Primary care most recruited specialty

Family and general internal medicine doctors are the most requested specialties, according to a national recruiting firm, but psychiatry is the only specialty showing a steady growth in demand, according to an analysis by search firm Merritt Hawkins.

The firm's 2010 Review of Physician Recruiting Incentives tracks 2,800 physician recruiting assignments that Merritt Hawkins conducted nationwide from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010.

During that period, the company fielded 375 requests for family physicians, 246 requests for internists, both fewer requests than previous years. Merritt Hawkins fielded 179 requests for psychiatrists, up 47 percent from the previous year and 121 percent from three years ago.