Hard to practice in California?

[NP545]

How hard is it for an east coast MD grad ego did residency on the east coast to eventually land a job in California? Is it hard to move there and get a job there coming from the east coast?

Is the saturation real for doctors there?

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[Cyberdyne 101]

This might depend on the hospital(s) you train at for your residency/fellowship.

For example, if you're at HSS or NYU-HJD for an ortho residency, then your chances might be pretty good.

 

[gyngyn]

The San Joaquin Valley is wide open.
Ditto Inland Empire.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

The San Joaquin Valley is wide open.
Ditto Inland Empire.

Are there underserved areas in or near LA or SF? What about Oakland?

 

[Winged Scapula]

The San Joaquin Valley is wide open.
Ditto Inland Empire.

You can have my spot in the San Joaquin Valley since I didn't want to go back there LOL!!

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

You can have my spot in the San Joaquin Valley since I didn't want to go back there LOL!!

Is this Sons of Anarchy country?!

 

[gyngyn]

Are there underserved areas in or near LA or SF? What about Oakland?

There are federally funded sites and zip codes sprinkled throughout urban areas.

 

[gyngyn]

Is this Sons of Anarchy country?!

It's the most productive farmland in the country.

 

[Goro]

I once drove up I5 after visiting San Diego, in summer. Hottest region I've ever been in outside of Texas!!!

How hot?

Triple digits hot!

And whenever you hear someone say "but it's a dry heat", please respond: "no, it's a HOT heat!"

It's the most productive farmland in the country.

 

[AlteredScale]

I once drove up I5 after visiting San Diego, in summer. Hottest region I've ever been in outside of Texas!!!

How hot?

Triple digits hot!

And whenever you hear someone say "but it's a dry heat", please respond: "no, it's a HOT heat!"

How did you like San Diego? Vacation/conference trip?

@NP545 : There's almost always 1 or 2 physician spots open at UCSD on their job postings (those are just Staff jobs not academic) and a ton of open positions at Scripps and Sharp down here in San Diego.

 

[bc65]

The places where you want to live will always be crowded. The places that need physicians are places where you don't want to live. That is the case in every state, not just California. However, doctors are always retiring or moving away, so some positions are alway opening up. And you're always free to start your own practice. When I was a resident, I used to hear people say that "there's always room at the top". I'm not sure that that's completely true, but if you come from a top program, and have great letters of recommendation, you will have a better chance than most.

Regardless, you're not the first person to want to live in the nice parts of California. There's a reason why you can make more money in almost any specialy practicing in a fly-over state than you can in LA, San Diego, San Francisco, or Manhattan.

There's almost always 1 or 2 physician spots open at UCSD on their job postings (those are just Staff jobs not academic) and a ton of open positions at Scripps and Sharp down here in San Diego.

Maybe, but don't be fooled by ads like that. Very often the jobs have been unoffically filled. They just post ads to fulfill various legal requirements.

 

[MrLogan13]

The San Joaquin Valley is wide open.
Ditto Inland Empire.

When I was in the Central Valley for undergrad there was a PA in the ED I volunteered at that would commute from Anaheim. He just rented a cheap apartment to stay in during his work week.

 

[WingedOx]

You can find a job in just about any specialty just about anywhere, but the saturation is going to drive down your potential compensation. Young physicians especially are going to want to clump into cities as much as possible so supply and demand means employers won't have to pay you as much. Not west coast, but I've been looking at Mid-Atlantic cities + Chicago + Boston for various personal reasons and the difference in pay between city and suburbs can top 100k per year.

Honestly you'd be at a disadvantage looking for work straight out of residency but it wouldn't be a make or break thing. More likely the thing that would keep you out of the west coast would be the fact you settled down out East, got married to a Sox fan, and decided you wanted to stay. ... happens more than you'd think.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I once drove up I5 after visiting San Diego, in summer. Hottest region I've ever been in outside of Texas!!!

How hot?

Triple digits hot!

And whenever you hear someone say "but it's a dry heat", please respond: "no, it's a HOT heat!"

LOL… That's the best part! It's one of the reasons I was drawn to Arizona as an option for employment.

If you thought Fresno was hot you should come here!

 

[allantois]

Honestly you'd be at a disadvantage looking for work straight out of residency but it wouldn't be a make or break thing. More likely the thing that would keep you out of the west coast would be the fact you settled down out East, got married to a Sox fan, and decided you wanted to stay. ... happens more than you'd think.

What do you suggest doctors straight out of residency do then?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Is this Sons of Anarchy country?!

I've never seen the show but I gather it deals heavily with drugs and motorcycle gangs.

There really isn't much of that in the central valley although I'm quite sure that there are plenty of methamphetamine laps sprinkled around.

My issues had more to do with the fact that the jobs they're paid a lot less, like six figures less, for the "privilege of living in central California.I could have my hot dry heat here, without the wintertime fog, and with much better social and cultural outlets
(but nowhere near that a Philadelphia or Northern New Jersey).

 

[WingedOx]

What do you suggest doctors straight out of residency do then?

I meant assuming the resident is east looking to go west. The western applicant has an obvious advantage based on connections, but not enough of one that I would go to an inferior residency on CA over a better one somewhere else. Most fields are small enough that people know people, so I'd advise said resident to work his connections thru the faculty he/she already knows who know people in CA.

all a moot point for me personally... all that horrible California sunshine would drive me bonkers.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I've never seen the show but I gather it deals heavily with drugs and motorcycle gangs.

