Did you attend Cejka Search's AMGA 2010 presentation?

We would like to open this blog as a forum for further discussion of the AMGA 2010 presentation “A Commitment to Retention: Recruiting Best Practices and Highlights from the 2009 Physician Retention Survey” featuring Dr. J. Gregory Stovall of Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics and Ms. Lori Schutte of Cejka Search.

We would like to hear from you what recruitment and retention strategies have worked for you this past year given the difficult economy?

Any additional thoughts and feedback about the presentation are welcome!

Are you attending the AMGA 2010 Annual Conference in New Orleans?

The Cejka Search team hopes to see you in New Orleans, LA at the AMGA 2010 Annual Conference taking place March 17-20, 2010.

Don’t miss the session “A Commitment to Retention: Recruiting Best Practices and Highlights from the 2009 Physician Retention Survey” on Friday, March 19 at 3:45p.m., which features Dr. J. Gregory Stovall, Sr. VPMA and Director of Organization Development, Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics and Lori Schutte, President, Cejka Search.

More than just a simple recount of the 2009 Physician Retention Survey’s facts and figures, Dr. Stovall and Ms. Schutte will highlight recruitment and retention strategies that have succeeded for AMGA members in this difficult economy, share how to put those strategies in action for your organization, and provide a case study showing how a best practice recruitment and leadership development program succeeded in significantly improved retention. AMGA members attending the session will receive a complimentary electronic copy of the 2008 survey and 2009 supplement.

If you cannot attend the session, we hope you will stop by Booth 220 to register to win a $500 AMEX Gift Card and visit with the Cejka Search team:

Lori Schutte, President, Cejka Search
Mary Barber, VP, Recruitment Partnerships and Marketing, Cejka Search
Michael Dunford, EVP, Managing Principal, Cejka Executive Search
Lois Dister, EVP, Managing Principal, Cejka Executive Search
Brian McCartie, VP Business Development, Cejka Search
Jessica Prince, Regional Sales Director, Physician Staffing & Recruiting, Cejka Search
Vivian Luce, Regional Sales Director, Physician Staffing & Recruiting, Cejka Search
Rob Henges, Regional Sales Director, Physician Staffing & Recruiting, Cejka Search


We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Are you attending the MGMA meeting in Denver?

The Cejka Search team hopes to see you in Denver, CO at the MGMA Annual meeting taking place October 11-14, 2009.

While you are there, be sure to attend the session presented by Brian McCartie, Vice President Business Development, on “Ready for Retirement? How To Keep the Physicians You Have and Hire the Ones You Want” on October 12, 2009. In this session, Brian will discuss strategies that enable hospitals and health systems to effectively recruit and retain physicians in a time of shortage, with a specific focus on contrasting what comparable groups are doing to keep pre-retirement physicians engaged, how Stark rules can help to attract top candidates, and advice for implementing a ‘how-to’ recruitment guide.

Be sure to also visit the rest of the Cejka Search team at Booth #1425:

• Lori Schutte, President, Cejka Search
• Brian McCartie, Vice President Business Development, Physician Staffing and Recruiting
• Jessica Prince, Regional Sales Director, Physician Staffing and Recruiting
• Mike Hill, Vice President, Practice Leader, Executive Search

Cejka Search is proud to be a Gold Affiliate Member of the MGMA.

We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Experts to Highlight Key Trends in Physician and Healthcare Executive Recruitment, Leadership and Compensation

Cejka Search Presents Expertise in Physician Recruitment and Retention Strategies, Approaches for Academic Leadership Development, and Physician Executive Compensation

St. Louis, (September 16, 2009) – Cejka Search, a national physician and healthcare executive search firm, has been instrumental in providing expert presenters and support for recent and upcoming forums this fall. These include those hosted by: Association for Staff Physician Recruiters (ASPR); Southwind Health Partners LLC; Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC); Medical Group Management Association (MGMA); HealthLeaders Media; and the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE). To view select content available in the Cejka Search Healthcare Executive Library, visit www.CejkaSearch.com/resources/healthcarelibrary/default.htm.

Association for Staff Physician Recruiters (ASPR) 16th Annual Educational Forum, Minneapolis, MN, August 30–September 2, 2009
Cejka Search was recognized for supporting ASPR as a Gold Level Corporate Contributor and participant in ASPR’s 2009 Annual Forum, “Beyond Titles, Toward Impact – Recruiters as Organizational Leaders.”

Southwind Physician Leadership College, Nashville, TN, September 16-18, 2009
Brian McCartie, Vice President Business Development, and Randy Gott, Senior Vice President, Southwind Health Partners L.L.C., will present “Keys to Successfully Recruiting and Retaining Physicians in the Physician Enterprise” on September 17, 2009. McCartie and Gott will discuss current healthcare market realities and provide strategies for effective physician recruitment and retention in a hospital employed environment.

Association of American Medical Colleges Roundtable for Executive Search Consultants Who Work with Academic Medical Centers, Washington, DC, September 23, 2009
Deedra Hartung, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, will participate in a roundtable discussion of “The State of the Leadership Search Process in Medical Schools and Teaching Hospitals” on September 23, 2009. Hartung will share her professional expertise in the academic medical arena, focusing specifically upon best practice executive search methodologies and executive leadership development strategies.

