Physician FAQs

The following are some of the most frequently asked questions among physicians

Curare - What's that?

Curare is a Latin verb form meaning, “To cure.” It is also the name of an Anesthetic that can be traced back to the arrows of hunters from tribes indigenous to South America. Most importantly for visitors of this website, Curare is the name of our medical recruiting firm with over two decades of experience and a staff of nearly thirty personnel ready to meet any recruiting challenge.

What does contingency mean?

As a “contingency” fee firm, The Curare Group is only compensated for its services when we are successful in matching a great candidate with the right practice. Unlike firms who are paid in advance and keep any fees paid whether or not they fulfill the recruitment task, The Curare Group has strong financial motivation to make good matches and effectively facilitate the recruitment process. Our time, like everyone’s, is valuable, therefore when we take on a client’s recruiting task, our goal is to meet or exceed expectations. Only then will we be compensated for our efforts.

Do I (the job seeker) pay for your services?

Our recruitment fees are paid by the employer. The Physician, Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant can take advantage of our advertising resources, recruiting and consulting experience, nationwide network of clients and knowledge of their market for no charge.

Why can't I see the location details for any of the positions available on your website?

Our clients have hired us to screen Physicians, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants so they are only contacted by candidates who match their hiring criteria. We can share information about the job, but not its exact location until we know you are a match for this client. We generally need a copy of your CV to start a conversation to learn more about you and your search. In most cases after you’ve spoken with one of our recruiters, you’ll discover we also have additional positions that will interest you.

Why do jobs closer to larger cities pay less, while in other industries the city jobs often pay more?

That situation is a reflection of basic supply and demand economics. The larger cities are typically over-serviced and are the home to one or more residency programs. Hospitals and practices are able to offer lower compensation because there is no shortage of physicians applying for a position. Anyone considering practicing in a large metro area should also keep in mind that along with lower compensation, there is likely to be fewer benefits offered, especially loan forgiveness. Additionally, the cost of living is often higher in a metro location, and with an over-serviced patient base, a new doctor will likely struggle for years to build a robust practice. In a small community every one of these factors is reversed.

What is the difference between an income guarantee and a salary?

A salaried position is usually a pretty straight forward arrangement. You earn an agreed upon amount of money for working an agreed upon amount of time (workdays or hours per week). Your salary is unaffected by volume, billings or collections. An income guarantee can vary widely in its details, but is generally the employer is guaranteeing that you will receive a specified amount of money on a weekly or monthly basis. The employer is generally making up the gap between what you have earned through your billings and collections and the weekly or monthly figure agreed upon. In many if not most cases the amount needed to close the gap is essentially a loan against future income. A loan guarantee is helpful in providing income during the time it takes to establish a practice and allows an ambitious provider to exceed salary earnings.

What is "flex" scheduling?

Flex scheduling takes many forms. Essentially, as long as patients are being seen in a timely manner and procedures are being performed in the same manner, the provider is free to set their own schedule. This could be in the form of several 10 – 12 hours days to create longer weekend breaks or starting late or extra early to facilitate childcare or other commitments.

What do the different malpractice insurance types signify? Claims made? Occurrence? Head and tail?

Please refer to the Resource Center tab entitled, “Malpractice Insurance.”

Does Curare assist with the licensure process?

The recruiters at The Curare Group are generally familiar with licensing timelines, contact addresses and phone numbers for each state’s medical licensing agencies and can provide some initial assistance, but the actual application is the responsibility of the candidate seeking a license. Please refer to the Licensure tab for more information.

Do you do locums?

We work in partnership with a national locums firm and can assist with locating locums assignments.

Do you hire doctors?

No. Please see the page, “Who Are We” for detailed information on our services.

Do I have to pay anything for your services?

See the items “What does contingency mean?” and “Do I (the job seeker) pay for your services?”

How long does it take to get a license?

Please refer to Licensing Information.

Employer FAQs

The following are some of the most frequently asked questions among employers.

How much does it cost to post our current job openings on your website?

It’s free. We are not a job board in a traditional sense, where hiring facilities pay to post their jobs to the site. The Curare Group is a contingency recruiting firm. All the positions you see on our site are active openings of our clients. Job openings are also cross posted to many other healthcare recruiting job boards, so your position will have a tremendous amount of online exposure.

Contingency recruiting firm? What's that?

The Curare Group is a physician and physician extender recruiting firm that has been in business since 1991. Our recruiting model is referred to as “contingency-based” recruiting. What this means is that absolutely no fee is involved unless you hire one of the healthcare providers we refer to you. You can look at as many CVs and interview as many candidates as you want, free of charge.

So how does your recruitment process work? How do I begin?

Basically, we will conduct a brief interview with you to get to know your practice, community and your preferences for a new hire. Initially, the more information we get from you, the better. This information will be used in marketing materials for your unique position, which will include a full description of the job posted on our corporate website www.PhysicianRecruiting.com, as well as cross postings to other sites. Additionally, we use our extensive database of active job seekers to send targeted email marketing campaigns about your position(s). We will pre-screen all potential candidates against your requirements and preferences and present you only with highly qualified candidates who are truly interested in your opening. Once we “clear” the pre-screened candidate with you, we will forward you a copy of their CV, as well as preliminary references checks if you would like to see those as well.

What do you mean by "clearing" a candidate?

This is a way to ensure you are not already working with one of our referrals. It is a time saver for all parties involved. Before we present you with a candidate, we will contact you (generally by email) with the candidate’s name to make sure you are not already working with him or her. If not, and you are interested in pursuing the candidate, we will then proceed with forwarding you the CV and references. The importance of this step is twofold: it verifies that we are referring a fresh candidate to you as an employer and allows us to pursue alternate candidates for your position in the event you are already working with this potential hire.

What does The Curare Group do other than send us CVs?

As much as you want us to do. Some of our clients prefer to handle the entire recruitment process on their end. All that we ask is that you keep us updated on any new developments. On the other hand, we have clients who prefer that we are more involved in the process. We have been in the industry for almost 2 decades and have a wealth of experience and knowledge to make the process go smoothly: from building attractive job offers and coordinating site visits, to contract negotiations and general troubleshooting, our consultants are here to help in whatever capacity you need them.

What are the Featured Jobs on your website and how would one benefit me?

Some of our clients want their jobs to have added exposure above and beyond what is typical of a job listing. They want their job to “pop”- so for an additional fee, employers may list their opening as a Featured Job. Our website receives over 90,000 visits annually from active job seekers. The Featured Jobs guarantee that your position is “front and center” for all website visitors. Additionally, all Featured Jobs are displayed as either a video or blog post across our social media platforms such as Youtube.

Can I have one exclusive contact for Curare?

Certainly. Some of our clients prefer to have one point of contact at Curare for the sake of convenience. Understand though that each candidate works exclusively with one consultant and that particular recruiter will know the candidate best.

How much will this cost me?

Remember, you don’t owe us a thing unless you hire one of our referrals. Fees for a successful placement vary according to specialty and location. The best way to answer this question is to speak with one of our consultants.