Difficulty in obtaining Primary Care Jobs in Northern and Southern CA?

[PCPDoc983]

I was wondering how difficult it would be to land a Primary Care Job (IM or FP) in Northern or Southern CA if you did your residency outside of CA in a hospital that people hadnt heard of?

My family is from CA and I would like to come back after residency to work for Kaiser or Cedars Sinai Medical Group (basically a reputed multi-specialty group in CA)....but from their list of doctors it seems like the attendings they hire come from top CA residency programs mostly. Would I have to cast my net wider to include Central CA (i.e. Fresno) to land such a job?...seems like Kaiser offers a competitive package so getting even a PCP job there is tough

Also, on a side tangent...it looks like Concierge Primary Care might be a new wave of the future. Is this type of practice model feasible right out of residency, or does one need an established patient base for several years before attempting something like this? Thanks.

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[darkelven29]

Don't think I can answer all your questions. But I do know that Kaiser often takes their own residents, provided they are good. That's one of the draw of doing residency at Kaiser. Now, why are you doing residency at a no-name hospital outside of California when you want to eventually work in California?

If you don't have a choice, you might want to pursue geriatrics/endo or other primary care type fellowships in California. As for any employment, you have to network and it helps when your residency is near where you want to work eventually. Bay Area and SoCal are very difficult for anyone. Fresno/Stockton/Redding/Merced/Bakersfield are probably in demand because the location is undesirable.

 

[dragonfly99]

Primary care job market is better in Bay area and SoCal than specialist job market, which is even more competitive. Kaiser can be competitive in general, with the more desirable locations like Bay Area being more so.
I know that places like Fresno, Sacramento area, etc. tend to be less competitive.
You might need to take what you can get at first (Bakersfield, Fresno, etc.) then move after a few years to where you'd like to be, if you can't get the job you want. And/or broaden your net beyond those 2 health systems you mentioned. Or do a fellowship, like someone else mentioned. But primary care tends to always be in demand, from what I have seen.

 

[mrpankration]

There is a big demand for PCPs in the Bay Area. I am completing residency at a Bay Area program and we get inundated with primary care job offers. I think they would be willing to take a look at anyone who was qualified. If you are looking to be part of a reputable multi-specialty group I would take a look at Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) and Menlo Clinic. Another new group that seems pretty interesting is One Medical, though I don't think it's multi-specialty. I'm also sure Kaiser both NorCal and SoCal have primary care openings, though they may be in less desirable locations.

 

[shangrila263]

There is a huge surplus of specialists, and a shortage of primary care. Health care reform will encourage the hiring of the latter and not the former. You won't have any difficulty getting a primary care job anywhere in this country.

Nathan Punwani
MD Candidate, 2013 - Drexel University College of Medicine
MPH Candidate, 2012 - Harvard School of Public Health

 

[PCPDoc983]

There is a huge surplus of specialists, and a shortage of primary care. Health care reform will encourage the hiring of the latter and not the former. You won't have any difficulty getting a primary care job anywhere in this country.

Nathan Punwani
MD Candidate, 2013 - Drexel University College of Medicine
MPH Candidate, 2012 - Harvard School of Public Health

True, but i think a concierge primary care gig in a nice part of the country (which is primary cares only hope at this point) will still be very difficult to establish and sustain....especially with obamacare attracting more patients to leave their private insurances and go into his plan. But thats a topic for a whole another thread lol.

 

[jbing222]

kind of along these same lines...i am originally from california, and have interviewed almost entirely at california programs...but am actually strongly considering one university program in the south, and one in the midwest...i do want to eventually end up in california...would i be shooting myself in the foot if i did my residency at one of these other non-cali programs?

 

[disorder]

kind of along these same lines...i am originally from california, and have interviewed almost entirely at california programs...but am actually strongly considering one university program in the south, and one in the midwest...i do want to eventually end up in california...would i be shooting myself in the foot if i did my residency at one of these other non-cali programs?

you have a better chance at making professional connections (fellowship/job opportunities) by doing residency in the area you want to end up in.

 

[Blackcomb]

you have a better chance at making professional connections (fellowship/job opportunities) by doing residency in the area you want to end up in.

I agree with this

 

[ajkby52]

you have a better chance at making professional connections (fellowship/job opportunities) by doing residency in the area you want to end up in.

What if you have the opportunity to rank a more competitive non-ca program? Like MGH vs UCLA.

 

[PCPDoc983]

True, I would think Kaiser would turn down one of its own residents to have an MGH graduate, even if that person didnt have ties to CA? But you have to take into consideration that most MGH graduates will not be doing Primary care in the first place.