Australia has many rural hospitals, some situated in very remote locations, offering vital services to small communities which are isolated and have limited access to medical services. The rural hospitals provide a lifeline. Staffed predominantly by experienced general practitioners, often supported by resident medical officers and full time or visiting specialists, these hospitals provide services in primary care, emergency medicine and resuscitation and sometimes obstetrics and minor surgical procedures. 

The Recruitment Brief

Odyssey Recruitment was contacted by a rural hospital in Western Australia struggling to fill shifts in its 24 / 7 emergency department. Unable to recruit sufficient permanent staff to run the department, the hospital relied upon filing a percentage of day and night shifts with locums who were an assortment of general practitioners with additional emergency medicine qualifications and experienced registrars in emergency medicine.

Christmas was approaching and many shifts were unfilled. This spelled trouble as Esperance in the Goldfields region of Western Australia is a popular holiday destination. An absolute haven of natural wonders, it has an abundance of white-sand beaches, rugged national parks and the clearest ocean water and is a favourite spot for surfers and nature lovers.

Odyssey's brief was to source a candidate with the right to work in Australia, registration with the AHPRA and sufficient emergency medicine experience to manage the steady flow of patients in the emergency department at one of its busiest times.

The Recruitment Strategy

As time was of the essence, and the odds of securing a candidate available over the Christmas and New Year holidays seemed remote, the recruitment strategy had to focus on the rapid sourcing and screening of candidates, swiftly excluding those curious but unqualified or unavailable for the job.

A digital campaign was initiated with geographical targeting across Australia to attract qualified candidates located both locally within Western Australia and in states far away. Candidates are often reluctant to travel long distances for locum work but the above average remuneration, interstate travel allowances, free accommodation and scenic location were incentives. 

Surprisingly, success was swift. An emergency medicine registrar preparing for FACEM exams whilst working in New South Wales was interested. He had close friends living in Esperance, longed to visit them and yet never had the opportunity. This was his perfect chance to enjoy a working holiday, gathering up his family and dogs for the long drive across the outback over to Western Australia's southern coast, for a couple of weeks of surfing and swimming interspersed with shifts in the emergency department.

The hospital was delighted to receive his CV and copies credentials and following a quick credentialing process, signed him up with a Medical Services Agreement (MSA) and a series of shifts supplemented with accommodation and travel expenses. The physician commenced his long journey from New South Wales to Western Australia by road, beginning an adventure which saw him fall in love with the natural beauty of this large but sparsely populated and isolated state.

Following an enjoyable family holiday with friends steeped in the stunning beaches and flora of Esperance, the physician returned for many more shifts at this small but modern and well equipped hospital over the following months. The hospital was impressed with his clinical skills and the consistency of his services facilitated the continuity of the emergency services.

Key Takeaways

• a targeted digital strategy is important to geo locate candidates and should include areas far from the location of the job and yet still within national boundaries, because a few candidates are willing to travel to take up locum positions.
• a personal contact within a location or an interest or hobby associated with an area can be a strong motivator to accepting the job, affording an opportunity to blend work with socialising or the enjoyment of a leisure activity
• small rural hospitals offer emergency medicine physicians in training the opportunity to take on additional responsibilities, learn new skills and experience clinical cases which are not available in the metropolitan hospitals
• The MSA provides flexibility for booking further shifts and developing a long term relationship between hospital and physician to the mutual benefit of both
• Travel and accommodation expenses are incentives for attracting candidates

If you have a difficult to fill position, the team at Odyssey Recruitment is eager to share our expertise and execute our proven digital recruitment strategy. Contact us today to begin a dedicated medical recruitment partnership.