here's what we've done

• healthcare
• education
• environment
• workforce development

National Health Service Corps

Client
The National Health Service Corps, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recruits primary care clinicians in rural and urban underserved communities throughout the United States.

Challenge
In 2001, the NHSC's recruitment was flagging and failed to produce enough applicants to fill positions in areas of critical need. The agency needed to raise awareness about the program and its incentives for clinicians to work where they are needed most.

Enter Reingold
Based on our research with primary care clinicians to learn firsthand what makes the NHSC an attractive career option for them, we crafted a powerful new identity for the Corps and messaging and materials that convey its unique value. Then enlisted "ambassadors" who were best-positioned to deliver them to prospective applicants—academics on campus and NHSC clinicians in the community—to recruit, train, and mentor students and clinicians who may be interested in the NHSC. In 2006 the NHSC again called on Reingold to fortify the ambassador program. Using our research that showed NHSC practitioners thrive on the challenge of providing a full range of care, we created a new tagline—Primary Need. Extraordinary Opportunity.—and featured it in a host of materials that equip ambassadors to generate interest among the right students. We also created an ambassador's "pocket roadmap" for success with ideas and action items for connecting with students.

Results
The NHSC ambassador program—now numbering more than 1,400 ambassadors—has become NHSC's flagship recruitment program; in fact, the Corps no longer recruits students directly. Today it is reaching beyond graduate school students to undergraduate and high school students, showing them at an even earlier age why careers in primary medical care may be the perfect choice for them.