# MDSearch — full text

> MDSearch Inc. (mdsearch.ca) is a Canadian physician and healthcare recruitment firm headquartered in Collingwood, Ontario, providing retained physician recruitment services across Canada. Employer-paid, always free for practitioners. Physician recruitment across Canada since 1999. MDSearch takes on the vacancies advertising alone doesn't fill: scarce specialties, remote locations and underserved communities, unconventional schedules and complex compensation.

## Key facts
- Retained search only: the employer engages MDSearch to run the search from start to finish and pays for the work rather than for a résumé. No contingency work.
- Selective by design: MDSearch accepts a search only where it sees a credible path to placement, and limits how many it runs at once so that at least two MDSearch recruiters work every retained search and are named to the employer at launch.
- Six stages: Assess, Map, Launch (outreach live within one business day of launch details), Engage (a meaningful market read typically within three to four weeks), Introduce (qualified candidates presented as identified), Support (interviews, offer, licensing, start and retention through the first year).
- Two fee models: activity-aligned retained search for flexible, part-time and locum roles (an ongoing fee aligned to the practitioner's actual working schedule, with the maximum defined before launch; variable fees stop if the practitioner stops working); fixed-fee retained search for a permanent, committed-schedule hire (a single defined fee payable when the practitioner signs, refundable if the practitioner does not start under the agreed terms, with a prorated retention guarantee). Every search begins with a one-time engagement fee. Fees are quoted per search after a short assessment.
- Protected market: for the first year, MDSearch does not represent a directly competing employer for the same practitioner profile in the same local market (a Toronto search does not stop work in Hamilton). Beyond the first year, protection continues while the search is active and progressing; MDSearch does not hold markets indefinitely. Candidates are never circulated across competing client searches.
- The Sync: MDSearch's live, shared employer workspace. Outreach activity, candidate responses, screening status and next actions are visible to the employer as the search moves.
- 50,000+ practitioner connections across Canada (email, LinkedIn and direct channels; no purchased lists); 25,000+ direct LinkedIn connections; more than 500 practitioner placements; trusted by 75+ healthcare employers, from independent clinics to national networks.
- Where MDSearch sees a credible path to placement and a fit, a recruiter responds to a search assessment within one business day.
- Recruits physicians across 20+ specialties (family medicine, emergency medicine, internal medicine, cardiology, OB/GYN, psychiatry, dermatology, plastic surgery, pediatrics, radiology, pain medicine, occupational health and more), nurse practitioners, psychologists, allied health and clinic leadership.
- Does not guarantee a hire; guarantees disciplined execution, honest communication and transparency — including telling the employer, with the data, when compensation, schedule, geography or positioning is the constraint.

## Employer FAQ

What is MDSearch?
MDSearch is a Canadian physician and healthcare recruitment firm that works on a retained, employer-paid basis. The team has been recruiting physicians across Canada since 1999. We take on the searches advertising alone doesn't fill: scarce specialties, remote locations and underserved communities, unconventional schedules and complex compensation.

What is retained search, and how is it different from a job board or a contingency recruiter?
Retained search means the employer engages MDSearch to run the search from start to finish and pays for the work rather than for a résumé, with protected representation in the employer's market. A job board waits for physicians who are actively applying; a contingency recruiter races other firms to send CVs. A retained search goes directly to practitioners who are already working and not actively applying, presents one serious opportunity, and screens for fit before any introduction.

How does an MDSearch search work?
Six stages. Assess: viability, compensation, schedule and market conditions, before we accept the search. Map: the target pool, network depth and the obstacles between you and a signed practitioner. Launch: team activated and outreach live within one business day of your launch details. Engage: direct national outreach, with early market signals shared on The Sync as they emerge and a meaningful market read typically within three to four weeks. Introduce: qualified candidates presented as identified, without waiting to assemble a shortlist. Support: interviews, offer, licensing, start and retention, through the first year.

What does MDSearch charge?
Every search begins with a one-time engagement fee that activates the team. From there, one of two retained models applies, matched to the role. Activity-aligned retained search, for flexible, part-time and locum roles: an ongoing retained fee aligned to the practitioner's actual working schedule rather than a single lump-sum placement fee; the maximum fee for the agreed working schedule is defined before launch, and variable fees stop if the practitioner stops working. Fixed-fee retained search, for a permanent, committed-schedule hire: a single defined fee payable when the practitioner signs the employment or contractor agreement, refundable if the practitioner does not start under the agreed terms, with a prorated retention guarantee. Fees are quoted per search after a short assessment and confirmed in writing; final terms are set out in the engagement agreement.