Medical Group Management Association Annual Conference, Denver, CO, October 11-14, 2009
Cejka Search is proud to be a Gold Affiliate Member of the MGMA. Brian McCartie, Vice President Business Development, will present “Ready for Retirement? How To Keep the Physicians You Have and Hire the Ones You Want” on October 12, 2009. McCartie will discuss strategies that enable hospitals and health systems to effectively recruit and retain physicians in a time of shortage, with a specific focus on contrasting what comparable groups are doing to keep pre-retirement physicians engaged, how Stark rules can help to attract top candidates, and advice for implementing a ‘how-to’ recruitment guide.

HealthLeaders Media ’09: The Hospital of the Future Now, Chicago, IL, October 15-16
Cejka Search is proud to sponsor for the second year this important industry event which provides attendees with actionable strategies in such areas as improving the patient experience, attracting top talent, and creating a culture of innovation. The event also honors the winners of the 2009 Top Leadership Teams in Healthcare Awards Program which recognizes outstanding senior healthcare leadership.


Southwind Institute for Senior Health Systems Executives, Optimizing the Value of the Employed Physician Enterprise, Nashville, TN, November 4-6, 2009
The Southwind Health Partners event is designed specifically for non-profit health system C-Suite executives and has a focus on strategic, operational and financial success factors for the employed physician enterprise. Brian McCartie, Vice President Business Development will participate in two roundtable discussions on “Recruiting Physicians to the Employed Physician Group.”

American College of Physician Executives 2009 Fall Institute, Tucson, AZ, November 14-19, 2009
Lois Dister, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, will facilitate an interactive panel presentation of key findings and recommendations from the 2009 Physician Executive Compensation Survey by Cejka Search and the American College of Physician Executives on November 16. Participants will engage with a panel of physician executives who will discuss the survey findings as they pertain to their organization’s objectives and strategic planning.


About Cejka Search
Cejka Search is a nationally recognized healthcare executive and physician search organization providing services exclusively to the healthcare industry for more than twenty-five years. Partnering with our client organizations to identify and present only the best healthcare talent, Cejka Search completes assignments across all levels of the healthcare continuum and is a market leader in providing flexible, innovative healthcare search and recruitment services. Cejka Search is a Cross Country Healthcare, Inc. (Nasdaq: CCRN) company, a diversified leader in healthcare staffing services.

For more information, contact Nancy Burns, Cejka Search, at nburns@cejkasearch.com or 314-726-1603. Follow us on Twitter: @cejkasearch

How to Prepare a C.V. and Cover Letter that Gets Attention

The Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) of a physician differs from other industry professionals in that it contains a factual presentation of your professional history and accomplishments, going into detail only when necessary to provide further explanation. However, the cover letter that accompanies your C.V. continues to serve the function of summarizing and presenting key accomplishments, and conveying who you are as a doctor and a person.

Knowing how to organize and present your thoughts on paper is a must. Here's some advice to help guide you as you write your cover letter and C.V.

Cover Letter

• One page only; the more focused, the better.
• Address your letter to a specific individual at the prospective employer’s organization or physician recruiter's firm. "To whom it may concern" letters are responded to last. If you don't know whom to contact, phone the organization and ask for a suggestion.
• Highlight your strengths. Include not only your clinical skills, but also your leadership ability and people skills. Be enthusiastic and convey your passion for medicine and helping patients.
• Describe your current work environment and relevant patient care experience. If your productivity as measured in patients seen per day or revenue generated is impressive, cite those results.
• Explain your particular philosophy for patient care. If you've received high scores on patient-satisfaction surveys, be sure to include these statistics.
• Point out personal interests and hobbies, which help to humanize you and can be used as topics of conversation during an interview. For example, if you're drawn to the employer's locale because you love the outdoors, be sure to mention this.

C.V.

• It should be two to three pages at most.
• Center your name, address, phone, and email address at the top.
• List your education in chronological order beginning with most recent on the left; institutions in the center; and degrees, residencies and fellowships on the right.
• Provide details on your licensure and certification.
• Cite your work experience, with dates on the left; employers, positions and special responsibilities on the right. A common mistake is to note responsibilities and skills separately at the top of the C.V., and then list employers, positions and dates later. It will be clearer if they are combined.
• Fill in any gaps in your work history and be sure to account for all your time.
• If you have significant committee experience, cite committee names, dates, and goals. Briefly describe your roles.
• If you’ve had professional articles published, indicate the publications noting that they're available on request. If you're trying for an academic job, list article titles, publications and dates.
• Mention your honors and awards. If you were selected for Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society or as chief resident, include it. These honors are meaningful and impressive.
• List three to four professional references including their names, titles, organizations, addresses, and phone numbers. If you're a resident, it is best to ask your chief resident, program director, and the attending physicians with whom you interact. Fellow residents and nurses are considered personal, not professional, references.
• Retire the line, "References are available on request." Naming names says that those people will speak well of you. Ask their permission first and brief them on the types of positions for which you are applying. It’s also a good idea to get a general idea of what they'll say.
• Proofread your cover letter and CV carefully! Misspellings and grammatical errors are never acceptable. Unclear language, poor organization and formatting blunders such as misaligned columns or inconsistencies in spacing look sloppy and inevitably reflect poorly on you. If necessary, ask a friend to proofread for you – this will help bring any errors to light and help you to make your best first impression.