Unemployed Pathologist

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I don't understand why I cannot get a job. I am a really good, solid surgical pathologist. I had been working at a very busy private practice for about 3 years and was providing excellent service. I have no malpractice claims agains me, no major errors committed in 3 years, and most of the clinicians i worked with spoke very highly of me. At my previous job (for three years) the partners in the group kept telling me, "it's a done deal, we are going to make you partner." However, when the partners voted, the chairman of the group told everyone that "certain corporation bylaws" gave him "complete veto power" and that no matter how anyone voted, he would make sure that I would not be making partner and I was going to be let go. This guy is a total control freak and his animosity toward me stems from not performing hep C bone marrow biopsies in his place (even though I had only done one previously), speaking up when I was asked to "absorb all the call" from a retiring parter and getting along too well with the clinicians at my satellite hospital.

Anyway, they did not renew my contract and I have been searching for a job since January. I am glad I'm out of there because i was starting to get paranoid that i was being sabotaged by the managing partner. I have had a few interviews but no job offers. I think there are two reasons for this; one, it sounds fishy to say "they didn't make me a partner so I left" and two, I haven't worked since January, most people ask why. My answer is "because I CANT FIND A JOB!" I guess I don't want to say that my previous managing partner is a sociopath. Even though it's true, I think prospective employers don't want to hear that.

Long story short, I can't find work and I don't know what else to do. Does anyone have any advice? It's been six months now and I literally am close to becoming broke. Luckily we saved some money and I did not buy a house (since I didn't trust that guy), but nonetheless, my savings is running out. Any thoughts on finding work with that history or any ideas for getting out of Pathology completely?

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There are way too many pathologists because academic centers keep training pathologists for jobs that do not exist. For every trainee they get about 150- 175 K per year. They spend 50 K to pay for pathologist who works long hours for little pay, and keep the difference. In addition academic centers keep lying to prospective pathologist about "wonderful job prospects" which do not exist.

Currently (June 2014) the job market for pathologist is at historical low. Occasionally, there are few openings here and there - with about 500 newly-minted pathologists vying for these few positions.

The situation is very sad. First, pathologists are generally employed by someone else who decides how much we will work and how much we will be paid. Exacerbating this situation is the fact that academic centers train too many residents for positions that do not exist.

This paradox is felt in any state and in most institutions. Pathologists are readily abused by:

1) Pathologists who were able to negotiate contracts with hospitals, know the reality of the job market and underpay their fellow pathologists.

2) Clinicians who open pod labs, keep the entire technical component and $30 per slide of the professional component. On average $6 for code 88305 is given to pathologists. If pathologist complains about unfair share, he is told that he is actually worth only $2 per slide but is compensated three times of his worth as a “gift”.

3) Regardless of how bad a given clinician might be and despite of how good the pathologists may be, the clinicians that supplies specimens behave as if pathologists were their servants and not colleague physicians. The young pathologists quickly realize that he is always wrong and the clinician is always right. The pathologist feels he should behave as waiter or he will be asked to leave since there are so are many unemployed pathologists waiting to replace him and please clinicians for every price.

4) Administrators even with little knowledge of medicine very quickly learn that pathologists (due to oversupply) are at the very bottom of the pecking order. It is not surprise that administrators always side with clinicians.

I think that the number of training spots should be decreased, to at least 200 new pathologist per year (from current 500 per year). We have been listening to thefairy tale about a severe shortage of pathologists due to retirement for decades; however, that simply was not the case and probably never will be until training spots are significantly cut.

I understand that academic centers need money from the Government. I also understand that residents cost less than physician assistants. However, academic institutions should be truthful with prospectivepathologists about a grim future. Students should not be mislead with claims of "wonderful job prospects" .

Better use of Government money must be developed to cover needs of academic pathology departments, rather than being used to fund training for jobs that do not, and are not likely to exist in near future.
 
I don't understand why I cannot get a job. I am a really good, solid surgical pathologist. I had been working at a very busy private practice for about 3 years and was providing excellent service. I have no malpractice claims agains me, no major errors committed in 3 years, and most of the clinicians i worked with spoke very highly of me. At my previous job (for three years) the partners in the group kept telling me, "it's a done deal, we are going to make you partner." However, when the partners voted, the chairman of the group told everyone that "certain corporation bylaws" gave him "complete veto power" and that no matter how anyone voted, he would make sure that I would not be making partner and I was going to be let go. This guy is a total control freak and his animosity toward me stems from not performing hep C bone marrow biopsies in his place (even though I had only done one previously), speaking up when I was asked to "absorb all the call" from a retiring parter and getting along too well with the clinicians at my satellite hospital.

