First job interview - what do I need to ask?

[gymone1]

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Hi. I am a CA-3 and have 2 job interviews lined up. Our program is not very good about helping us with job hunting since 80% of my class is going on to fellowship. What are the really important questions that I need to ask? 1 interview is with a huge group covering many hospitals in a bigger city and 1 is in a smaller coastal town that currently had 5 anesthesiologists in the group.

Some things I have been told to ask are whether the CRNAs are paid by the group or hospital, obviously if they pay malpractice and tail coverage.

Thanks for any help! I just dont want to interview and the find out later that theres lots of stuff I do not know about the group! I am feeling a bit lost.

 

[imfrankie]

Hi. I am a CA-3 and have 2 job interviews lined up. Our program is not very good about helping us with job hunting since 80% of my class is going on to fellowship. What are the really important questions that I need to ask? 1 interview is with a huge group covering many hospitals in a bigger city and 1 is in a smaller coastal town that currently had 5 anesthesiologists in the group.

Some things I have been told to ask are whether the CRNAs are paid by the group or hospital, obviously if they pay malpractice and tail coverage.

Thanks for any help! I just dont want to interview and the find out later that theres lots of stuff I do not know about the group! I am feeling a bit lost.

How much money are they gonna take from you?
Who writes the schedule?
Blended units?
Group attrition?
Surgeons?
If partners, are there superpartners?
Exclusive contract with hospital for how much longer?
Does hospital stipend the group?
Non-compete?
Are the books open?
Any litigation within the group?
Who does their billing, and how much do they pay?
Do the CRNAs think they are docs or are they good to work with?
How many rooms if supervising?
Who puts in the labor epidurals?
Where does the group get their own health care?
How easy to get good equipment from the hospital?
How are the bureaucrats?
Who manages PCAs?
Who puts in a central line middle of the night for an ICU admit in shock?
Any intensivists, hospitalists in house?
How are the patients worked up before surgery?
How much loot per day of work?
Turnover time?
Vaca?
What would the group like to improve?
Talk to some surgeons.
Forget about money and find out how happy people are.

 

[sevoflurane]

How much money are they gonna take from you?
Who writes the schedule?
Blended units?
Group attrition?
Surgeons?
If partners, are there superpartners?
Exclusive contract with hospital for how much longer?
Does hospital stipend the group?
Non-compete?
Are the books open?
Any litigation within the group?
Who does their billing, and how much do they pay?
Do the CRNAs think they are docs or are they good to work with?
How many rooms if supervising?
Who puts in the labor epidurals?
Where does the group get their own health care?
How easy to get good equipment from the hospital?
How are the bureaucrats?
Who manages PCAs?
Who puts in a central line middle of the night for an ICU admit in shock?
Any intensivists, hospitalists in house?
How are the patients worked up before surgery?
How much loot per day of work?
Turnover time?
Vaca?
What would the group like to improve?
Talk to some surgeons.
Forget about money and find out how happy people are.

+1. Good list.

+
case mix
Payor mix/subsidy
Call
Opportunities to earn extra income... sell vaca or take xtra call
Do orthopods want regional?
Trauma? Heavy OB? Do you sleep at night?
Home call?
Always off post call?

 

[urge]

Jerry, Show me the money!!

🙂

 

[amyl]

what do you guys mean:
"how much money are they gonna take from you?" -- is that meaning you guys come right out and ask what your take home paycheck is?

is that a question to ask in the interview process or once you get the contract?

also, can you guys give me an idea of how this goes? i guess after the interview they all meet to discuss whether they like you or not.... how soon after the interview do you hear if they are interested etc or do they just send you a contract? how long does that whole process take?

 

[PMPMD]

Great thread.

Amyl, i have heard that it is expected to talk about compensation and would be unusual to NOT talk about it - but this is all second hand since I'm still training.

Could anyone comment on differences with academic and/or critical care interviews? I have asked people I know but would like all the input i can get. Thanks

 

[amyl]

they gave me pay range that they were thinking and said benefits were on top of that. does anyone know a good paycheck calculator to estimate take home pay?

 

[ssmallz]

"how much money are they gonna take from you?" -- is that meaning you guys come right out and ask what your take home paycheck is?

Every group takes money off the top to pay for things like billing and sometimes stipends for other members in the group (I.E. the OB guy might get a certain amount to to take OB call b/c it's 24hrs and you don't always bill enough to cover the shift, OR call may an stipend as well). This money is taken out of the cases you do on daily basis. Not an unreasonable question to ask at all on an interview. You're not asking what your exact paycheck will be but it's certainly important to know how your salary is calculated and if there is any money being taken out

 

[bullard]

imfrankie put up a great list. When I interviewed for my position, they made 95% of that list clear to me up front. I didn't have to do too much prying. I consider that a good sign and indicative of a democratic group (as opposed to ones with "superpartners").

 

[Consigliere]

2 questions: how much am I gonna make and how much call am I gonna take. The rest are just fluff.

 

[bullard]

2 questions: how much am I gonna make and how much call am I gonna take. The rest are just fluff.

BS. Stipend and exclusive contract are important. Contracts can get renegotiated and stipends can shrink. That's going to affect your pay and call burden. If one is choosing between two groups that are otherwise equal on other terms, wouldn't you choose the one with the better payor mix and thus smaller stipend from hospital?

 

[cchoukal]

they gave me pay range that they were thinking and said benefits were on top of that. does anyone know a good paycheck calculator to estimate take home pay?

I use this one. It's state- and year-specific and allows you to deduct all the pre-tax stuff. It was pretty close for me.

http://www.paycheckcity.com/calculator/netpay/us/alabama/calculator.html

 

[amyl]

Every group takes money off the top to pay for things like billing and sometimes stipends for other members in the group (I.E. the OB guy might get a certain amount to to take OB call b/c it's 24hrs and you don't always bill enough to cover the shift, OR call may an stipend as well). This money is taken out of the cases you do on daily basis. Not an unreasonable question to ask at all on an interview. You're not asking what your exact paycheck will be but it's certainly important to know how your salary is calculated and if there is any money being taken out

so is this and all this stipend stuff really not a concern if its a hospital employeed position?

 

[ssmallz]

so is this and all this stipend stuff really not a concern if its a hospital employeed position?

Yeah, when you're salaried the only thing that matters is how much you are working for that salary (how many calls, how much OR time, weekends, etc). They will still be taking money off the top but as long as you feel like you are getting a fair deal then I wouldn't worry too much about it

 

[veetz]

I like to know who has left the group, and the reason. Also, if the group is willing to provide the contact information for the people who have left, so you can follow up and inquire as to the reason for leaving.

 

[PMPMD]

I like to know who has left the group, and the reason. Also, if the group is willing to provide the contact information for the people who have left, so you can follow up and inquire as to the reason for leaving.

I think that's what imfrankie meant by "group attrition"

 

[PMPMD]

Do you write thank you notes for job interviews? Sorry for the naivete but I have my first REAL job interview in 32 years barring the food service industry.

 

[Mman]

Do you write thank you notes for job interviews? Sorry for the naivete but I have my first REAL job interview in 32 years barring the food service industry.

I did. I didn't write a personal thank you to every partner that I met, but I addressed one to the head of the group and sent a hand written note mentioning how much I enjoyed meeting everybody and discussing their practice and hoped to hear back soon from them.

It never hurts to let people know you enjoyed meeting them.