With the recent changes in the US healthcare system, one thing has remained the same: the primary care shortage is increasing at an incredible rate.
Each year thousands of medical students enter into residency programs to complete three years of training in either Internal or Family Medicine. With 80+ hour workweeks, it is tough to balance looking for a position for after residency and handling a very demanding schedule. For the thousands of dedicated primary care physicians, it is very important to approach your job search the right way to make sure you find the best opportunity available.
Tips for residents:
1. Make sure that you start your job search early. Waiting until the last 6 months of residency simply is not an option any more. Competition is increasing between hospitals and employers now look to fill their roles as early as possible. They need to secure the right doctor early, so that they do not risk going an entire year without a highly needed physician. Start your job search at least 8 months before your expected graduation date. You want to have multiple phone interviews to get a feel for the different practice structures and patient volumes.
2. Educate yourself on compensation by geographic region and demographics. Regardless of how high the shortage gets, major cities do not feel the strain as much as other areas. Urban areas have the highest concentration of residency programs, which means more available graduates to choose from, as well as a high number of available practicing physicians. Hospitals pay what is required of them secure a physician, if they have plenty of interested applicants, more than likely they are not going to offer as much as areas with less applicants.
3. For higher compensation, better bonuses and loan repayment options. Look outside the city. Hospitals without academic affiliation or further from a residency to recruit from will more than likely offer better salaries and incentives. The less competition in the area, the better the work-life balance and compensation will be for the physician.
4. Work with the right people. A recruiter needs to be educated about the industry and about the physician interview process. It is time consuming to spend time talking to a recruiter about your interests, your family and your preferences – but at the end of the day we need to separate your background from other physicians when sending your CV. If you have a great relationship with us, we can get you more interviews simply because we know you and can represent you better to our clients.
Barbara Giallombardo
Director – Physician Recruitment
