2 generations of the Potawatomi Nation perform drum song at MRRN Conference.
(more photos)


When the Michigan Recruitment and Retention Network (MRRN) was founded eleven years ago, many recruiters worked in a less specialized marketplace with less evolved technology. Fast forward to today or even up to late last month during the 2004 MRRN Conference at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

Attendees, speakers and exhibitors literally danced to a unique drum that just may signal the new beat healthcare recruiters are adapting.

April Scrimger, current president of MRRN says today’s recruitment professionals are “much more proactive and involved” and “eager to share their experience.”

“This year’s event was educational, entertaining and full of comradery,” Scrimger says.


"It’s all about
specialty
recruitment."



 

Potawatomi dancer leads the crowd. (more photos)

Graced against a backdrop of Native American heritage with traditional songs and dances performed by generations of the Potawatomi nation, the 2004 MRRN conference focused on retention, but with an ear to the ground for what’s coming next.

Web based recruitment “has absolutely made a huge difference,” says Barb Hilborn, past president of MRRN and a recruiter for Sparrow Health System based in Lansing, Michigan.

“Recruiters used to focus on primary care and medical students, but today with the cycle we’re in, it’s all about specialty recruitment,” Hilborn says.

With less people attending medical schools and budget cuts affecting fellowships and residencies, there are fewer graduating physicians. One way that the internet, emailing, and web based recruitment management applications have made a difference is in the amount of shared resources now available in the recruitment arsenal. The old days of cold calling and sifting through piles of CVs on your desk has literally moved to a computer desktop that organizes manages opportunities, candidates, and, reporting in a in a moment’s time.

Hilborn admits there is still plenty of personal contact, but she sees the electronic revolution in step with the type of physician or healthcare professional she’s seeking to place.

“Everyone is more computer savvy today,” Hilborn says “including the physicians as well as the recruiters.”

And while web based recruitment applications provide the detail and depth, recruiters still have to do their homework.

Retention remains key. The MRRN’s 2004 conference speakers included Craig Hunter, Nancy Raddiff and David Andrick emphasizing the need for retention, empowerment and customer service.

“All the work you’ve done is out the window if your physician doesn’t stay in the position,” according to Hilborn.

Providing the candidate and the potential employer with the most detail is the ultimate goal.

“We’re all competitors, but we’re friendly competitors. We still work hard, but we work a lot smarter,” Hilborn says.


To view photos from 2004 MRRN visit Ki's PRESSROOM Event Photos page, or visit the MRRN website.




 

Check out the next edition of the KontactIntelligence eWIRE for more comments from other industry leaders.

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