Advice on getting first position after residency

[CountryDoc2011]

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I am in the midst of searching for positions and dealing with recruiters and would like advice about what approaches are best. Since I am finishing residency and have a massive student loan debt, having loan repayment would be helpful. I also would not mind working in a suburban, semi-rural, or rural position. Since my training was in an urban setting I could do this as well. When starting my search I thought it would not be difficult finding a good semi-rural position. A number of recruiters have contacted me and have pumped traditional family practice positions which also involve doing inpatient call as well as working in the clinic. Some said that if I do not do any inpatient work a few years after finishing it would be almost impossible to add it later and these positions offer the best compensation and loan repayment. On the surface the compensation looked good but when I did some more research there were discrepancies between what I was told and the reality of the situation for some of these. Also there was a lack of follow up and return of calls by these practices themselves after the recruiter said they would follow up and after leaving messages. I got a reply from one recruiter that an underserved location had found someone they liked and were waiting to see if she accepted so were not interested in interviewing me, so perhaps I am starting my search a little late. Searching through practice link was helpful but the practices found there who want to interview me offer low salaries with no loan repayment.

 

[EdibleEgg]

Take everything a recruiter says with a grain of salt.... They just want to make money. I will however agree that it is difficult to go from outpatient to inpatient work after a couple of years. Other than loan repayment, do you have anything else to consider? Family? Schools? Do you care about location? I didn't have any specific desires when I finished my residency, so I did a couple of years of locums work. It was a great opportunity to test my skills a bit and figure out what I really enjoyed. My best job opportunities were those I found myself. Both directly form locums jobs and from just calling hospital CEO's and physician relations. Negotiate.

 

[CountryDoc2011]

Take everything a recruiter says with a grain of salt.... They just want to make money. I will however agree that it is difficult to go from outpatient to inpatient work after a couple of years. Other than loan repayment, do you have anything else to consider? Family? Schools? Do you care about location? I didn't have any specific desires when I finished my residency, so I did a couple of years of locums work. It was a great opportunity to test my skills a bit and figure out what I really enjoyed. My best job opportunities were those I found myself. Both directly form locums jobs and from just calling hospital CEO's and physician relations. Negotiate.

I am starting to get flooded with emails from recruiters and hospitals. Of course they do not mention a specific salary. Working Locum sounds interesting but I need a dependable income because of my loans. I am flexible where I can go but would be nice to be close to home. I am focusing more on outpatient at this time but am interested in a little inpatient work as well. It seems that hospitals prefer not to go through recruiters but many do. What have you found to be the best and most satisfying positions?

I noticed looking back on your previous posts I noticed you also do GI procedures and do a variety of work in the hospital. Are you able to get training for certain procedures and some other things after you finish residency if you are not able to get it before finishing?

You can email me if you wish.

 

[EdibleEgg]

I am starting to get flooded with emails from recruiters and hospitals. Of course they do not mention a specific salary. Working Locum sounds interesting but I need a dependable income because of my loans. I am flexible where I can go but would be nice to be close to home. I am focusing more on outpatient at this time but am interested in a little inpatient work as well. It seems that hospitals prefer not to go through recruiters but many do. What have you found to be the best and most satisfying positions?

I noticed looking back on your previous posts I noticed you also do GI procedures and do a variety of work in the hospital. Are you able to get training for certain procedures and some other things after you finish residency if you are not able to get it before finishing?

You can email me if you wish.

You can have dependable income with locums....

If you have so many leads that you are overwhelmed, just pick a few things that are important to you and start doing some elimination.

As far as picking up skills after residency, it depends. It would be tough to do something major, like colonoscopy. The local gastroenterologist is probably not going to like the idea of competition enough to give you time. It is possible however, depending on your dedication to learning the skill. Some procedures are pretty easy to get additional training. For example, most anesthesiologists are fairly open to letting non gassers come to the OR for a little airway instruction. They know you are not going to take away business. Consider an academic position if you have interests, but still think you need some extra time. It's easier to learn in an environment where people are used to teaching.

As far I the jobs I find most satisfying... I like doing it all, but that's not for everyone.