FEATURED: Crafting Competitive Packages to Attract Scarce Talent

Beyond the Bonus: Factors Impacting Specialty Physician Attraction and Retention

There are a number of industry trends reshaping career trajectories for specialty physicians.

Gastroenterology and Urology

According to Tom Hassard, Lead National Business Development Manager, “Ancillary income opportunities for private groups, where physicians can buy into the profitability of an ambulatory surgery center, have become a desirable and expected candidate draw. On top of a competitive base salary, having that guarantee period is important, as is the ability to offer residual percentages from those centers.”

wRVUs are another compelling factor, especially within productivity-driven specialties like gastroenterology. For both newer and mid-career physicians, wRVUs have risen in importance as a promise of the production-based income they can expect on top of base salary. Some practices favor in-practice physicians by providing a higher wRVU expectation that equates to an assumption they can “be up to speed” faster. But, as Tom points out, “you cannot underestimate the energy that bright-eyed, enthusiastic new graduates bring to the job.”

Neurology and Neurosurgery

For specialties like neurology and neurosurgery, you’ll find it’s the opposite of productivity-based incentives that work best. As Marissa Whalen, Director of Retained Search, explains, “Neurology practices tend to be owned by a hospital system. Since hospitals have more varied revenue streams and their budgets are somewhat less dependent on an individual physician's productivity than a small private practice, a neurologist interviewing for a hospital-employed position may not find a pure productivity bonus attractive.” She continues, “We're seeing hospitals find other ways to incentive their neurologists through quality bonuses, looking at metrics around patient satisfaction surveys or timely charting.

Trends and Challenges Across All Specialties

In addition to the specialty-specific scenarios noted, Tom and Marissa have been seeing several issues across the board that are impacting physician hiring:

• Talent imbalance. The volume of job openings continually outweighs the volume of physicians entering the workforce. 
• Increased specialization. Generalist roles remain unfilled as candidates increasingly seek opportunities to put subspecialty preferences and training to use.
• Shifting priorities. Compensation is no longer the main factor. Candidates are turning down higher offers for roles in more desired geographies or practice settings.
• Rural disadvantage. Hospitals dominate rural settings and cannot offer the perks surgery centers can. Base offers must often be higher than national averages to attract candidate interest, which hospitals struggle to approve.
• Funding freezes. Research opportunities are a big draw for candidates interested in academic and rural healthcare centers. Recent funding freezes have paused studies and closed physician research positions, leaving institutions scrambling to attract talent.
• Private equity investment. Growth of this model in medical practices is changing the recruitment landscape as more physicians begin showing a stronger preference for either patient-first or procedure-focused approaches.
• Life-work prioritization. Ensuring work-life balance is now a top physician priority, increasing the demand for hospitalist roles that offer predictable schedules regardless of lower earning potential.

Rethinking Compensation Packages: Get Creative to Get More Candidates

While physician compensation does not pivot quickly in response to industry shifts, we did see pay steadily rising throughout 2025.

But as we’ve just highlighted, salary is only one part of the compensation puzzle. To attract talent, you must be creative with your offers to demonstrate that you’re “the whole package” for physician candidates. Here are important considerations to keep in mind:

• Lead with money in other ways. Tuition reimbursement, housing stipends, transportation assistance, and training stipends (particularly in rural settings) are all attractive benefits that candidates look for when considering roles.
• Spotlight learning and growth. Offering teaching components and mentorship opportunities can significantly broaden your candidate pool, given many of today’s physicians prioritize opportunities for advancement and development.
• Put candidates first. Consider designing positions around what a specific physician is looking for, especially if they’re highly sought after or offer niche skills. This means actively listening to their motivations so you tailor compensation packages accordingly.
• Get ahead in “off” seasons. While Fall is typically the busiest hiring time, with physicians completing training and graduates seeking contract renewals, don’t overlook holidays and summer as a chance to stand out and proactively get ahead of recruitment needs.
• Partner with an industry expert. It’s tempting to let compensation reports be your north star, but keep in mind that most are backdated. Partnering with an industry recruitment leader lets you leverage real-time insights from teams deeply entrenched in the candidate trends and market demands impacting competitive compensation right now.

Refine Compensation Planning with Rosman Search

We consult with organizations every day on best practices and outside-the-box approaches for designing a physician compensation strategy that exceeds expectations and results. This blog just skims the surface of the recommendations and real-world wins we can help you put into action today to attract a higher volume of top-tier candidates tomorrow.

Reach out to us anytime to get started.

Eager to dig into more specialty physician hiring trends right now? Download our 2024 Provider Trends and Compensation Benchmarks Report.