Position Share?

[Deucedano]

My wife and I are both pathology residents and someone recently suggested we should try to do a position share. I never even considered this as an option and never heard of anyone doing it either. I know Ive seen part time position ads, but never a position share. Would something like this exist in community practice? Or would a practice be willing to split a position between two part time people?

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[Tissue issue]

I know of several pathologist couples in different areas of the country. Never heard of a position share.

FWIW I'd recommend fully developing your individual specialty interests.

 

[pathstudent]

My wife and I are both pathology residents and someone recently suggested we should try to do a position share. I never even considered this as an option and never heard of anyone doing it either. I know Ive seen part time position ads, but never a position share. Would something like this exist in community practice? Or would a practice be willing to split a position between two part time people?

DUM idea. Two people share positions all the time. Usually they are both near retirement and just looking for something to keep them busy and cover expenses for a few more years.

But for a young couple it is a terrible idea. One of you is always working while the other is off. Little to no overlapping vacation. Both of you would be making less than 50% of your productivity with no chance of becoming a partner.

Don't blow it. Both of you get full time jobs at different private practices in the same city. After making partner you should each be earning around 400-600k depending on how the practices are run.

Make that money and then save that money.

Didn't you see the recent game of thrones? Not only is winter coming but an undead army of winter zombies is coming. Don't blow it.

 

[WEBB PINKERTON]

It could be hard to find two pathology jobs in the same city. No way in hell would I marry another pathologist UNLESS she wanted me to stay home and not work.

 

[gbwillner]

At my program I remember two residents that were married and both wanted and got dermpath fellowships at different institutions. My first question was "When's the divorce?"

 

[pongo]

It takes years after training to get your legs under you in PP working full time. That's why so many groups prefer prior experience. If you were lucky enough to find a group that would agree to this, it would still be a bad career move. I have a strong bias against any physician trying to work part time early in his/her career.

 

[Autopsy101]

During my medical school rotation in internal medicine, my senior residents were a married couple who had both finished pathology residency and could not find employment in the same city. They were both re-training in internal medicine.

Issues I see regarding position sharing would probably benefit related - health insurance, 401 k, ect... with neither one of you being considered full time. It might work in a large academic department or large private lab setting, but in a private practice, partnership setting, not likely.

 

[pathstudent]

It could be hard to find two pathology jobs in the same city. No way in hell would I marry another pathologist UNLESS she wanted me to stay home and not work.

If you were willing to move to one of the tier 1 cities: ny, Chicago, Bay Area, Los Angeles you could easily each find private practice jobs. I'm not guaranteeing that it will be a great job, but it wouldn't be too difficult. In fact at this point having a double physician income is the only way you can live in the most desirable parts of a tier 1 city, Manhattan, SF, West LA, Santa Monica and still have the "trimmings" of life.

 

[caffeinegirl]

If you were willing to move to one of the tier 1 cities: ny, Chicago, Bay Area, Los Angeles you could easily each find private practice jobs. I'm not guaranteeing that it will be a great job, but it wouldn't be too difficult. In fact at this point having a double physician income is the only way you can live in the most desirable parts of a tier 1 city, Manhattan, SF, West LA, Santa Monica and still have the "trimmings" of life.

Cross off the Bay area (not Sacramento/Modesto) if you're looking for two pathologist jobs (outside of instructor level-academics or industry). The market is saturated, and has been for a while. My advice would be to look in larger organizations (20+ pathologist, or large med centers such as Kaiser).

 

[pathstudent]

Cross off the Bay area (not Sacramento/Modesto) if you're looking for two pathologist jobs (outside of instructor level-academics or industry). The market is saturated, and has been for a while. My advice would be to look in larger organizations (20+ pathologist, or large med centers such as Kaiser).

There must be multiple people retiring every year in a metro the size of the Bay. It is that saturated that when someone retires, they don't rehire? How did that happen?

I guess my dream of owning a 4 story Victorian on the corner of Steiner and California and then walking to Cal Pacific Med Center ain't gonna happen.

 

[Deucedano]

DUM idea. Two people share positions all the time. Usually they are both near retirement and just looking for something to keep them busy and cover expenses for a few more years.

But for a young couple it is a terrible idea. One of you is always working while the other is off. Little to no overlapping vacation. Both of you would be making less than 50% of your productivity with no chance of becoming a partner.

Don't blow it. Both of you get full time jobs at different private practices in the same city. After making partner you should each be earning around 400-600k depending on how the practices are run.

Make that money and then save that money.

Didn't you see the recent game of thrones? Not only is winter coming but an undead army of winter zombies is coming. Don't blow it.

I agree that ideally both of us would get private practice jobs in the same city. I also agree working part time earlier in my career would not be the best for my career, but based on the doom and gloom on this board Im not so sure both of us will be able to find a job. I guess in my ignorance I figured it would be better to be working at least part time than not at all so skills dont atrophy.

