Winning the Recruitment Race — Christy Bray on 2026’s New Rules

On this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, Sr. Editor and Host Daniel Williams welcomes Christy Bray, MHA, CPRP‑DEI, Chief Customer Officer at PracticeLink and host of the Workforce Wisdom podcast. As MGMA kicks off 2026 with a month‑long focus on workforce issues — recruitment, retention, culture, and onboarding — Christy brings decades of experience in physician and provider recruitment to share what’s changed, what’s trending, and what today’s medical practice leaders must do to stay competitive.

From early‑career job search behavior and shrinking talent pools to recruitment marketing, job board strategy, DEI’s role in matching candidates to communities, and the impact of technology and AI, Christy offers tactical and strategic insights that can immediately help MGMA members strengthen their workforce pipelines.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

“Recruitment finds you.” – Christy Bray on her path into the field

[01:56] Christy shares her origins in orthopedics, sports medicine, and hospital leadership — and why most recruiters arrive via nontraditional paths.

The biggest change: Candidates commit much earlier

[03:26] Residents and fellows now begin searching 12–18 months before completion — and some even sign on match day, cutting traditional recruitment windows dramatically.
Why every job must be posted — and posted correctly

[08:50] Christy explains why job visibility, keyword optimization, and clear role descriptions are essential for search engines and AI‑driven job discovery.

Targeted outreach beats the “shotgun approach”

[09:58] Mass‑messaging “10,000 people” leads to unsubscribes. Christy outlines how to curate small, qualified candidate pools — and measure success through open rate, CTR, and text‑to‑contact options.

Recruitment is a long game — and budget fears slow down patient access

[10:56] With the talent pool “shrinking rapidly,” practices must prepare for longer vacancies and avoid hesitating on locums support.

Essential 2026 trends: uncertainty, reduced teams, and tech‑forward recruiting

[12:40] Hiring teams are “stretched,” some dismantled entirely. Geo‑targeting, small high‑ROI advertising tactics, and hybrid old/new recruitment strategies (postcards + digital ads) are key.

Strategic plans start with a workforce inventory

[14:44] Christy’s pantry analogy: Practices must know their provider counts, ages, FTE loads, and retirement risks. Many older clinicians work at “1.5 to 2.5 FTE,” meaning replacement calculations require multiplying needs.

DEI certification isn’t performative — it’s about fit and retention

[24:13] Christy explains the CPRP‑DEI credential and why diversity and representation matter in recruitment: “Access to care is limited if somebody doesn’t speak your language or doesn’t look like you.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Christy Bray on LinkedIn
• PracticeLink
• Association for Advancing Physician & Provider Recruitment (AAPPR)
  (CPRP‑DEI certification organization)

Christy Bray's Podcasts:

• Workforce Wisdom with Christy Bray
  (Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts)
• Surviving and Thriving in Residency

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