New physicians in search of their first job may not know where to start or how to succeed in their search. Four healthcare recruiters recently connected with Becker's to offer tips all young physicians should know.
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity. If you would like to contribute to our next question, please email Paige Haeffele at phaeffele@beckershealthcare.com.
Question: What are three things that all new physicians should know?
Kendall Bly. Assistant to the Director of Physician Recruitment and Retention at CHI Mercy Health (Roseburg, Ore.): I would say first and foremost, never stop learning. Always find CME to expand your knowledge and skillset. Two, being open to leadership opportunities, if desired. Three, if you want work-life balance, make it a clear expectation at the very beginning of your career.
Dean Frate, MD. Physician Adviser and President of Medical Staff at Summa Health (Akron, Ohio):
1. The best opportunities for success exist in compromise positions. It's rare that best patient care is found solely in one guideline that aligns perfectly with our patients' goals, access, means and values.
2. The business of medicine similarly respects compromise. Generally, there are conflicting measures impacting any one proposition. While different stakeholders in that proposition may have exclusive views, successfully owning and stewarding it requires assessment of the weights of those measures and finding a best balance.
3. Balance in both medicine and the business of medicine is a verb. Balance points are dynamic. Maintaining individual balance, as a noun, requires developed skill for mental and emotional agility, acceptance that targets aren't fixed and human connections to those we serve and those we serve with.
Bill Mawhinney. Senior Medical Staff Recruiter at Tower Health (West Reading, Pa.): Take time to know what you want in a job. If you want a high salary, then be prepared to work for it. If you want to be near family, then focus your search early on the set location. If you want to earn the 90th percentile of MGMA income, you are going to need to go to a location that might not be near family; you might be the only physician and your work-life balance is going to be unbalanced. Know what you are willing to negotiate in order to achieve your desired job.
If you are a new physician coming out of training, you don't have a lot of bargaining chips. While you might be in a specialty that is in demand, as a new physician, know that your first year of practice will be a loss for the organization. You'll need six months or more to get comfortable with your new surroundings. You will not bring a patient following or a well-known reputation to a new job.
Know what you bring and what your value is to your new employer. Express how you as a new physician can make an impact for the patients, community and the organization. Sell yourself!
Be honest with the organization. If you are not interested, then let them know. Nothing is worse than having a candidate play games and ghost a recruiter. Don't play one offer against the other. In-house recruiters that are employed by the organization have a vested interest in getting you the best salary and benefits possible. We also know when we are getting played. If you want the job, like the team, the hospital/practice and the location, then tell your recruiter. Let the recruiter know that their position is your first choice. You just want to know if there is room to negotiate the offer. If you are honest, a good in-house recruiter will fight to get you the best deal. Work with your recruiter; they can be your strongest partner.
Don't wait till the last minute to start your search. If, for example, you want to be near family, then start reaching out to hospitals, practices, organizations in the area. Also, know that working with an in-house recruiter or someone employed by the hospital will get you in faster than working with a contingency firm. If you get a call for a job, ask the recruiter if they work for the organization or a search firm. If they work for a search firm, the recruiter doesn't always have the full details on the job or the commitment from the hospital/practice to present candidates.
Bruce Robinson. Provider Recruiter at MercyHealth Wisconsin and Illinois (Rockford, Ill.):
1. Every practice location is different. The way you did things in residency or medical school no longer applies. And every time you change practices, you somehow change the approach to medical practice. The fundamental ingredients may remain the same, though the recipe may change. Make change your friend or it will become your enemy.
2. We hear this all the time and it happens to be true: Medicine is changing nonstop, and that means nonstop learning. Exceeding your CMEs. Doing deep personal learning. It is always concerning when a physician displays thinking or approaches from a decade or two ago. Being a great physician in the 21st century mandates that one is a curious and voracious learner.
3. A physician’s life can be difficult. Now, more than ever. Scheduling, reimbursements, coding, corporate ownership, referrals, staffing, EHR/EMR, telehealth, the arrival of big-box primary care through Walmart, Amazon, CVS, Walgreens, etc. However, remember that for millennia, being a physician was a vocation. You are a healer, not a technician. So medicine is an art, not just a science. In tough times, your calling will protect and assure you. Your vocation will also fuel you to become the transformative healer upon whom your patients can fully rely.