Can a surgeon switch locations?

[arijos0222]

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Let me give you an example

Bob Reilly M.D. is an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon. He just got out of residency and is now working at a university hospital in Chicago. Can Bob get an offer from say, a Los Angeles hospital or call them up and ask them to transfer there for higher pay? Can a surgeon move around different hospitals? Or does the hospital he choose after residency become the final work abode that he has to stay at for the rest of his career? 😕

 

[Helen Wheels]

Any physician, surgeon or not, can change employers any time after residency. Physicians can also open a private practice though surgeons, for obvious reasons, usually work out of hospitals.

 

[Bartelby]

Helen is correct, and I think many physicians do make a move at least once in their career. I think that you have to refer ongoing patients to other providers if they need that, but you don't have to stay in one place your entire life.

 

[wholeheartedly]

Physicians can definitely move and switch jobs.

That ability might be limited by contractual obligations though, so if you signed a two year contract and wanted to leave after 1 year, you have to deal with getting out of your contract and whatever that entails. I believe there are also clauses in contracts sometimes that prevent you from working within a certain radius of the practice you're leaving for a certain time after you leave, called "non-compete" clauses. But I don't really know the specifics on that stuff, just that they exist.

 

[Etorphine]

You can move anywhere you want, generally as long as you have the state licenses to do so.

 

[KinasePro]

I've heard that changing geographic areas can actually be difficult for surgical sub-specialties like ortho, ent, uro, neuro because building a referral base isn't trivial. When you're new to an area, you have hussle, earn your keep, build a patient base, get to know the referring physicians, etc...

Though it's probably a pretty easy to move around for surgical specialties that use a shift work or hospitalist model, like general surg and trauma.

 

[xf3rn4nd3sx]

I've heard that changing geographic areas can actually be difficult for surgical sub-specialties like ortho, ent, uro, neuro because building a referral base isn't trivial. When you're new to an area, you have hussle, earn your keep, build a patient base, get to know the referring physicians, etc...

Though it's probably a pretty easy to move around for surgical specialties that use a shift work or hospitalist model, like general surg and trauma.

Well ideally you would join an already established practice with a healthy referral base. The above problem typically occurs when starting on your own. It is becoming increasingly difficult to start from the ground up (starting as a solo practitioner) and will likely be impossible in the future. The trend is shifting towards large private practice groups of many surgeons or surgeons being hospital employees. Smaller groups and solo docs won't be able to survive. However, with shortages in several surgical sub-specialties, there is plenty of demand by hospitals and groups. You should have no trouble changing jobs if you have to.

 

[KinasePro]

Well ideally you would join an already established practice with a healthy referral base. The above problem typically occurs when starting on your own. It is becoming increasingly difficult to start from the ground up (starting as a solo practitioner) and will likely be impossible in the future. The trend is shifting towards large private practice groups of many surgeons or surgeons being hospital employees. Smaller groups and solo docs won't be able to survive. However, with shortages in several surgical sub-specialties, there is plenty of demand by hospitals and groups. You should have no trouble changing jobs if you have to.

When you join an already established practice with a healthy referral base, how do you get your own patients? Do your partners "share," or are primary care docs referring to large practice groups instead of individual physicians? Just curious how this works, as I've heard it can still be a pain in the ass for the new guy in this situation.

 

[DoctwoB]

When you join an already established practice with a healthy referral base, how do you get your own patients? Do your partners "share," or are primary care docs referring to large practice groups instead of individual physicians? Just curious how this works, as I've heard it can still be a pain in the ass for the new guy in this situation.

It's a mix. If a group is recruiting another doc, its likely because they're getting more referrals then they want/need but don't want to miss out on the extra revenue and efficiency that comes with a larger practice. So there will be some "sharing" early on, but it will likely be many of the cases your other partners don't want. Over time you become expected to bring in your own referrals. Often your salary may be guaranteed for a few years while you get your practice moving and then you eat what you kill.

 

[xf3rn4nd3sx]

When you join an already established practice with a healthy referral base, how do you get your own patients? Do your partners "share," or are primary care docs referring to large practice groups instead of individual physicians? Just curious how this works, as I've heard it can still be a pain in the ass for the new guy in this situation.

It's a mix. If a group is recruiting another doc, its likely because they're getting more referrals then they want/need but don't want to miss out on the extra revenue and efficiency that comes with a larger practice. So there will be some "sharing" early on, but it will likely be many of the cases your other partners don't want. Over time you become expected to bring in your own referrals. Often your salary may be guaranteed for a few years while you get your practice moving and then you eat what you kill.

Yeah basically what DoctwoB said. Typically you are hired into a group because they have too much volume for the current number of physicians. After joining you get a lot of that overflow. Eventually you get your own patients and referrals.