Most private practice owners say recruiting is hard. But very few have a real recruiting strategy.
In this episode of the Private Practice Owners Podcast, Nathan Shields and Adam Robin sit down with Brian Weidner of Career Tree Network to break down what’s actually happening in the 2026 hiring market — and why many clinics are struggling to keep up. From clinics closing locations due to staffing shortages to new grads locking in jobs months before graduation, the recruiting landscape has shifted. And if you’re still relying on job boards and hope, you’re already behind. This conversation is a practical, tactical deep dive into what it really takes to attract, convert, and retain clinicians in today’s market — without overpaying, overpromising, or operating from fear.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why recruiting in 2026 is not getting easier — and what’s changed
- How new grads are securing jobs months before graduation (and why you never see them hit the open market)
- Why posting on Indeed alone won’t fix your hiring problem
- The difference between optimizing for applications vs. optimizing for inquiries
- How to identify and target high-intent candidates instead of spraying cold outreach
- Why your offer — not your ad spend — determines your recruiting success
- How to extract real value from your clinic’s strengths (culture, mentorship, flexibility, autonomy)
- Why you can’t compete with hospitals on salary — and why you shouldn’t try
- The dangers of negotiating from fear and bending on compensation
- How speed in the hiring process can win (or lose) great candidates
- Why building a recruiting engine gives you leverage in leadership conversations
- Practical ways to use AI, automation, and systems to remove yourself from daily recruiting
- How consistent outbound effort creates predictable hiring results
Adam also shares how his clinic went from hiring 18 therapists in one year… to watching momentum stall… to rebuilding a stronger recruiting engine that produced five hires in two months.
If you’re tired of feeling like your team has more leverage than you do, or you’re anxious about the next resignation letter, this episode will reframe how you think about recruiting — from reactive panic to proactive system.
🎙️ Recruiting isn’t a luck problem. It’s a systems problem.
👉 Ready to build your own recruiting playbook?
Join the Clinician Magnet Intensive Workshop on April 17th and walk away with a step-by-step, plug-and-play recruiting system you can implement immediately: https://ppoclubevents.com/04-17-26-workshop
👉 Want help strengthening operations, leadership, and growth strategy?
Book a call with Nathan — https://calendly.com/ptoclub/discoverycall
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99.5% of successful owners interviewed on this podcast have leveraged a business coach at some point in their journey. Private Practice Owners Club is the coach you need — ppoclub.com
Explore upcoming workshops, free resources, and tools to help you scale revenue without burning out your team: https://linktr.ee/ppoclub