Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina is not just recruiting physicians, it’s recruiting physician’s families, as well. This is the strategy that ultimately brought Erik Summers, MD, chief medical officer, to the system.
“My family was very settled in Winston-Salem [N.C.], and while Charleston is a wonderful city, it’s still a change,” Dr. Summers said in an upcoming episode of Becker’s “Clinical Leadership Podcast.” “What’s been wonderful is that MUSC has been very intentional about recruiting families, not just physicians. When I went through the process myself, we had lunch at a local restaurant — one I still go to regularly — and sat down with a soccer coach because one of my kids was into soccer. We talked about the community, what life here looks like. I would not have come to Charleston if my family wasn’t committed to coming, and the Executive Connections program helped build that commitment.”
Executive Connections is a team of professionals tasked with executing the system’s recruitment strategy. They speak with families ahead of time and coordinate a day in the town that features the schools, activities and community living that matters most to family members.
“When I sold my house before coming to Charleston, I staged it with furniture because I wanted potential buyers to feel the house’s layout and envision themselves in it,” Dr. Summers said. “That’s what we are doing when we recruit here at MUSC. We are staging the community and helping our candidates and their families see themselves in our community. That takes time, but the impact has helped differentiate us and has improved our recruiting.”
Since the strategy launch, the system said it has seen a 75% increase in the number of candidates who join the systems. Among those who complete the process, 100% of families and candidates rated it as a positive experience, according to MUSC.
“Those intentional efforts don’t just have an impact on recruiting,” Dr. Summers said. “They shape how we take care of patients and how we build relationships throughout our hospital. The commitment can’t stop after the interview. Some organizations put their best foot forward during the process and then candidates arrive and don’t see what they were shown. We want to be fully transparent — show our strengths, our challenges, our opportunities — because if someone comes and isn’t happy, they’ll leave quickly. We want providers who are here for many years, helping us put our patients first.”
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