Andrea Gregory, M.D.

WORK: Pediatrician, in practice since October, 2014

EMPLOYER: Montgomery Center for Family Medicine at Self Regional Healthcare, Greenwood, South Carolina

RESIDENCY: Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina (2013)

MED SCHOOL: Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (2010)

Gregory enjoys reading, running, skiing, cooking and spending time with family. “I would love to learn to play the guitar— which I should now have time for since residency is over,” she says.

What surprised you about your first post-residency job search?

Prior to going to medical school, I worked as a registered dietitian for four years. The job search as a physician was quite different. Rather than having to search out jobs, there are so many recruiters and agencies that contacted me. It was somewhat overwhelming at times.

What’s your advice for residents?

Starting early is helpful—it gives you more time to find the job that’s right for you. It’s also important to be honest with yourself about what type of job is the best fit for you. There are so many options available. I found it helpful to narrow my search in one category. I chose location, but others may want to look for inpatient vs. outpatient, private or academic, or traditional hours vs. shift work.

What was the most important factor in your physician job search?

For me, location was the most important factor. I was looking to live and work somewhere that would be near extended family and would have good career opportunities for my husband, who is not in the medical field. I was also looking for a job that would foster good work/life balance and would allow me to do some teaching.

How did you find your job?

During residency, I planned to subspecialize in pediatric infectious diseases. I started my fellowship in July 2013, but after about 6 months, I realized that an academic subspecialty career was not the right fit for me. So I started my job search in general pediatrics while I was completing the first year of fellowship.

I was extremely busy during this time, so having a service like PracticeLink was invaluable. I found several openings that seemed promising—and one that seemed ideal, with a great mix of inpatient, outpatient and resident teaching responsibilities. Being able to speak directly with the physicians and staff at my top choice expedited my search and ultimately my decision.

Any other physician job search advice?

Financially, it’s a good idea to plan carefully in case you aren’t able to start as early as you’d like or your job search takes a little longer—or if you want to have an extended time off between residency and the start of your new job. (It may be one of the last opportunities to take several months off to study, travel, etc.) It’s also nice to build in a little extra time if you are relocating, so you can get settled at home before settling in to a new job.