 

[Deucedano]

Cross off the Bay area (not Sacramento/Modesto) if you're looking for two pathologist jobs (outside of instructor level-academics or industry). The market is saturated, and has been for a while. My advice would be to look in larger organizations (20+ pathologist, or large med centers such as Kaiser).

Yes I am doing residency in the bay area and I can say it is saturated. There are a handful of residents in my program who stay, but most have to leave the area. PathStudent is right you would need 2 incomes to live in this area and you may be lucky enough to buy a $800,000 2 bedroom house in East Palo Alto.

 

[pathstudent]

Yes I am doing residency in the bay area and I can say it is saturated. There are a handful of residents in my program who stay, but most have to leave the area. PathStudent is right you would need 2 incomes to live in this area and you may lucky enough to buy a $800,000 2 bedroom house in East Palo Alto.

Any idea how it happened? Were practices hiring pathologists when they didn't need them? That is hard to imagine. Usually you only expand if you get new turf. Otherwise you only hire to replace retiring partners.

It would be tough to face the SF housing market even with you each having an employee pathologist contract making around 200,000. However my advice is to go all out and apply to select a number of medium to large cities that you wouldn't mind living in. Yes, SF is probably the finest city you can live in the US, but keep an open mind. Both you and your spouse interview as much as you can. You should each apply to the same places but it is unlikely one small private practice would hire a married couple as if you both became partners the other partners don't want to have to deal with a voting block of two when making decisions. I bet if you work hard at it you can get something to work out even in the Bay Area.

 

[Deucedano]

Any idea how it happened? Were practices hiring pathologists when they didn't need them? That is hard to imagine. Usually you only expand if you get new turf. Otherwise you only hire to replace retiring partners.

It would be tough to face the SF housing market even with you each having an employee pathologist contract making around 200,000. However my advice is to go all out and apply to select a number of medium to large cities that you wouldn't mind living in. Yes, SF is probably the finest city you can live in the US, but keep an open mind. Both you and your spouse interview as much as you can. You should each apply to the same places but it is unlikely one small private practice would hire a married couple as if you both became partners the other partners don't want to have to deal with a voting block of two when making decisions. I bet if you work hard at it you can get something to work out even in the Bay Area.

Not sure why the market in the bay area is so saturated currently. I imagine its a combination of older pathologists not retiring, decrease in specimens, too many residents in training, groups absorbing work instead of filling vacant positions, but I am not certain. I do know most people at my program want to stay and only a few are able to find jobs.

 

[gbwillner]

I know plenty of married couples who practice pathology in the same city. Most are in academia. When you interview, you do so as a package deal. I would bet most of these jobs are NOT likely in cities like SF. I would warn against any advice from Pathstudent when it comes to cities and quality of life!

 

[pathstudent]

I know plenty of married couples who practice pathology in the same city. Most are in academia. When you interview, you do so as a package deal. I would bet most of these jobs are NOT likely in cities like SF. I would warn against any advice from Pathstudent when it comes to cities and quality of life!

Of course married couples can work together at a teaching hospital or in a corporate lab. It might even be possible in a large private practice. But I think it would be a challenge getting into smaller sized groups. But then again how often do smaller groups have two jobs at the same time? Not bloody often.

But my advice to this guy or gal is for both of you to go the private practice route if you are so inclined. I don't know if 500k+ incomes will last. It kind of seems like they won't, but if they do, think about how you can set up your family and what you can provide for them. Like the great chicken frier Gustavo Fring said :

And for the record, no city has higher QOL than SF. It is the most beautiful city filled with the smartest most creative population, best restaurants, best food, most progressive self aware population. And it is an international destination for the young, creative and brilliant. It is not a Cleveland or Saint Louis or Toledo where the population shrinks every census.

 

[WEBB PINKERTON]

Lot of rectal biopsies and anal paps in San Fran I would imagine.

 

[pathstudent]

Lot of rectal biopsies and anal paps in San Fran I would imagine.

Anal paps, cervical paps...whatever...paps are paps.

 

[icpshootyz]

Maybe Webb's afraid he'll catch the gay through his microscope looking at anal paps...

 

[WEBB PINKERTON]

Maybe Webb's afraid he'll catch the gay through his microscope looking at anal paps...

 

[gbwillner]

And for the record, no city has a lower QOL than SF. It is the most beautiful city filled with the smuggiest most douchiest population, average but overpriced restaurants, best food if you like Rice-a-Roni, most progressive self aware population (you know, pansies). And it is an international destination for the young, creative and brilliant who like substandard housing they can never afford. It is not a Cleveland or Saint Louis or Toledo where the population shrinks every census, it is a place where you get murdered at a baseball game for wearing the wrong hat and is so crowded you can't find a parking spot.

FTFY

 

[yaah]

I can't imagine this working very well at anything other than a very large group (like more than 25 pathologists). Because when one of you is off, the other one will be too. So you're both part time but you're both working at the same times? Not that helpful. Easier to hire one person.