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Surgicalists: An excellent way to improve the recruitment and retention of General Surgeons

By Regina Levison - President, Levison Search Associates

Surgicalist is a relatively new specialty – it is a General Surgeon who works onsite at a hospital and handles primarily emergency cases. While most Surgicalists are hired to work directly for hospitals, others are hired by large single-specialty and multispecialty groups to handle call cases. For medical groups using Surgicalists, this allows their other Surgeons to focus on elective and scheduled cases.

Like Hospitalists, the Surgicalists must earn the respect of their colleagues in the community. There is often a concern by local General Surgeons that the Surgicalists will take part of a shrinking pie. However, some recent studies have shown that the overall number of cases actually increases for local Surgeons.

How do Surgicalists impact your recruitment and retention of General Surgeons? First and foremost, a better quality of life for your existing and newly recruited Surgeons. You will have a competitive advantage by providing your General Surgeons a more predictable schedule. While this specialty was created in response to high turnover and fewer Surgeons willing to take call, it also has a positive impact for hospitals being asked to pay for call coverage.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of utilizing Surgicalists, please contact Levison Search Associates at 800-538-4766 or rlevison@levisonsearch.com.