitment experience are evident to everyone she meets. I am thrilled to have Carey join the Vanderbilt team.”