Physician Recruitment

PhysicianRecruitment.com is a dedicated physician recruiting firm placing MDs and DOs across every specialty in all 50 states. We recruit permanent, locum, and telehealth positions for hospitals, health systems, academic medical centers, FQHCs, and physician practices. Our recruiters are physician-recruitment specialists — not generalists — and the firm has placed thousands of physicians since 2006.

We combine an experienced human physician recruiter team with AI-assisted candidate matching to source faster, screen deeper, and reduce time-to-hire. Hospitals partner with us for hard-to-fill specialties, rural placements, leadership searches, and high-volume health system staffing. Physicians work with us because we maintain real relationships, protect confidentiality, and only present opportunities that fit their career, family, and compensation goals.

Why Healthcare Organizations Choose PhysicianRecruitment.com

Hospitals and physician practices face a structural physician shortage projected by the Association of American Medical Colleges to reach 37,800 to 124,000 unfilled physician positions by 2034. Internal HR teams average 180 to 270 days to fill a permanent physician role. Every day a physician seat is empty costs a typical hospital $5,000 to $15,000 in lost revenue, downstream referrals, and locum coverage.

PhysicianRecruitment.com cuts that timeline by 30 to 50 percent. We maintain a warm, continuously-refreshed pipeline of more than one million physicians and advanced practice providers — most of them passive candidates not visible on public job boards. When an employer engages us, we don't start a search from zero; we activate relationships we already have and run a structured 90-to-150-day process from kickoff to signed contract.

We work both retained and contingency. Retained search is best for hard-to-fill specialties, leadership roles, confidential searches, and rural or critical-access placements where exclusive, dedicated recruiter focus is required. Contingency search is best for common specialties and urban markets where multiple sources are viable. Either way, the fee is paid by the hiring organization and typically lands between 20 and 30 percent of the placed physician's first-year compensation.

Physician Specialties We Recruit

If a specialty isn't listed, ask — our recruiter team has filled searches across virtually every recognized physician specialty and subspecialty in the United States.

Physician Placement Types

Our Physician Recruiting Process

  1. Kickoff and intake (Week 1): We meet with the hiring leadership to define the position, compensation model, call structure, ideal candidate profile, geographic flex, and timeline. We also confirm credentialing, licensing, and visa-sponsorship parameters.
  2. Sourcing and screening (Weeks 2-6): We activate our physician database, run targeted outreach to passive candidates, and screen for board status, malpractice history, references, and personal fit. Only physicians who pass our internal screen reach the employer.
  3. Interviews and site visits (Weeks 6-10): We coordinate phone screens, virtual interviews, and on-site visits with the medical staff and administration. We manage spousal travel, community tours, and competing-offer situations in real time.
  4. Offer, contract, and onboarding (Weeks 10-16): We support offer structure, contract review coordination, credentialing handoff, and start-date logistics. Most placements close within 90 to 150 days from kickoff.

FAQ

What is physician recruitment?

Physician recruitment is the process of sourcing, screening, and placing board-certified MDs and DOs into hospital, health-system, or medical-group positions. It typically involves needs assessment, candidate sourcing (active and passive), credential verification, interview coordination, contract negotiation, and credentialing handoff.

How much does it cost to hire a physician through a recruiter?

Recruiter fees typically run 20 to 30 percent of the placed physician's first-year compensation — about $50,000 to $75,000 for a $250,000 base salary. The fee is paid by the hiring organization, never the physician. Retained engagements charge an upfront retainer (about one-third of the fee); contingency engagements charge nothing unless a placement is made.

How long does a physician search take?

Most permanent physician searches close in 90 to 150 days from engagement to signed offer. Primary care averages 90 to 120 days; surgical subspecialties, leadership roles, and rural placements typically take 150 to 270 days. Internal HR teams without specialized recruiter support average 180 to 270 days.

Are physicians charged any fee?

No. PhysicianRecruitment.com is 100 percent free for physicians. All fees are paid by the hiring employer. Physician confidentiality is protected at every step — we never share a physician's identity or current employer with anyone without explicit consent.

Do you recruit for telehealth and locum positions too?

Yes. We place physicians in permanent W-2 and partnership roles, as well as locum-tenens coverage and full-time or hybrid telehealth positions across psychiatry, primary care, radiology, dermatology, and other tele-friendly specialties.

Physician Compensation and Market Context

Physician compensation in the United States is benchmarked annually by MGMA, AMGA, AAMC, and Merritt Hawkins. Median 2024 base compensation by representative specialty: Family Medicine $265,000; Internal Medicine $275,000; Hospitalist $310,000; Emergency Medicine $385,000; Psychiatry $290,000; OB/GYN $345,000; General Cardiology $510,000; Interventional Cardiology $675,000; Orthopedic Surgery $625,000; Dermatology $445,000; Anesthesiology $420,000; Diagnostic Radiology $495,000; Gastroenterology $510,000. wRVU-based incentive structures typically add 10 to 35 percent to base, depending on productivity and call coverage.

Signing bonuses, relocation packages, loan-repayment assistance, and quality-incentive programs are increasingly part of the total package — particularly in rural, critical-access, and federal-shortage-designation roles. NHSC (National Health Service Corps) loan repayment can add up to $50,000 to $75,000 over two years for primary care physicians serving HPSA-designated facilities. State and federal J-1 visa waiver programs (Conrad State 30, HRSA) open additional pathways for international medical graduates serving underserved areas.

Geographic and Practice-Setting Coverage

We recruit physicians for hospitals, health systems, multispecialty groups, single-specialty practices, FQHCs, academic medical centers, VA medical centers, and Indian Health Service facilities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. We have particularly deep candidate pipelines in Texas, California, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Tennessee, and Washington — but we have placed physicians in every state, including hard-to-reach rural and frontier markets.

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