How Provex Search Works — Our Approach to Healthcare Recruiting

Most recruiting firms are black boxes. You submit a job description or a resume, and then you wait. You might hear back in a week, or you might not hear at all. When you do hear, you're not sure whether the candidate was actually vetted or just keyword-matched by a database. This guide is a transparent look at how Provex Search actually operates — and why we built it this way.

We only do permanent placement

This sounds like a limitation. It isn't. Most large healthcare staffing firms do everything: locums, per diem, travel nursing, temp-to-perm, direct hire. Because they do everything, they optimize for volume. Placing a locum physician for a two-week engagement is faster than a permanent search, and the billing starts immediately. The incentives push toward short-term solutions.

Provex Search doesn't do locums. We don't do travel nursing or temp staffing. Every search we take on is a permanent placement or a retained executive search. That means our incentive is always aligned with yours: find the right person who will stay.

The model: boutique service, national reach

Traditional recruiting firms fall into two categories. Solo recruiters have deep relationships but limited reach — they know their market well but can't surface candidates outside their immediate network. Large firms have broad reach but lack genuine specialization — your search is handed to a junior recruiter who's working 40 roles simultaneously.

Provex Search was built to occupy a different position. You work directly with me — one specialist who owns your search from first call to signed offer, with no handoffs or layers. At the same time, I operate within a nationwide network of specialized healthcare recruiters, talent communities, and modern sourcing tools that give me access well beyond what a solo operation can reach.

The result: the personalization and accountability of a boutique practice, with the candidate access of a large firm.

How a search actually runs

For employers

Every engagement starts with a deep intake conversation — not a form, a real discussion. I want to understand your clinical environment, your culture, what hasn't worked in past hires, what the day-to-day actually looks like, and what kind of person thrives in your organization. The job description tells me what you need on paper. The intake tells me what you actually need.

From there, I search actively — not just in databases, but through my professional network, referrals, and targeted outreach to passive candidates who aren't actively looking but might be open to the right conversation. Every candidate I present has been personally screened: a real conversation, not a keyword match.

You receive a curated slate — typically three to five candidates — each with a summary of why I think they're a fit, not just their resume. The process from intake to first slate typically runs two to four weeks, depending on the specialty and geography.

For clinicians

If you reach out to Provex Search as a candidate, the first step is a conversation. I want to understand your specialty, your goals, your geographic preferences, your compensation expectations, and — critically — what you're looking for that you don't currently have. A lot of clinicians know they want something different; they're less sure exactly what. That conversation helps clarify it.

I don't blast your resume to every employer in my database. I reach out to you when I have a role that specifically fits what you've told me you're looking for. Your information is never shared with an employer without your explicit consent. If you're currently employed and exploring discreetly, that discretion is absolute.

What we don't do

• We don't work on contingency for roles we can't win — if I take on a search, I believe I can fill it. I'd rather have an honest conversation upfront than spend months on a search set up to fail.
• We don't pad candidate slates — I won't send you five candidates if two are genuinely qualified. Quality over volume, every time.
• We don't disappear after placement — the placement is the beginning of the relationship, not the end. I follow up with both employer and candidate to make sure the transition is working.

Who we work best with

Provex Search is a good fit for health systems, medical groups, and practices that value quality over speed — organizations that understand a bad hire costs more than a thorough search takes. We're also a good fit for clinicians who are serious about their next move and want a genuine advocate, not just someone forwarding their resume.

We're not the right fit for organizations that need someone in a seat by next week regardless of fit, or for clinicians who are casually browsing with no real intention to move.

Getting started

If you're an employer, the best first step is a 20-minute call to talk through what you're looking for and whether it's a search I can win. If you're a clinician, send your resume along with a note about what you're looking for — specialty, geography, and the one thing that would make a role worth leaving your current position for.

No commitment, no pressure. Just an honest conversation about whether Provex Search is the right partner for where you're trying to go.