Recently, I was sitting in the physicians’ lounge of my local hospital’s operating room finishing my chart work, and I noticed a prior trainee, a family practice doctor who had rotated in my practice. We struck up a conversation, during which she told me she would be graduating in eight months’ time. I asked her if she’d found a job yet, when she mentioned she hadn’t started looking. I was a little surprised to hear this, but it got me thinking again about the job search. This was a very topical conversation because I had just recently given a “Job Search” lecture at the PRESENT Podiatric Residency Education Summit Midwest. For our residents about to enter the job market, this is a very important, very nerve-wracking part of training. For perspective, let’s talk about some of the issues related to the job search.

When Should You Start Looking?

A recent Merritt Hawkins survey of allopathic medical residents found 28% of graduating residents waited until less than six months before graduating to start looking for a job¹. That’s crazy and is explained by one of three things: procrastination, an over confident belief that the applicant is so excellent they can hold out for the best job at the last minute, or pure insanity. The last one is unlikely considering that we’re talking about doctors. That leaves the first reason, procrastination, as the most likely.

The problem with waiting is, if an applicant runs out of time, and hasn’t found a job before graduation, then they are likely to panic and take the first job offer that comes along (taking a job out of necessity rather than choice). Additionally, many new docs may not realize that it takes time to be fully licensed to practice. Insurance panels and hospitals take an even longer time to become active. The last thing a young doctor – and their new boss – wants is to be postponed seeing patients due to a delay in applying for those all-important insurance panels.

Because of this, I strongly recommend beginning the job search at least 12 – 18 months before residency graduation. There’s also nothing wrong with starting a full two years in advance. Start networking early. Lay that groundwork for the job of your dreams. Go after it aggressively; don’t wait for it to come to you.

Location Location Location?…Not!

The next question is, “Where should I look for a job?” The obvious answer might be to choose by location, but this is not necessarily the correct answer. First, one must consider family. If you happen to be married, or have children, you must consider your spouse and familial obligations. In cases like this, it may be best to find something conducive to family balance and look for a good location.

For those with a bit more freedom to move around, it is better to consider the highest quality practice situation possible. A Jackson and Cocker survey of medical residents found that 69% of final year residency graduates cited location as one of the most important characteristics when looking for a job. However, for those physicians surveyed who stayed with their jobs 10 years or longer, they cited quality of practice as the reason for staying².

It makes good sense that choosing by quality of practice rather than location would be the more important factor for staying at a job. Considering the amount of time most medical providers work in a week, spending time at an unsatisfying job in favor of a good location, will eventually turn sour, leading to prematurely leaving that job.

Choosing a Practice by Quality – What Does That Look Like?

Let’s finish up this discussion by talking about what a quality job looks like. For those who prefer black and white answers, get ready to be disappointed. First, it should be said that there’s no perfect practice situation. There’s always going to be something an employee dislikes about their job, but the benefits should clearly outweigh the negatives.

To figure out what your best practice scenario looks like, I suggest thinking honestly about what you want. What do you want in a practice? What do you want from life? Does a certain type of practice situation help satisfy your overall purpose and goals in life? Don’t have a purpose? Start thinking about it. You need to be more than just a person who treats feet and ankles. Why did you take the last seven years of your life to learn to be a foot and ankle specialist? How does this fit into your life’s goals? Find that answer and then use it as a benchmark for your job search.

There are a lot of other factors to consider when determining that quality job. Consider this list in addition to what was discussed above:

Each of these characteristics will be different for different people. For example, do you enjoy working for large organizations where you come to work each day and then leave? Are you OK with the tradeoff that you lose control over how that practice runs? If your answer is “yes” then a large organization like a multi-specialty practice might be for you. On the other hand, the person who answers “no” might be better suited for a sole provider or small group type of practice.

Consider all these factors carefully before starting to look for a situation after graduation. Remember, you became a medical provider to have a career, not just a job. After all the years and sacrifice, it’s time to dig in and find that amazing career you always wanted. Don’t settle for 2^nd or 3^rd best because you waited too long. That amazing career is there. You just have to find it.

Best wishes.