Survey: New Doctors Receive 50 or More Job Solicitations While in Training

IRVING, Texas, Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Over 75 percent of newly minted physicians received at least 50 job solicitations during their training, and close to half received 100 or more, according to a new survey conducted by Merritt, Hawkins, a national physician search firm and a company of AMN Healthcare.

"Even in a stagnant economy, new doctors are being recruited like blue chip athletes," notes James Merritt, founder of Merritt Hawkins.  "There are simply not enough physicians coming out of training to fill all the available openings."

The Merritt Hawkins survey asked over 300 physicians in their final year of training how many times they had been contacted by recruiters seeking to interest them in jobs, by telephone, email or regular mail.  Seventy-eight percent said that they had received 50 or more job solicitations during the course of their training, while 47 percent said they had received 100 or more job solicitations.  

According to Merritt, a national physician shortage is responsible for the large number of job solicitations directed at new doctors.  The number of new physicians being trained in the United States has remained flat for over 20 years while the general population has become both larger and, on average, older, driving the need for doctors upward.  

Despite a favorable job market, however, some new doctors are unhappy about their choice of a profession, according to Merritt.  The survey asked new doctors if they would study medicine if they had their education to do over again, or if they would select another field.  Close to one-third of physicians surveyed (28 percent) said they would select another field, up from 18 percent in a similar survey Merritt Hawkins conducted in 2008.

The survey also conveys some bad news for rural areas, which traditionally have had a hard time attracting newly trained physicians.  Only four percent of doctors surveyed by Merritt, Hawkins said they would prefer to practice in communities of 25,000 people or less.  In addition, only one percent of physicians said they would prefer a solo practice, while 32 percent said they would prefer to be employed by a hospital, up from 22% in 2008.    

A summary of Merritt, Hawkins' 2011 Survey of Final-Year Medical Residents can be accessed at www.merritthawkins.com or by calling (800) 876-0500.  

About Merritt Hawkins & Associates.

Merritt Hawkins is the largest physician search and consulting firm in the United States and is a division of AMN Healthcare (NYSE: AHS), the largest health care staffing company in the nation.

SOURCE Merritt Hawkins & Associates