I recently communicated with a hospital that had entertained a physician candidate over the weekend. I asked how things went and they replied “Candidate seems disengaged”. WHAT? DISENGAGED? How on earth do you go to an interview and appear disengaged? Yes, they have to sell you on the opportunity, but you must sell yourself to get an offer. DISENGAGED? How could you spend a whole weekend and not show interest? Did you not do some homework prior to agreeing to the interview? Did you not do some research and formulate some questions prior to your arrival? DISENGAGED? This is your livelihood……your career. Don’t you care? If so, then show it. If not, then fake it! The whole idea is to get an offer. Whether you decide to accept or not is up to you after you get some time to digest all the information collected. But, if you don’t get an offer, then you can’t get a job. DISENGAGED? C’mon……you’re better than that!
In general, yes. Many recruiters and physicians have seen multitudes of contracts and can provide you with feedback as to what they have seen as standard. They will also probably not be as versed in healthcare law. The choice of a lawyer is critical. Find someone well versed in medical contract law, as well as the state’s laws in which you will practice. Try to find an attorney recommended by someone else. Also, make sure the attorney has enough time to review the contract in a timely manner. Negotiations could be hampered by a slowed response time. Timely negotiation is important, regardless of how well the attorney reviews the agreement. Also keep in mind what is truly important…….what you can live with and without. General rule of thumb: If it’s important to you……get it in writing. Good luck!
Timing can be crucial in a successful job search. With that being said, there is no clear cut answer for when you should start your search. The best you can do is approximate the time involved with each stage of the job search process and then formulate your plan. To begin, you have to start networking, viewing job boards and talking with recruiters. Total time here is about three weeks to have a good comfort level. Next you’ll actually start talking with future employers and schedule some site visits…….another 2-3 weeks. Site visits are usually scheduled 2-3 weeks out for schedules to mesh and requesting time off. Once you have your first interview , you may be asked back for a second…….again, 2-3 weeks. Many second interviews result in a job offer. Probably another week or so to get a draft contract in your hands. Now it’s negotiation time……2 weeks - 2 months depending upon factors like lawyer involvement and priority of your negotiations with the lawyer. Next, you’ll have to give notice, typically three months, and look for a house/put you house up for sale. This last phase of giving notice, etc. will also involve obtaining a new license if needed. Usually the 3 months time should take care of the license and credentialing by the hospital.
A very conservative estimate by adding the above times is about six months. I suggest picking the approximate date you’d like to start a new position and start looking between six and nine months from that date. Usually, anything over a year and the market shrinks for the number of facilities that will recruit that far out………….of course depending upon specialty.
I hope this helps in the timing of your search!
I’ve seen thousands upon thousands of physician CVs. Some good and some really bad. What makes them bad? The worst mistake is handwriting on the CV. Some people will actually cross out a dated address and handwrite their current address. This gives the impression they are totally unorganized or couldn’t care less who’s reviewing their CV……bad impression. Another, mistake is too much information. Unless you are applying for an academic type of position, most people don’t care how many publications you have or the number of research projects you’ve participated in.
What makes a good CV? The best I’ve seen are the simplest in form and easily readable. Start with a 12 font and keep it consistent throughout. Make it easy on the reviewer by keeping the locations of the dates consistent……..if you start with dates on the left, then keep them on the left. Highlight the different sections of your resume with bold type and/or underlining. Meaning “undergraduate education” should look like “Undergraduate Education“. Put your best foot forward: list what you consider your greatest accomplishments closest to the beginning. If you’re just finishing residency, list that first. If you’ve been in practice 10 years and are Board Certified, make these first. Always make it easy for the reviewer to find the info they want. The difference in you getting an interview could hinge on the ease of finding important information.
DON’T put your social security number on your CV. There is plenty of time to provide that info once the credentialing process begins. Some people insert their date of birth, spouse and kids names and place of birth. In my opinion…………too personal. That will come out when needed.
Post with any questions. Good luck!
Primary Physicians are starting to be in high demand. The market is changing in their favor. Here’s a recent request: Family Practitioners and Internists needed in Northern South Carolina. Hospital is expanding the primary care network. Hospital employee status with full benefits and paid malpractice. Income guarantee with hospital startup assistance will be considered.
Contact: medrecruiter@comcast.net
Now is a great time to get the feelers out!
Interventional, Invasive, non-Invasive, no-Interventional, General Cardiology and Electrophysiology. Isn’t a Cardiologist a Cardiologist? Well,………….kinda. It seems everyone wants to specialize in today’s medical environment. The days of traditional Internal Medicine are even leaving us. Some positions are strictly outpatient and some are strictly inpatient (Hospitalists). I was talking with an Electrophysiology trained Cardiologist that will also do general and invasive. Interesting. Is specialization good? Part of the answer depends on who you are and when you ask. There aren’t alot of Electrophysiology positions available, but many facilities are looking for Interventional. Maybe some people are too specialized? Depends if they’re in demand or not. Is it better for the patient? Depends on the patient. Some patients hate to see a different doctor for each problem. Is specialization good or bad? Depends.
A vital ingredient in a successful job search is references. The hiring authority is spending alot of money on your salary, relocation, etc. and they want to make sure that others you’ve worked with have good things to say about you. Good references grease the wheels of the hiring process and subconsciously support moving forward in negotiations. Bad references do the complete opposite. The most important thing you can do is to check with your references to make sure they will give you a positive evaluation. I’ve worked with two different candidates lately that have approached this matter differently. Candidate A assumed the references would be good because they worked together. Half of the references came back with negative comments and seemed to be validated by the candidates comments on the interview. I question if they were really validated or was it because you seem to see what you you think about. It’s somewhat like always seeing a red sports car when you start shopping for a red sports car. On the other hand, Candidate B wanted to see the reference form to decide who would be the appropriate reference to use. A very methodical and careful approach. I anticipate glowing remarks.
Moral of the story: Be careful who you use as references. An offer could rely on your choices!
Upstanding citizen, drug addict, little league coach, sanctioned by the board, gentle, caring, mean, abrupt, prone to temper tantrums, punctual, habitually late, gregarious, painfully introverted, selfless, selfish and deacon of the local church. What do all these descriptions have in common? They are all attributes of the members in the medical community………the doctors you rub shoulders with and that see members of your family. Surprising? Maybe…………depending on your point of view. The thing to remember is doctors are a slice of society just like any other profession. Should they be held to a higher standard because they help manage your health? What about your financial advisor? Should he/she be held to a higher standard because they help manage your money? What about the mechanic for your car? The working condition of your car effects many people. What about your pastor? The builder of your house? The cashier at the grocery store? The person you speak with about your credit card statement?
Who is that masked man behind the title “doctor”? Just a slice of society.
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