INTERVIEW WITH STEFFAN CALDERON-MAYETTE: RECRUITING CONSULTANT IN PRIMARY CARE WITH BARTON ASSOCIATES

Here at The PA Blueprint, we regularly get asked if PAs should use recruiters during the job search. While Shayne used one with his first job, that was only one experience. We decided to go directly to the source and reach out to Steffan Calderon-Mayette. He is a Recruiter with Barton Associates and was kind enough to take the time to let us interview him. Here are his responses to questions we found most relevant to PAs in their job search.

Please tell us a little about yourself and what drew you to start work as a recruiting consultant?

In 2021 I graduated from Southern Connecticut State University, Summa Cum Laude.  Here I studied Sport Management and Business.  I’m an avid sports fan (let’s go Cowboys) and I love to stay active in my free time.  I also have a cat named Chelsea who just recently turned 5 this past summer.  However, she’s been stuck in her kitten stage for way too long now.  In terms of my career as a recruiting consultant, the decision came pretty naturally.  I’ve always had great interpersonal skills and I love branching out and meeting/talking with new people.  In my opinion, this is an excellent way to increase one’s knowledge and empathy.  These seem to be qualities that a recruiter needs to exhibit to be successful, so I guess it’s a perfect fit!

What are the main functions of someone in your role as a recruiter?

As a recruiter at Barton Associates, my main goal is to place providers on assignments that make sense for them and the clinic/facility they’ll be working at.  As we all know, many people have different paths in life.  Providers have different family situations, clinical history, personal interests, life experiences, and everything in between.  Taking all these different factors into account, I need to find the best candidate for a facility’s needs.  I also help to facilitate the credentialing process as well as obtaining state licenses.  If applicable, I assist with booking travel such as flights, hotel rooms, and rental cars.          

How can a job seeker best utilize your knowledge and services?  Do job seekers have to pay you for your services?

For job seeking healthcare professionals, myself and Barton Associates’ services are completely free of charge.  To best utilize our knowledge/resources, all that’s necessary is a quick chat on the phone.  After I/we understand your clinical experience and your current work situation, the search for your ideal locum tenens position can commence.

Some students that we work with are inherently hesitant to work with a recruiter, citing a conflict of interest and concerns about being misled.  What can you share with us to lessen those concerns?

It makes sense for newer graduates to be a little apprehensive when it comes to working with recruiters and making the jump to locum tenens assignments.  However, I think these sentiments are totally misguided!  The clients and facilities we work with are well versed in the world of locums.  They know exactly what they’ll need from the provider clinically, such as daily patient volume and typical cases/procedures.  If the client feels these duties would be better suited for an experienced provider, they’ll let us know on the front end.  That way, we know which providers to contact to potentially fill the opening. 

Additionally, good recruiters tend to know the healthcare market pretty well.  Things like rates, trickier EMR’s, and popular states to work in are all aspects of assignments that should be taken into account when finding the best fit for a provider.  If a provider isn’t the best fit for the facility or vice-versa, it would not make sense to place them here.  More than likely this will lead to an unsuccessful assignment which will make our company look bad on both sides and possibly sour a relationship.  Not ideal!

What are some of the biggest benefits of working with recruiters?

In my opinion, working with a recruiter has a plethora of benefits, but I’ll highlight some of my favorites.  First off, good recruiters are very in touch with the market and everything it encompasses.  Recruiters know which states and facilities can pay the best rates and which clinics have a proven history of successful assignments.  Recruiters can also assist with the licensing process, and at Barton Associates, we will even buy the state licenses for the provider.  We also can facilitate the travel and credentialing processes.  Lastly, we are available close to 24/7 for any problems that may pop up during an assignment and we’ll work tirelessly to tackle the issues and get everything back on track.    

Where can people find more information about you, should they want to utilize your services?

For my services specifically, I can be reached via email at  scalderonmayette@bartonassociates.com or by my office phone which is 860-789-3130.  On Linkedin my profile can be found by searching “Steffan Calderon-Mayette” or visiting: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steffan-calderon-mayette-20301021b/ . Reach out to me and I’ll get you connected with the best recruiter that fits your needs.  Barton is also very active on social media and can be found on Twitter and Instagram via @bartonlocums.  On Facebook and Linkedin, our pages can be found at @BartonAssociates.  I look forward to chatting!

Thank you so much Steffan! We hope you all learned something about what recruiters can add to your job search and consider using one if you think it is the right fit! As always, thanks for checking out our blog and continue to follow along as we try to create all the content you will ever need for your PA career.

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