The following is a basic outline of the presentation discussing how organizations serving rural and underserved populations can overcome an inferiority complex and succed at recruiting and retaining all levels of employees, particularly clinicians. I use fictitious rural Community Health Centers to bring the teaching points to life.

A Tale of Two Fictitious Health Centers in Pennsylvania 

• Dutch Country Community Health Center, located in farmlands of Eastern Pennsylvania.  
• Northern Tier Health Services, spread across several counties in Pennsylvania’s northern mountain regions.  
• What makes these health centers different? 
• Is one more successful with recruitment and retention, and why? 

The People Who Influence Recruitment and Retention 

• Board and C-Suite 
• Human Resources and Recruiters 
• Clinicians 
• Community Leaders and members 
• And the candidates themselves 

The Factors That Influence Recruitment and Retention 

• Resources 
• Local environment 
• Competition 
• Culture 
• Strategy 
• Group discussion of other factors 

Focus on Culture and Strategy 

• Defining culture and strategy 
• How do organizations describe their culture and strategy? 
• The interplay of culture and strategy 
• Which one is more important? 
• Can one exist without the other? 

Culture + Strategy = Employer Brand 

• Branding basics 
• Healthcare organizations two brands 
• Provider 
• Employer 
• Culture impacted by a focused strategy 

Writing a Happy Ending 

• Two Health Centers Revisited 
  • Example of strong culture but weak strategy. 
  • Example of strong strategy but poor culture 
  • How can Northern Tier and Dutch Country have both a strong culture and a strong strategy? 
• Highlighting possible next steps  
• Lead group in excercise to determine their organization’s next steps 
• Q&A