- Physicians
- Organizational Leadership
- Healthcare Executives
- Physician Leaders
- Nursing Leadership
- Higher Education Faculty and University Leadership
- Advanced Practitioners
Jordan Search Consultants provides the best recruitment services to both clients and candidates by building dynamic and effective teams in a variety of settings. We achieve this through:
- Integrity, professionalism, and persistence
- A streamlined, strategic approach to recruitment
- Customized recruitment solutions
- Services that range from candidate sourcing to complete turnkey solutions
About You
Is your organization seeking access to top talent?
Does your organization want to enhance retention rates?
Is maximizing recruitment effectiveness a priority?
Do you seek candidates who fit your organization’s unique corporate culture?
Is your organization a:
- Integrated Health System/Hospital?
- Medical Group?
- Academic Institution?
- IPA, ACO, HMO, Health Plan?
- Nonprofit (Hospice, FQHC, Community Health Center)?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re in the right place. When you partner with Jordan Search Consultants, our expert consultants become a part of your recruitment team. And, our ability to customize recruitment solutions to fit your evolving staffing needs provides you with a distinct competitive advantage.
A Few Recent Placement Successes
Healthcare Providers
University of Colorado
Internal Medicine Physician
Denver, CO
Rainbow Hospice
Lead Palliative Medicine Physician
Mount Prospect, IL
Marin General Hospital
Physician Assistant – Surgical
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
SIU School of Medicine
Family Medicine Physician
Springfield, IL
Executive
Rainbow Hospice
Associate Medical Director
Mount Prospect, IL
SIU School of Medicine
Chair Department of Psychiatry
Director of Neuro-oncology
Chief of Orthopedics
Springfield, IL
Are your recruitment strategies working to drive revenue?
If not, we can help. Fill out the form to connect with us and receive a free recruitment assessment for your organization.
Or call us at 866-750-7231.
Recent Posts
The Rising Need for Psychiatrists
As a healthcare recruitment firm, we’ve recently seen a tremendous increase in psychiatrist searches. In fact, psychiatry is currently the third most recruited position in the country, falling just behind family medicine and internal medicine. Why? The answer is twofold.
Psychiatry is becoming progressively more important in society.
Becker’s Hospital Review states that one out of five American adults experience a mental illness every year. This statistic rings louder than ever before as popular culture—such as the recent Netflix series “13 Reasons Why”—sheds light on the realities of mental health. Such movements to destigmatize mental illness have helped to encourage those in need of psychiatric care to seek it. Plus, more people in general are prioritizing their mental health. A recent national survey found that 90 percent of people value mental health and physical health equally, and 93 percent of people said they’d intervene if they discovered someone close to them was contemplating suicide. Ultimately, the public is becoming more aware, more educated, and more accepting of mental illness.
While the population is growing, the psychiatry field is shrinking.
The April 2017 issue of Academic Psychiatry illustrates that the U.S. has seen about a 37 percent population increase in the past 20 years, while the psychiatry field has increased only by 12 percent. We are seeing the effects of this now as 55 percent of U.S. counties currently do not have psychiatrists and the national average wait for a psychiatrist appointment is 25 days, according to a report conducted by the National Council for Behavioral Health. The reason for the shortage of psychiatrists boils down to the fact that as more and more psychiatrists retire, less and less students are choosing psychiatry as a profession. Industry leaders speculate that the lack of interest in the field likely stems from lower wages due to minimal reimbursement from insurance companies. Psychiatry is compensated far less than procedure-based specialties, such as cardiology or general surgery. Considering medical school students are graduating with an average of $207,000 in student loans, it’s no surprise that they are choosing fields that will allow them to pay this massive debt off at a quicker rate.
Working Toward a Solution
It has become clear that sustainable changes aimed at filling psychiatry residency spots year-after-year can only occur if all stakeholders (federal and state governments, payers, providers, provider trade associations and advocates) take action within their respective spheres of influence in the design, funding, regulation, and delivery of mental health care. Each of the stakeholders have a role and must work together to make an impact. Servicing those suffering from mental health issues must be a top priority.
Reducing Burnout in Residents and Fellows
Residents and fellows have staying power. They work extremely long hours—often without taking the time to sleep or eat. They are constantly surrounded by trauma and illness. They sacrifice time spent with friends and family to perfect their craft and pursue a dream. Becoming a physician is not for the faint of heart—and it is no wonder that resident depression, anxiety, and suicide rates have increased over time.
A Mayo Clinic study showed a strong correlation between burnout and depression, with 31% of residents screening positive for depression and 51% reporting a history of depression during residency. It is clear that rates of depression are higher in medical students and residents (15% to 30%) than in the general population. Some surveys have found that roughly 10 percent of medical students have reported having thoughts of killing themselves within the past year, which compares to 3.7 percent of the general U.S. population.
Complicating matters? Because of the significant demands on their time, residents and fellows are less likely to receive mental health treatment than members of the general population.
In years prior, there were no limits to the number of hours residents work. However, the ACGME, the governing body overseeing medical and surgical residency programs, has taken measures through the years to stunt the burnout epidemic. In 2003, with adjustments in 2011, the council imposed an 80-hour cap on the number of hours a resident can work per week, with 16 consecutive hours also serving as a limit for first-year residents (24 hours for second- and third-year residents).
To accompany these regulations, there are additional measures your organization can take to curb resident and fellow burnout.
1. Hold Special Stress-Mitigating Staff Events
Appreciation can go a long way in the medical industry. At Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, a hospital committee runs a yearly event called Paws for Pennsy (P4P), where cats and dogs are brought in for staff to enjoy.
