Physician profile: Wilkerson “Will” Compere, M.D.

WORK: Penn Highlands Healthcare in Clearfield, Pennsylvania

RESIDENCY: Capital Health System, Trenton, N.J.

Compere is an Internist who enjoys playing soccer and basketball, spending time with his family and watching movies.

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

Start the job search early. Don’t wait when you are at the end of the final year of your residency to look for a job. You will have less time than you think to explore other opportunities.

Keep your options open, and don’t focus on only one location because sometimes you will be pleased to find a better offer or quality of life somewhere else. Lastly, involve your family and choose the offer that will be best for you and your family.

What surprised you about your post-residency job search?

There are plenty of opportunities, but you don’t know which one to choose. It’s very time-consuming, as you need to travel to many places for interview. Also, the wide gap between salaries from state to state.

What do you wish they had taught in med school but didn’t?

More training in the business aspect of heath care, and more lectures about the cost of health care because we are the future of health care.

How did PracticeLink help you in your physician job search?

I signed my contract with Penn Highlands Healthcare, which I found on PracticeLink.com. From PracticeLink, I was also able to get a list of opportunities that provided loan assistance.

Any other advice?

Be positive and honest. Know that you are in control. If you are not interested in an offer, be polite and let them know so they can move on to the next applicant. Make sure everything they promise is written into your contract.

Start early, and be confident. All the late nights you spent studying during medical school and all the calls during residency will pay off. Be proud of everything that you have accomplished.