General Surgery Jobs

[Amy]

So, does anyone go into GENERAL surgery anymore, without doing a fellowship? I'd like to hear about people's experiences with job hunting.

I really love general surgery, and don't plan on pursuing a fellowship (unless, of course, I can't find a job. 😱) I'm not looking to make oodles of money, I just want to enjoy what I do and not work TOO much (as in, less than 80 hrs per week). Not that a one year fellowship would be super painful, but I feel like I'm ready to move on with my career, start making real money, don't wanna go through the application process AGAIN, have to move to some random new city for one year, etc.

Would appreciate your thoughts.

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[Amy]

Also, how common/possible is it to work "part time" as a surgeon? Would many practices be interested in hiring someone in this role? Not locum tenens, but a permanent spot that's *only* 40-50 hrs/wk. Just curious.

 

[Dimoak]

Some people seem to end up doing fellowships in things they find particularly interesting, but still end up having GS-type cases making up 50%+ of their practice. Endocrine and Trauma come to mind. It probably depends on your interests, market, practice type etc.

In terms of working less hours, depending on various factors, you can probably either find a job in a group (or contract yourself out to multiple groups) to handle a certain type or number of procedures, as well as only being available during certain times in the day. However, that's probably not the best idea because groups hiring new graduates tend to prefer that they be more flexible with their scheduling and not having too many restrictions on how and when they'd like to work. People who work "part-timeish" hours in groups are generally some more of the more senior and experienced associates or partners. I'm not sure if it's the best idea to expect to do reduced hours in a group straight out of residency because it'd make it that much tougher to reach partner status and could slow your career development. Just my $0.02. 🙂

 

[Pilot Doc]

About 1/3 of GS grads nationwide go into practice immediately after residency. Your ability to find a job like the one you describe is dependent on your income and location requirements. Can you flesh those out for us a bit?

 

[maceo]

part time general surgeon. No such thing

 

[Amy]

Yeah, I'm not too serious about the part-time thing. 😉

I'd like to stay in/around Chicago if possible. I hear about practices looking for surgeons now and then. Otherwise, I'll probably move out west (would love to be in Colorado). Don't necessarily mind a small town, but I imagine I'd have to live commuting distance to a big-ish city so my husband can find a job.

Salary requirments? No idea, really. What are young gen surgeons making these days? 😛

I guess I'm just wondering what resources people use for job hunting, besides the networking that's done in residency. I know about a couple of MD job websites, too. Is that pretty much how people do it? Am I "marketable" enough without a fellowship? WHEN should I start serious job hunting, if I want to start soon after finishing residency?

You'd think they'd teach us this basic stuff during residency, but alas...

 

[BlondeDocteur]

How possible is it in surgery for two people (usually women who want more time at home) to each buy a 1/2 share in a practice? I know it's very common in primary care and anesthesia.

 

[surg]

General surgery jobs are plentiful for those who are willing to not be wedded to the idea of having to work in a particular locale or type of hospital. While academic jobs can still be competitive, those that want to work in the community doing a reasonably broad spectrum on general surgery, and yes, a fair bit of "bread and butter" general surgery, have little difficulty finding something that meets their needs, unless they want to be in a specific block in Beverly Hills, etc.

Hours vary. The smaller the types of cases you concentrate on, the more regular your hours. If you insist on doing Whipples and Liver Resections in the community though... well, let's just say you are going to miss having resident coverage unless you share your call with understanding partners. Those focusing on the rest of it though (colon/small bowel resections, gall bladders, breast cases, hernias, and minor soft tissue resections) can very much control their lifestyles and work primarily during reasonable office hours with the exception of the on-call cases. The more you work though, the more you make. Private practice folks don't usually get a salary, they get what's left over after expenses, and they get $/patient visit or /case. This is why the temptation to work just a little harder.

Part time. Can't say I know too many long-term part time surgeons outside of academia. I'm sure they exist, but I haven't met them. The biggest problem is the overhead. You still need office space, malpractice, compliance support, etc. I suppose if you were willing to carry the full burden of your costs, then there are a number of practices who wouldn't care how much you billed, as long as your pay was linked to how much you billed - how much you cost. However, smaller group members aren't going to take kindly to paying more than their share of your malpractice (which doesn't cost 50% less if you only work 50% time, although you do get some discount) and your office staff, unless they are getting something out it. Also, keep in mind, that many private practice folks work much more efficiently than their academic counterparts, and can go home whenever they are done, so if you know you need to get to your kid's parent-teacher conference, etc., you just schedule a hole in your schedule, and then see those patients later. Having control of your schedule fixes a lot of problems.