Physician recruiting is Steve Jacobs’ passion. He’s worked in the industry for twelve years and says, “Finding the right fit for my hospital and our community is the best part of my job.” He is the sole physician recruiter for Good Samaritan Health System, a hospital employer group located in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country in the Lebanon Valley. Jacobs is proud to be associated with Good Samaritan Health System and looks forward to its continued growth and excellence when they merge with Wellspan Health over the next few months.

His Biggest Recruitment Challenge

Finding physicians to work in obscure, out of the way places they have never even heard of before.

Jacobs has earned his stripes getting physicians to do just that, too. As a “department of one,” Steve says his challenge has also become his specialty: “Putting physician opportunities together into a package that sells all of the important parts of the hospital along with the surrounding area—not to mention ensuring the candidates are the right psychological fit for the community and the staff.” Good Samaritan is close to several large cities including Baltimore, New York, Washington DC, and Hershey, Pennsylvania, and that holds great appeal, but many physicians who hail from the Midwest are interested because they can buy land and have a farm in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Physicians also like the sense of community that comes with working in rural Pennsylvania.

Putting Doximity Talent Finder to Work

"I focus first on the geography and ties to the area. Perhaps a physician graduated from an area where an opportunity I’m recruiting for exists. If you target every candidate out there on every other database, the quality of your candidates will suffer. That’s what I call garbage in, garbage out.” Jacobs says. “I pay attention to the little details. Does the candidate have “If you target every candidate out there on every other database, the quality of candidates will suffer. That’s what I call garbage in, garbage out.” Jacobs says. “I pay attention to the little details. Does a candidate have links to the PA area? What hospitals or medical groups is he/she affiliated with? What about clinic size? What fits their current MO?”

Jacobs also acknowledges some obvious trends. I may get a doctor or two in California who’s interested, but overall I don’t go after them: they just can’t be expected to move here and live in the kind of weather we experience here,” says Jacobs.

Using Doximity Talent Finder: Jacob's Top Tips:

1. Personalize, personalize, personalize! A DocMail from me might read: ‘Hello from the Lebanon Valley! How are things in Adam’s County?’
2. Pay attention to physicians who are passive candidates; put something of interest in front of them and add them to your pipeline. It takes some time, but it works