--- title: 5 Steps for Planning Coverage During the Physician Shortage description: "Without an effective recruiting strategy, the physician shortage can cost you revenue and affect patient care: 5 steps to plan for physician coverage now." image: https://blog.finder.doximity.info/hubfs/5_Steps_for_Planning_Physician_Coverage.jpeg --- [Menu](https://blog.finder.doximity.info/5-steps-for-planning-coverage-during-the-physician-shortage#footer) [![Doximity Talent Finder](https://assets.doxcdn.com/image/upload/fl_sanitize/logos/talent-finder/logo-talent-finder.svg)](https://www.doximity.com/talent_finder) [Sign In](https://www.doximity.com/talent_finder/sessions/new) [Contact](https://finder.doximity.com/contact) [Testimonials](https://finder.doximity.com/client_success) [Webinars](https://finder.doximity.com/webinars) [Blog](https://blog.finder.doximity.info/) [Doximity](https://finder.doximity.com/about) ## [5 Steps for Planning Coverage During the Physician Shortage](https://blog.finder.doximity.info/5-steps-for-planning-coverage-during-the-physician-shortage) Posted by [Doximity TF Team](https://blog.finder.doximity.info/author/doximity-tf-team) Wednesday, February 23 ![5_Steps_for_Planning_Physician_Coverage](https://blog.finder.doximity.info/hs-fs/hubfs/5_Steps_for_Planning_Physician_Coverage.jpeg?width=848&name=5_Steps_for_Planning_Physician_Coverage.jpeg)Hiring and retaining staff is the #1 challenge for recruiters, hospitals, and healthcare facilities in 2022. We offered [some tips](https://blog.finder.doximity.info/quick-whats-the-1-challenge-for-physician-recruiters-in-2022) in a previous article to ensure you’re recruiting, hiring, and retaining top physicians, but are you planning for coverage, too?  Without an effective recruiting strategy, the physician shortage can cost you revenue. A physician vacancy can also significantly affect access to care for patients – an issue plaguing the industry and one that can hinder your healthcare facility’s ability to grow. Recent data proves it: 83% of patients now say quality customer service is the most important factor they consider when choosing health care (per [Silverline](https://silverlinecrm.com/blog/healthcare/25-healthcare-stats-that-show-the-power-of-patient-centered-care/)). One big hurdle, given the current [physician shortage](https://blog.finder.doximity.info/the-physician-shortage-what-recruiters-should-know), is how much time it actually takes to find suitable candidates. On average, time-to-fill a Family Medicine or Internal Medicine vacancy takes 180 days. Other specialties such as Neurology can take as long as 211 days, and some surgery specialties can be over 230 days (per [AASPR)](https://member.aappr.org/page/benchmarking). To plan and prepare for mitigating physician shortages, we looked to industry experts for some best practices. Here are five steps you can take now to plan for physician coverage now. The last two years have brought significant changes to recruiting, and planning physician coverage has never been more critical. Put the power of planning to work, and you’ll have a pipeline of great candidates when the time arises.  Ready to optimize your recruitment messaging? Believe it or not, the words you put in your subject line can have a significant impact on the number of potential candidates you attract for your available jobs. Join us on March 8th for a special webinar: [The Best Subject Lines to Use this Year. ](https://finder.doximity.info/march22-webinar) Topics: [Growing U.S. physician shortage](https://blog.finder.doximity.info/topic/growing-u-s-physician-shortage), [tips for physician recruitment](https://blog.finder.doximity.info/topic/tips-for-physician-recruitment) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ### Search Our Blog --- ### About Us Hire the right physicians on Doximity, the largest professional medical network. Get up to speed on physician recruiting news and best practices from the Doximity Talent Finder Team.  ---   ### Webinars Join us each month as we deep dive into a specific topic in healthcare recruiting, combining outside research and news with our own proprietary data and best practices. Webinars are free and open to everyone. [![View Calendar](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/354005/4d6a897d-1de7-42b5-904a-966f658edc7a.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/354005/4d6a897d-1de7-42b5-904a-966f658edc7a) ---   ### Recent Posts ### Subscribe to Email Updates © 2026 Doximity, Inc. [Doximity](https://www.doximity.com/talent_finder/about) [Blog](https://blog.finder.doximity.info/) [Testimonials](https://finder.doximity.com/client_success) [Webinars](https://finder.doximity.com/webinars) [Demo](https://finder.doximity.com/demo)[Terms of Service](https://www.doximity.com/terms-of-service)[Privacy](https://www.doximity.com/clinicians/privacy) ![](https://dc.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=421618&fmt=gif)