Whether you’re just entering medical school, completing training or already practicing, the thought of your next role has probably come to mind. You may have started considering where and when to look for physician jobs and how to find the right fit for you. If that’s the case, use these pointers to help give you direction as you pave your best career path:
Where to find your job
According to a CompHealth survey on how younger doctors found their first jobs, more than 40% of physicians found theirs through referrals and networking, 39% found out about their jobs on job boards and 36% found their jobs through a recruiter at the organization or facility.
Networking
Networking and talking to recent residents or attending physicians from your program is a great place to start learning about what you might want in a practice. Once you know what kind of practice you’d like or the type of culture you’d want, talk to those who have followed a similar path as you and contact recruiters or practicing physicians in your specialty to see about open opportunities that could be a good fit.
You can also attend conferences in your specialty to network with other physicians in your field and learn about current or upcoming openings. There are large specialty conferences throughout the country, or you can find events hosted by your state’s chapter of the association to network on a smaller level.
Job Board
You’ve probably heard of broad job boards, but did you know there are physician- and provider-specific job boards? Many of these allow you to create a profile for ease of applying and let you filter your search by specialty, location and other criteria to help you find your ideal job.
You can create a profile on PracticeLink.com and immediately start searching and applying for jobs, and you can also set your privacy and visibility to keep your search confidential, and receive communication from recruiters about jobs for which you’d be a good fit.
Recruiters
As you begin searching for jobs and completing training, you will most likely be contacted by recruiters. They can be extremely beneficial in helping to guide you through the interview and hiring process.
Depending on the demand in your specialty – and even the demand for you individually – contact from recruiters may increase, so have an idea of locations you’d consider and the type of practice and have questions prepared for recruiters so you can know the job will be right before getting too far in the interview process.
When to look for your job
The next step in your career is an important one, so you want to be prepared and follow a job-search timeline. Start thinking about your practice desires and getting ready to apply around two years before completing your training. Then follow these steps:
- 24 to 12 months out: Identify your priorities and evaluate what matters to you.
- 18 to 12 months out: Write your CV and establish references.
- 15 to 10 months out: Send applications.
- 12 to 8 months out: Complete your interviews and research your options.
- 10 to 6 months out: Evaluate your offers.
- 10 to 6 months out: Work with an attorney to negotiate your contract and accept your offer.
- 6 to 3 months out: Make time for licensing and credentialing.
- 1 month out: Take some time for yourself before starting your professional career.
January 5, 2021
