Physician Search Timeline Estimator

Estimate time-to-fill for a physician search by specialty, geography, and engagement type. Benchmarks based on AAMC, SullivanCotter, MGMA, and our own placement data.

Average time-to-fill by engagement type

• Retained recruiter search — 90 to 150 days from kickoff to signed offer
• Contingency recruiter search — 120 to 240 days
• Internal HR search (no external recruiter) — 180 to 270 days

Adjustments by specialty

• Primary care (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics) — 90 to 120 days
• Hospitalist, Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry — 120 to 150 days
• Surgical subspecialties (Orthopedic, Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic) — 150 to 270 days
• Leadership (CMO, Department Chief, Medical Director) — 150 to 270 days
• Rural and critical-access placements — add 30 to 90 days

Cost of vacancy reminder

Each day a physician seat sits empty costs a typical hospital $5,000 to $15,000 in lost professional revenue, downstream referrals, and locum coverage. A $50,000 to $75,000 recruiter fee for a $250,000-base primary care physician typically pays for itself within 30 to 60 days of the new physician's start date.