Does MDSearch guarantee a hire?
No, and no ethical recruiter can. What MDSearch guarantees is disciplined execution, honest communication and transparency throughout the search. If the market evidence shows the constraint is compensation, schedule, geography or positioning, we tell you, with the data, so you can act on it before months are lost.

Which roles and specialties does MDSearch recruit?
Physicians across 20+ specialties, nurse practitioners, psychologists and allied health, plus clinic leadership. Recruitment experience includes family medicine, emergency medicine, internal medicine, OB/GYN, plastic surgery, dermatology, pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, radiology, pain medicine, occupational health and nurse practitioners.

Does MDSearch work outside Ontario?
Yes. MDSearch is headquartered in Collingwood, Ontario and recruits nationally, for hospitals, health authorities, community clinics, private practices and healthcare companies across Canada. Canada is the focus; internationally trained practitioners are considered where an eligible licensing pathway exists, and the pathway is confirmed before any introduction.

How long does a physician search take?
Outreach is live within one business day of launch, and a meaningful read on the market typically arrives within three to four weeks, with qualified candidates introduced as identified. Time to a signed practitioner depends on the specialty, location, schedule and compensation; scarce specialties run longer, and we tell you what to expect before the search starts and update the estimate as the market responds.

What is The Sync?
The Sync is MDSearch's live, shared employer workspace. Outreach activity, candidate responses, screening status and next actions are visible to the employer as the search moves, so there is no waiting for a status call and no black box.

Will MDSearch represent my competitors at the same time?
Not for the same practitioner profile in the same market. For each search we define the specialty, geography and opportunity type, and for the first year we do not represent a directly competing employer for that practitioner profile in that market. Beyond the first year, protection continues while the search is active and progressing; a stalled search is discussed openly rather than held indefinitely. Candidates are introduced against your opportunity, not circulated across competing client searches.

Does MDSearch take every search?
No. We only accept searches where we see a credible path to placement, and we limit how many we run at once so that at least two MDSearch recruiters work every retained search and are named to you at launch. If we don't see a path, we say so and explain why.

How do I start?
With a short, confidential search assessment — about three minutes: the role, schedule, geography and compensation model. Where we see a credible path to placement and a fit with MDSearch, we respond within one business day with the likely timeline and how we'd structure the search. Your assessment is confidential and used only to evaluate and structure the search. Start at mdsearch.ca/search-assessment/, email info@mdsearch.ca, or call 1 (888) 988-7466.

Is MDSearch free for physicians and other practitioners?
Yes. MDSearch is employer-paid and always free for candidates. Practitioners are shown opportunities they would otherwise never see, are kept informed of status, and nothing is shared with an employer without their approval.

What is MDpost, and how is it related to MDSearch?
MDpost (mdpost.ca) is Canada's free healthcare job board, powered by MDSearch. Employers post physician, specialist, locum, nurse practitioner and psychologist vacancies free and clinicians apply free. MDpost is for the exposure problem; MDSearch retained search is for the roles advertising alone won't fill. Listings on MDpost placed by employers are not screened or represented by MDSearch, except those badged "MDSearch managed".

## Company
- Head office: Collingwood, Ontario. Service area: all Canadian provinces and territories.
- Operating company: MDSearch Inc., founded 2006. Founder & Managing Director: Brett Slade.
- Employer identity is confidential in job postings by default and disclosed to candidates at the appropriate stage of a search.

## Pages
- Home: https://mdsearch.ca/
- Employers / physician recruitment: https://mdsearch.ca/physician-recruitment/
- Our recruitment process: https://mdsearch.ca/our-recruitment-process/
- Healthcare recruiter in Canada: https://mdsearch.ca/healthcare-recruiter-in-canada/
- About: https://mdsearch.ca/about-mdsearch/
- For physicians and practitioners: https://mdsearch.ca/physicians/
- Job board (MDSearch-managed searches): https://mdsearch.ca/jobs/
- Market insights and articles: https://mdsearch.ca/market-insights/
- Start a search assessment: https://mdsearch.ca/search-assessment/
- Contact: https://mdsearch.ca/contact/
- Testimonials: https://mdsearch.ca/testimonials/
- Privacy policy: https://mdsearch.ca/privacy-policy/
- Short version of this file: https://mdsearch.ca/llms.txt

## Related
- MDpost, Canada's free healthcare job board, operated by MDSearch Inc.: https://mdpost.ca/

## Contact
MDSearch Inc., 219 Hurontario St, Collingwood, ON L9Y 2M1 · info@mdsearch.ca · 1 (888) 988-7466 · LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mdsearch-ca