As medical practices enter 2026, the pressure to recruit and retain providers is intensifying.
In a recent episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, Sr. Editor and Host Daniel Williams spoke with Christy Bray, MHA, CPR‑DEI and Chief Customer Officer at PracticeLink, about the realities facing medical practices as they confront shrinking talent pools, shifting candidate expectations, evolving technology, and the need for long‑term strategic planning.
Bray — who brings decades of experience in physician and provider recruitment and hosts the Workforce Wisdom podcast — outlined the trends that practice leaders must prepare for as competition accelerates and timelines compress. Throughout the conversation, she emphasized early engagement, targeted sourcing, technology‑driven recruitment, and a deeper understanding of workforce data.
Her guidance offers a roadmap for practices seeking to stabilize staffing and maintain access to care in their communities.
Generational Shifts Are Creating Earlier and Faster Recruitment Timelines
Bray says one of the most disruptive changes over the past decade is how quickly new providers are committing to positions — often before recruiters can enter the conversation. “We started to see a shift where residents and fellows started looking very early on in their job search,” she said.
Historically, practices could expect interest within six months of graduation. That timeline has evaporated. “Now you're seeing health systems and then the medical students be open to signing agreements on match date — like the day they match, they know.”
This earlier commitment trend cuts recruiters out of the traditional cycle and requires organizations to adopt far earlier, more intentional talent‑pipeline strategies. It also demands consistent communication with medical students, residents, and fellows years before they enter the workforce.
Bray notes that this dynamic will only intensify. Talent scarcity is structural, not seasonal — and organizations that cling to outdated timelines will continue to fall behind.
Posting Every Job Matters — and Job Descriptions Must Be Search‑Optimized
A recurring theme in Bray’s work is the importance of visibility. Many practices assume their openings are obvious or well known, but Bray says that assumption has real consequences. “You still do need to post your jobs… and when I say that, I mean all of your jobs,” she said.
Visibility, however, is only the first layer. Job descriptions must perform in search engines, job boards, and emerging AI‑driven search tools. “You’ve got to have some keywords in there that not only… Google is picking up, or now we're seeing AI really help people with their job search,” Bray explained.
Organizations should highlight:
- Unique clinical offerings
- Research opportunities
- Specialty equipment
- Community differentiators
- Growth pathways
With job postings carrying a typical 90‑day lag before producing traction, Bray urges practices to treat every posting as a strategic marketing asset, not a compliance exercise.
Targeted Outreach Outperforms High‑Volume Messaging
Bray cautions recruiters against relying on mass communication. “Don’t do a 'shotgun approach,'" she warned. "This isn’t messaging 10,000 people, because what you will get is a lot of unsubscribes.”
Instead, she recommends curated, focused outreach lists supported by tactical communication elements that speak directly to candidates’ priorities. “The messaging should be very clear; make sure there's a call to action," Bray explained. "Recruitment is very much marketing.”
As practices compete with sophisticated health systems, adopting basic marketing discipline — segmentation, messaging frameworks, analytics review — is no longer optional. It is the price of entry.
A Shrinking Workforce Requires Longer Timelines and Creative Coverage
The shrinking provider pipeline is a reality that practices must grapple with immediately. “The talent pool is shrinking rapidly and we are on the very front end of that shrinkage,” Bray emphasized. This means vacancies will remain open longer, even with strong recruitment tactics.
To maintain operations, Bray urges practices not to shy away from temporary workforce solutions. “Don’t let the dollars of [locums] hold you back from serving your community because recruitment… is going to take a lot longer than you anticipate,” she said.
She compares recruitment to home construction: frequently over budget and behind schedule — and always requiring more resources than expected. Practices must weave contingency staffing into strategic planning rather than view it as a last resort.
Strategic Workforce Planning Starts With Knowing What You Have
For practices unsure where to begin, Bray recommends returning to basics: It's like “taking inventory of your pantry before you go to the grocery store,” she said. “Knowing what you have on your [shelf] and how long you're going to have it, that's the first place to start."
Start with a detailed assessment of:
- Current physicians and APPs
- Provider age and retirement projections
- Procedure volumes and service demand
- Provider FTE distribution — including older physicians working 1.5 to 2.5 FTE
- Work that can safely shift to APPs
She illustrated the math through an anecdote about a New Mexico health system needing a net 30 additional primary care providers. “A net 10 means nobody's leaving,” she explained. “So you're probably trying to bring in about 18 to get to your net 10 so that you can offset that balance.”
The key takeaway: Understand attrition, model multi‑year growth targets, and prepare for roles that may take years — not months — to fill.
Recruitment Management Systems Offer Efficiency for Thinly Stretched Teams
With many recruitment teams downsized or reorganized, Bray sees significant value in leveraging technology. At PracticeLink, job boards integrate with candidate sourcing and automated communication to reduce manual workload.
She points to dynamic email campaigns as one high‑impact automation. “As candidates come in or register, they are automatically sent information about your job.” This ensures immediate engagement and frees recruiters for higher‑value tasks.
She also encourages practices to adopt applicant tracking systems (ATS) or CRM‑style tools for workflow management. “There are still a lot of recruitment teams living on spreadsheets… I would totally love to help them get into something that’s easier,” Bray said.
Better systems create transparency, support requests for resource allocation and improve leadership reporting.
DEI Certification Helps Align Providers With Community Needs
Bray also discussed her CPR‑DEI credential through the National Association for Physician and Provider Recruiters. “I think it really helps for recruiters… to find folks who are reflective of the communities they serve,” she said.
Diversity and inclusion are not abstract ideals — they directly strengthen access to care. “We know the access to care is limited if somebody doesn't speak your same language; maybe somebody doesn't look like you,” Bray said.
She warns against filling roles with short‑term solutions when mismatches lead to rapid turnover. “The body with the heartbeat can only last for so long," Bray said. "What you want to do is make sure you retain them.”
Recruitment must consider long‑term cohesion between providers and communities.
Preparing for the Workforce Realities Ahead
Bray’s guidance offers a clear path forward in 2026: Treat recruitment as a long‑term strategic function, not a reactive task. She emphasized:
- Earlier outreach
- Stronger job visibility
- Targeted sourcing
- Using modern recruitment technology
The reality is that today’s workforce challenges require deliberate, data‑driven planning. By understanding current staffing, anticipating future needs, and embracing flexible coverage options, medical leaders can better prepare for workforce volatility. Aligning providers with the communities they serve helps build a resilient organization capable of sustaining better patient care and stability in an increasingly tightening labor market.
Resources
- Christy Bray on LinkedIn
- PracticeLink
- Association for Advancing Physician & Provider Recruitment (AAPPR)
(CPRP‑DEI certification organization) - Workforce Wisdom with Christy Bray
(Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts) - Surviving and Thriving in Residency – podcast at PracticeLink
