Physician profile: Jill Kruse, D.O.

Specialty: Family medicine

Employer: Avera Medical Group Brookings in Brookings, S.D.

Education:Medical school: Des Moines University (2005)

Residency: University of Wisconsin – Rural Training Track (2008)

In practice since: 2008

Kruse enjoys community theater, reading, SCUBA diving, traveling, and spending time with her husband and two young kids.

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

Getting into medical school and residency, there is so much pressure to want the program to “like you” or “want you” that you forget when you are searching for your first job that you have to interview them as much as they interview you. You need to make sure that this job is right for you, and you are under no obligation to accept the first job offer you are given.

What’s your advice for residents who are beginning their job search?

Make a list of what you want and what is important to you in a job. Also make sure the community you are looking at is a good fit for your family. Can your spouse get a job? Do you want your kids (or future kids) going to school and growing up in the area?

What was the most important factor in your search for a new job?

For me it was geography. We wanted to be near family for extra help and support with our small children.

Anything particularly unique about your job search?

I grew up in this area, so I knew which hospital system I wanted to work for since I did lots of shadowing or medical school rotations with doctors who eventually became my colleagues or specialists I referred patients to see.

How did PracticeLink help you in your job search?

I found both my first job and my current job on PracticeLink. It showed me options that I had not thought of.

Any other advice?

Don’t feel like a failure if you move or change jobs. What may start off as the perfect job may change as you and your family change. We all have different needs at different stages in our lives and careers. What may be a great place to practice before you have kids may not work as well with a hard call schedule. You may find that you don’t want to be in a big city or a small town for the rest of your life. There is nothing wrong with changing your mind and moving on when you have changed and your practice has stayed the same.