Inactive Doctors Re-enter Medical Practice As U. S. Economic Woes Continue
Jackson & Coker Industry Report covers steps doctors are advised to take to resume medical practice and the impact of physician re-entry on the health care system.
Alpharetta, GA (Vocus) November 12, 2010
Many physicians who retired prior to the current economic downturn -- or became inactive through other circumstances -- are taking steps to re-enter the medical profession, according to a special report published in the current edition of the monthly Jackson & Coker Industry Report.
“The current economic downturn has had a serious impact on the medical profession,” said Sandra Garrett, President of Jackson & Coker. “As a result, we have seen considerable interest among physicians who had basically curtailed their medical practice, but now want to revamp their efforts to maintain a livelihood that meets their financial expectations. Regularly accepting locum tenens opportunities is one way of achieving such financial goals.”
“Physicians Re-Entering the Workforce” explains the steps that doctors are advised to take to resume medical practice and discusses the impact of physician re-entry on the health care system. Key points of the report:
Some doctors enter a formal physician refresher/re-entry course to improve their medical skills. Often they are paired with physician-mentors who help them come up to speed on various medical procedures
Working part-time, or locum tenens, assignments helps to prepare returning doctors for full-time, permanent staff positions.
A notable trend concerns physicians who change their medical specialties, often opting for practicing in a Family Medicine role. Some institutions even offer “mini-residencies” to help doctors acquire fresh bodies of medical knowledge.
Female physicians tend to leave the profession temporarily due to family concerns, whereas male doctors often take an absence due to business or practice administrative matters.
Returning physicians need to demonstrate current clinical competency as well as become familiar with the latest technology that impacts their medical specialty.
Maintaining licensure and board certification while not actively practicing medicine is extremely important. Otherwise, renewing a lapsed license or becoming re-certified can delay the re-entry process.
The AMA recommends that doctors contemplating leaving practice remain clinically current even on a limited basis -- such as maintaining CME requirements -- in order to maintain hospital privileges.
The special report also discusses the impact of physician re-entry on the health care profession. For one thing, doctors’ resuming medical practice, even on a limited basis, helps to address the physician shortage. Utilizing the services of a part-time physician makes economic sense for some hospitals and practices.
Physician re-entry into clinical practice is being seriously addressed by medical schools, licensing boards, medical societies, certification boards, and other professional associations. An important goal is to standardize and coordinate the various re-entry regulations, processes, and educational programs to benefit all segments of the medical community.
The special report can be accessed at http://www. jacksoncoker. com/physician-career-resources/newsletters/monthlymain/des/workforce. aspx]. Readers are invited to share their comments online.
About Jackson & Coker
Begun over three decades ago, Jackson & Coker has been a leader in physician recruitment through the placement of physicians in both permanent placement and locum tenens physician jobs. The firm specializes in anesthesiology jobs, CRNA jobs, neurology jobs, psychiatry jobs, surgery jobs, primary care jobs as well as emergency medicine jobs. Headquartered in metro Atlanta, the firm has earned a reputation for providing cost-effective, time-sensitive solutions to both government and commercial health care organizations. The recruitment staff works in two divisions of the company: Retained Search, which places physicians in over 40 medical specialties in permanent staff positions, and locum tenens, a staffing model that recruits medical providers (physicians and CRNAs) for temporary vacancies.
Jackson & Coker has earned a “Gold Seal” designation as a “Certified Health Care Staffing Service” by the Joint Commission and is affiliated with a credentials verification organization (JH CVO) that has received certification by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in ten out of ten credentialing services.
Jackson & Coker participates in social media networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter -- including managing separate Twitter websites focused on major medical specialties.
Media Contact:
Edward McEachern
Jackson & Coker
678-277-3030
Emceachern(at)jacksoncoker(dot)com
Jackson & Coker is part of a “family of companies” referred to as Jackson Healthcare.
About Jackson Healthcare
Founded by the healthcare innovator Richard Jackson, Jackson Healthcare serves more than two million patients in nearly one thousand hospitals each year. The Jackson family of companies provides physician and clinician staffing, anesthesia management, hospital management and healthcare information technology solutions proven to improve clinical and financial outcomes, as well as increase operational efficiency. Jackson Healthcare has earned national media coverage for its physician polls and champions local and international charitable work. In addition, Jackson has been recognized as one of the fastest growing staffing companies in the country by the Inc. Magazine, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Georgia Trend and Staffing Industry Analysts. For more information about Jackson and its companies, visit Jacksonhealthcare. com. Jackson’s research reports are available at Market Research.
###
