| Newsletter 2006
Winter 2006 Articles
Autumn 2006
A Conversation with David Weber, M.D. on Physician Recruitment
 Wenatchee Valley Medical Center is currently recruiting a large number of physicians. We talked to CEO and Chairman of the Board Dr. David Weber about the physician recruitment effort.
How many doctors is WVMC currently recruiting?
We’re currently recruiting 23 physicians.
Why is physician recruitment important?
Simply stated, we have to be sufficiently staffed or we can’t provide adequate access and appropriate levels of care to our patients. Physicians are the key primary caregivers for healthcare and because of the level of training and national demand they are the most challenging to recruit.
What are the factors effecting physician shortages?
There are a lot of factors. Population demographics drive some of the demand for care. There are 80 million aging baby boomers and in addition the population in the U.S. is approaching 300 million, so we just have a lot more people than we’ve had before. That drives the need for doctors. The sophistication of care, treatment options and diagnostic testing has also increased utilization by this growing population.
Another factor is that physicians as a group are older than the average workforce. A large percentage of American physicians are in their fifties and a lot of them are going to be retiring soon. In general, physicians are also retiring earlier than they used to. The challenges of practice, risk of malpractice suits, and economic factors all promote earlier retirement.
For us in rural locations another factor comes in to play and that’s the maldistribution of doctors. Doctors tend to want to live and practice in large metropolitan areas instead of rural areas like ours. That puts us on the short end of the stick, so to speak.
What do you look for in a good physician candidate?
Understandably they have to be technically good, knowledgeable, and well trained in their particular area of specialty or subspecialty. Beyond that we look for people who fit well with us. We want people who are willing to work as a member of a team, willing to share, and willing to treat partners, patients, and employees in a collegial and caring manner. We also want them be diligent care providers. Providing high quality health care includes being there to see the patient, even if it’s five o’clock.
Why would doctors want to practice at WVMC when they could practice anywhere?
We have a combination of factors that are very attractive to physicians. We have an organization that is well run and financially sound
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