attending out of work

Doodledog

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Posted for a member sent via PM:

My situation is this: I'm a specialist attending, currently out of work because of changes in the local healthcare system (i.e., let go as part of a large layoff based mostly on seniority, not because there was something wrong with me or my work). Most local positions in my specialty are currently filled. I'm applying for the very few unfilled ones, but not counting on anything since I'm sure many other people are also applying.

My spouse has a great job which depends on remaining where we are geographically, and we are not suffering financially (no debt, and pretty much a blue-collar lifestyle... small house, older cars). Moreover, we do not want to be apart. I want to work, but I'm not proud and would be willing to consider jobs outside medicine in order to have something productive to set my hand to. However, I don't want to mess up my options for future medical work by doing so.

How badly would the following options hurt my CV, or chances for future employment in my field when work opens up?
- Doing locums work (hate being away from home that long, though - nothing in my area)
- Working outside medicine (as in, really outside medicine - helping out at my cousin's small business or working for some other non-medical local enterprise)
- Starting my own business (not related to medicine)
- Pursuing outside projects (writing a book, renovating our house, doing training for a different line of work I'd like to do eventually)
- Going on unemployment (I suppose I'm technically eligible, although I hate the notion of being "on the dole")

I have this mental image of all of those things, especially the last 4, as being red flags or even deal breakers for someone in my field reading a prospective attending's CV. So what's an unemployed doc to do?

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Posted for a member sent via PM:

My situation is this: I'm a specialist attending, currently out of work because of changes in the local healthcare system (i.e., let go as part of a large layoff based mostly on seniority, not because there was something wrong with me or my work). Most local positions in my specialty are currently filled. I'm applying for the very few unfilled ones, but not counting on anything since I'm sure many other people are also applying.

My spouse has a great job which depends on remaining where we are geographically, and we are not suffering financially (no debt, and pretty much a blue-collar lifestyle... small house, older cars). Moreover, we do not want to be apart. I want to work, but I'm not proud and would be willing to consider jobs outside medicine in order to have something productive to set my hand to. However, I don't want to mess up my options for future medical work by doing so.

How badly would the following options hurt my CV, or chances for future employment in my field when work opens up?
- Doing locums work (hate being away from home that long, though - nothing in my area)
- Working outside medicine (as in, really outside medicine - helping out at my cousin's small business or working for some other non-medical local enterprise)
- Starting my own business (not related to medicine)
- Pursuing outside projects (writing a book, renovating our house, doing training for a different line of work I'd like to do eventually)
- Going on unemployment (I suppose I'm technically eligible, although I hate the notion of being "on the dole")

I have this mental image of all of those things, especially the last 4, as being red flags or even deal breakers for someone in my field reading a prospective attending's CV. So what's an unemployed doc to do?

I don't think that doing locums work would raise any red flags. The other 4 might, depending on how long you have been practicing in your field for. If you have been an attending in your field for several years (at least more than 5), it might just be seen as a small side tangent. If you are a fairly fresh attending, though, it might look bad. And, certainly, people would expect that time away from clinical medicine will dull your skills.

You might not have to be away for that long if you do locums work. Being away for a few weeks at a time is not so bad.

If you do end up doing any of the last 4 options, it will almost certainly be necessary for you to at least keep your hand in clinical medicine, perhaps by volunteering at a free clinic or at a nearby medical school.

Best of luck.
 
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