How to Hire Millennial Physical Therapists in Rural Communities

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware millennials are the largest generation in the US workforce. Since millennials make up so much of the workforce, it’s time to take a new approach to recruiting new PT grads.

PT practice owners usually have the same complaints:

• “I can’t recruit new PTs because I can’t afford the benefits and wages they expect.”
• “I can’t compete with the wages and benefits the hospitals are offering.”
• And from our rural PT practice owners… “I can’t find any new PTs that are willing to move out to our rural community to work here.”

Recruiting for any position is a challenge. No doubt about it. Especially when your hands are full running a business, treating, billing, marketing and so much more.

Unfortunately, private practice owners – like yourself – get stuck thinking the same way. The hospitals keep winning, and that’s how it will always be. It’s too hard, so I’m not going to do anything about it.

There’s actually a much simpler way to recruit new grad PTs that does NOT mean paying tens of thousands more than you can actually afford.

Let’s take a look at some of the statistics about millennials, shall we?

• 64% of millennials would rather make $40,000 a year at a job they love than $100,000 a year at a job they think is boring
• 74% want flexible work schedules
• 84% say that helping to make a positive difference in the world is more important than professional recognition

Wow, does that change your perspective a little bit on what millennials want in a career? It should.

All it took was a quick Google search to find these stats from Inc. There’s a world of more information on millennials here if you want to dive in.

Even though the first statistic above implies millennials don’t care about money, they do care – it’s just not the MOST important thing. You should always offer fair, competitive compensation to your PTs. After all, millennials are overwhelmed with debt from student loans.

The two things that usually rank a little higher than pay are benefits and making a difference in the world. To hire the best new grad PTs – especially if you’re in a rural community – you HAVE TO offer great benefits to your employees.

Go beyond the usual healthcare benefits and two weeks of vacation. Maybe offer a more flexible schedule, or three weeks of vacation. Extra PTO means a lot to this generation, and it may mean the difference between working for your practice or working for the hospital… or moving to the city or moving to the country…

The second factor for millennials – wanting to make a difference – can be a little more challenging to showcase in your practice. This desire to make a difference is ESPECIALLY prevalent among PTs; after all that’s why we’re in this industry! So, how can you stand out to new PT grads?

Obviously, your practice is already making a difference in the world because you’re offering great patient care and saving lives. Yet, that’s not enough to show a millennial you’re the best in the business, because it doesn’t make your business unique.

Instead, you need to show potential hires that your practice is on the cutting-edge and going above and beyond to make a difference not just for patients, but healthcare as a whole.

If you’re not part of something bigger, and taking steps to improve the future of healthcare from within your practice… You should be.

A great example of this is what’s occurring at FYZICAL. For example, in PT there haven’t been many options for patients experiencing balance and vestibular dysfunctions – until now. FYZICAL locations offer the BEST balance retraining and vestibular therapy available in the entire country. There’s nothing else like it, and it’s been making a huge difference for patients all over the country who have previously gone unanswered. Not to mention, FYZICAL’s balance program is saving Medicare a TON of money by decreasing the number of injuries and deaths related to falls. With the shortened lifespan of Medicare, this is of great importance to insure its survival.

Millennials have already taken notice of FYZICAL’s cutting-edge protocols and they’re rushing to get involved. There are stacks of résumés just waiting for spots to open at any of the FYZICAL locations across the country.

Regardless of where you’re located, you CAN effectively hire great millennial PTs to work for you. Focus on offering fair pay, better benefits and the chance to make a difference in the world.

To learn how to improve your recruiting and training processes, or to learn more about FYZICAL’s premier balance program, schedule a call with a FYZICAL Advisor today at 941-220-2055.