Anyway, they did not renew my contract and I have been searching for a job since January. I am glad I'm out of there because i was starting to get paranoid that i was being sabotaged by the managing partner. I have had a few interviews but no job offers. I think there are two reasons for this; one, it sounds fishy to say "they didn't make me a partner so I left" and two, I haven't worked since January, most people ask why. My answer is "because I CANT FIND A JOB!" I guess I don't want to say that my previous managing partner is a sociopath. Even though it's true, I think prospective employers don't want to hear that.

Long story short, I can't find work and I don't know what else to do. Does anyone have any advice? It's been six months now and I literally am close to becoming broke. Luckily we saved some money and I did not buy a house (since I didn't trust that guy), but nonetheless, my savings is running out. Any thoughts on finding work with that history or any ideas for getting out of Pathology completely?
 
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I would simply avoid any practice where the "real" decision power rests upon either a single person or a narrow group of people. The idea that a "partner" or "associate" can be pushed out even after "many years" is simply unacceptable.

No argument with this, but power structures, especially embarrassing autocratic ones, may be hidden during a job interview. Malignant personalities and lack of junior partners, however, are tougher to conceal.
 
There are way too many pathologists because academic centers keep training pathologists for jobs that do not exist. For every trainee they get about 150- 175 K per year. They spend 50 K to pay for pathologist who works long hours for little pay, and keep the difference. In addition academic centers keep lying to prospective pathologist about "wonderful job prospects" which do not exist.

Currently (June 2014) the job market for pathologist is at historical low. Occasionally, there are few openings here and there - with about 500 newly-minted pathologists vying for these few positions.

The situation is very sad. First, pathologists are generally employed by someone else who decides how much we will work and how much we will be paid. Exacerbating this situation is the fact that academic centers train too many residents for positions that do not exist.

This paradox is felt in any state and in most institutions. Pathologists are readily abused by:

1) Pathologists who were able to negotiate contracts with hospitals, know the reality of the job market and underpay their fellow pathologists.

2) Clinicians who open pod labs, keep the entire technical component and $30 per slide of the professional component. On average $6 for code 88305 is given to pathologists. If pathologist complains about unfair share, he is told that he is actually worth only $2 per slide but is compensated three times of his worth as a “gift”.

3) Regardless of how bad a given clinician might be and despite of how good the pathologists may be, the clinicians that supplies specimens behave as if pathologists were their servants and not colleague physicians. The young pathologists quickly realize that he is always wrong and the clinician is always right. The pathologist feels he should behave as waiter or he will be asked to leave since there are so are many unemployed pathologists waiting to replace him and please clinicians for every price.

4) Administrators even with little knowledge of medicine very quickly learn that pathologists (due to oversupply) are at the very bottom of the pecking order. It is not surprise that administrators always side with clinicians.

I think that the number of training spots should be decreased, to at least 200 new pathologist per year (from current 500 per year). We have been listening to thefairy tale about a severe shortage of pathologists due to retirement for decades; however, that simply was not the case and probably never will be until training spots are significantly cut.

I understand that academic centers need money from the Government. I also understand that residents cost less than physician assistants. However, academic institutions should be truthful with prospectivepathologists about a grim future. Students should not be mislead with claims of "wonderful job prospects" .

Better use of Government money must be developed to cover needs of academic pathology departments, rather than being used to fund training for jobs that do not, and are not likely to exist in near future.

Voice of Cold Reality that will soon be muffled by those in "comfy" upper echelon of our profession.
 
New pathologists should take note and heed their gut during interviews. A string of fired predecessors, lack of junior full partners, or malignant personalities apparent even after a brief interview are red flags. The job market creates undue pressure to accept any offer, but sometimes walking away from a bad job is the better choice in the long run.

I wish you the best.

Yeah, this is a good bit of advice. Lots of us have posted this before and it remains one of the most important things for pathologists interviewing for jobs. If they really are a good place to work, they will give you names and contact info for the last people who have left the group. Maybe they're all retired, which is probably the best possibility (because no one wants to leave). But maybe some left to change areas of the country. If they all left essentially unwillingly or were forced out, that's not great. To be sure, groups who retain and do not get rid of bad pathologists are also problems, but ask to talk to clinicians and see what they think of the group.

So it can be hard to gauge - but you just have to work at it and ask good questions without being too crazy about it.

An example: When I interviewed for my job, I met every single pathologist individually. They were all equal partners because they hadn't had anybody new in like 5 years. I was told the process by which they would make the decision and the approximate timeline. By the time I was offered the job I knew the partner salary, the time to partnership, and the expectations. Most of this was offered to me without much probing. Obviously this doesn't happen everywhere, but there are other ways to be ethical.
 
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