“This definitely helps,” said Stephen Tsoukas, a medical resident at the hospital. “Hospitals are stressful. Some cases are sad. This brightens up your day.”
The UNC School of Medicine takes a similar route, hosting annual social events and activities to diminish burnout. These events include picnics, welcome and goodbye dinners, and participation in softball and kickball leagues.
2. Be Aware: Recognize Symptoms and Take Action
Residents are trained to detect signs of depression or substance abuse among patients. According to Morganna L. Freeman, DO, FACP, chair of ACP’s Council of Resident/Fellow Members and chief oncology fellow at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., this should be practiced with peers, as well.
“Our skillset as clinicians in paying attention not only to what patients say but what they don’t say or how they interact with you is something you can easily carry over to how you interact with colleagues. … We have to look out for each other,” she said.
When Dr. Freeman saw a resident exhibiting signs of depression or anxiety, she waited until rounds were over, pulled him or her aside, offered to take the next admission, and suggested a coffee break.
3. Make Communication (and well-being check-ins) Mandatory
Residents should feel comfortable speaking about their struggles. However, the current residency/fellowship climate often discourages this, leaving physicians feeling uncomfortable about sharing their failures or struggles with superiors.
A former resident’s suicide inspired Stanford’s Department of Surgery to form a wellness program that promotes psychological and physical well-being for new surgeons. A focus of the Balance in Life program includes mandatory group therapy with Lisa Post, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Post is also available for one-on-one counseling if the participants deem it necessary.
Balance in Life has implemented stress-mitigating staff events on the campus lawn, mentoring partnerships between junior and senior residents, and healthy snack-stocked fridges since its inception in 2011.
Odds are that individuals in intense residency and fellowship programs will experience some sort of burnout throughout their journey. By normalizing these feelings and behaviors—and offering outlets for communication and counsel—leading academic healthcare centers throughout the country can help to mitigate this long-standing challenge. Innovative resources, respite opportunities, and organized appreciation events will go a long way in improving the mental health and clarity of hard-working residents and physicians.
How Physicians Decide Which Specialty to Pursue
Choosing a specialty is a major step for an aspiring physician. For every student who enters medical school already knowing which type of medicine they want to practice, there are many others who are undecided and open to the myriad possibilities. Fortunately, the medical education process allows students to ‘test drive’ different specialties before selecting one in which to specialize.
It’s during these medical school rotations that students are exposed to the nuts and bolts of the various specialties. While all medical schools require third-year students to complete rotations in internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, and surgery, others also require specialties such as neurology, emergency medicine, and radiology. With so many specialties and subspecialties available, many times it’s up to the student to pursue an elective rotation, usually in the summer periods during med school. Giving students hands-on experience in different specialties goes a long way in helping them determine which specialties they may want to pursue, and just as importantly, those they do not.
Many times, choosing a specialty can be as simple as a student asking themselves what they enjoy. Do they like working with their hands and doing procedures? Then a surgical specialty may be the way to go. Do they like solving puzzles and figuring out a diagnosis? Then internal medicine may be the right choice. Other key questions that young physicians consider include the amount of time they are willing to spend in their training:
- Residencies for surgical specialties can last a minimum of six years, plus fellowship may also be required
- The amount of stress involved—ER docs must make split-second decisions that can literally be the difference between life and death
- What type of setting suits them—a large organization may be right for some, while others prefer a small private practice
With so many options, it’s by having the opportunity to work in various settings and disciplines, that physicians are able to narrow down their choices and find the one that suits them best. The shortage of, and competition for, residency slots make it less practical to pursue a specialty solely based on individual preference. Instead, physicians’ decisions may be more influenced by what’s available. Learn more about how what the residency slot shortage means for the future of healthcare—and opportunities available to future physicians—here.
Meet Our Team
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Kathy JordanFounder and CEO -
Regina LevisonVice President of Client Development -
Kristin KoppenVice President of Executive Search -
Sheila BixlerVice President of Client Services
Events & Speaking
Future Engagements
To Be Announced
Jordan Search Consultants
113 Church Street O’Fallon, Missouri 63366
call 866-750-7231 or email us
©2017 • Jordan Search Consultants
Regina Levison was the founder and president of Levison Search Associates, a California-based physician and healthcare executive search firm, for more than three decades; her firm merged with Jordan Search Consultants in 2014. Regina harnesses her in-depth knowledge and experience to develop recruitment solutions that improve revenue, quality, and retention for healthcare organizations nationwide. Frequently interviewed by the media as an established thought leader in physician recruitment, Regina has been asked to speak about healthcare staffing nationally.
For almost four decades, Kristin Koppen has been at the forefront of the recruiting industry. After an almost two-decade career in Human Resources at two major Fortune 100 companies, Kristin founded her own recruiting firm, The Koppen Group, in 1993. In 2012, after 20 years as President of The Koppen Group, she joined forces with Jordan Search Consultants. As the Director of Executive Search at Jordan Search Consultants, Kristin combines her extensive background in working with corporate and higher education clients with the ability to implement broad-based and customized executive search and recruitment strategies to meet client needs.
As the Vice President of Client Services at Jordan Search Consultants, Sheila Bixler manages search assignments, analyzes recruitment needs, and develops strategies that reduce time-to-fill and enhance retention rates for clients. Sheila’s nearly two decades of healthcare industry experience has been the impetus for several new search service lines and innovative sourcing strategies to better serve clients. In fact, Sheila designs Jordan Search Consultants’ candidate sourcing services for the company’s physician, physical therapist, pharmacist, and advanced practitioner search offerings. Clients benefit from Sheila’s tenacity and her ability to uncover both active and passive candidates to effectively fill staffing needs. She is adept at customizing recruitment solutions to best meet client goals.