There really isn't much of that in the central valley although I'm quite sure that there are plenty of methamphetamine laps sprinkled around.

My issues had more to do with the fact that the jobs they're paid a lot less, like six figures less, for the "privilege of living in central California.I could have my hot dry heat here, without the wintertime fog, and with much better social and cultural outlets
(but nowhere near that a Philadelphia or Northern New Jersey).

It was actually a modern interpretation of Hamlet, which involved motorcycles and guns. The drug trade became a factor later, but IIRC, it wasn't pertinent central Cali.

You should definitely watch it when you have the chance!! One of the more memorable characters was a female surgeon 😉

 

[bc65]

Beware of Valley Fever though! Someone I know just caught it. He has to take antifungals forever.

 

[Pusheen]

I'm still a pre-med so I can't say much, but it seems like the inland empire/central valley is pretty ripe for the picking. You do have to live out in the desert though.

California is overrated. It's so hot and dry all year round, it's beyond me why people come here for the weather. 90 degrees at Thanksgiving and Christmas isn't my idea of a good time. The only reason I'm ok with living here is because I'm in LA with a ton of opportunities and schools. I'd love to move to the East Coast.

 

[keevwu]

I'm still a pre-med so I can't say much, but it seems like the inland empire/central valley is pretty ripe for the picking. You do have to live out in the desert though.

California is overrated. It's so hot and dry all year round, it's beyond me why people come here for the weather. 90 degrees at Thanksgiving and Christmas isn't my idea of a good time. The only reason I'm ok with living here is because I'm in LA with a ton of opportunities and schools. I'd love to move to the East Coast.

I would say it's ~70 degrees at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sunny all year round (literally some of the best weather in the world). No humidity. Beaches. Great food, beautiful people. God I love California!

 

[Pusheen]

I would say it's ~70 degrees at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sunny all year round (literally some of the best weather in the world). No humidity. Beaches. Great food, beautiful people. God I love California!

it was high 80s-90 where I was. I will agree that beaches are nice and there is lots to do here. Just too hot and dry for my taste

 

[Winged Scapula]

it was high 80s-90 where I was. I will agree that beaches are nice and there is lots to do here. Just too hot and dry for my taste

Yet you painted it as representative of the whole state, or LA at the least.

There are very few places in California where it is routinely above 75° in the winter. As a matter of fact many people are surprised to find frost in Los Angeles at that time.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Yet you painted it as representative of the whole state, or LA at the least.

There are very few places in California where it is routinely above 75° in the winter. As a matter of fact many people are surprised to find frost in Los Angeles at that time.

Yeah, California is not exactly a small state.

 

[mehc012]

I would say it's ~70 degrees at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sunny all year round (literally some of the best weather in the world). No humidity. Beaches. Great food, beautiful people. God I love California!

It's dry and barren. There are plants scattered around, sure, but nobody could ever call this state green. You have to drive around to find any decent weather variation or snow, and the roads absolutely suck - NO collateral circulation, it's highways or tiny streets. Plus, it seems like they figure they never have to repave since there are no freeze-thaw cycles. Well, you still have semis tearing up the blacktop! And the people may be beautiful, but the general attitude? No.

I don't understand the hype. It's not a terrible place, but I've lived in several states and thus far Cali is coming in dead last.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

It's dry and barren. There are plants scattered around, sure, but nobody could ever call this state green. You have to drive around to find any decent weather variation or snow, and the roads absolutely suck - NO collateral circulation, it's highways or tiny streets. Plus, it seems like they figure they never have to repave since there are no freeze-thaw cycles. Well, you still have semis tearing up the blacktop! And the people may be beautiful, but the general attitude? No.

I don't understand the hype. It's not a terrible place, but I've lived in several states and thus far Cali is coming in dead last.

Your California commentary is always amusing. The med schools (for the most part) seem to be in nice places.

 

[mehc012]

Your California commentary is always amusing. The med schools (for the most part) seem to be in nice places.

I don't really worry about location as a huge factor for a school anyway, other than a vague "it'd be nice if family was in a drivable distance" way...And my family is spread across the country! I can live anywhere, it just irks me sometimes to see California touted as this amazing place when its just like any other state, with its ups and downs. . I'd go to UC Davis in a heartbeat, even though it's in Sacramento. I just did a program with them, & I loved everyone I met there.

 

[WingedOx]

I can only imagine how many relocated californian med students are handling the weather in the Midwest and East Coast right now.


/What do you mean I have to WALK thru snow and scrape it off my car!? Snow is something you drive up to the mountains to go snowboarding in, not something you have to live through in your daily life! I'm so opressed right now!!!

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I don't really worry about location as a huge factor for a school anyway, other than a vague "it'd be nice if family was in a drivable distance" way...And my family is spread across the country! I can live anywhere, it just irks me sometimes to see California touted as this amazing place when its just like any other state, with its ups and downs. . I'd go to UC Davis in a heartbeat, even though it's in Sacramento. I just did a program with them, & I loved everyone I met there.

I would also go to UC Davis in a heartbeat. Honestly, as much as I fantasize about California, I'd be happy at almost any location for med school.

I. Just. Can't. Do. Brooklyn.

 

[Pusheen]

Yet you painted it as representative of the whole state, or LA at the least.

There are very few places in California where it is routinely above 75° in the winter. As a matter of fact many people are surprised to find frost in Los Angeles at that time.

Have you lived here during the drought in the past 3 years? I have, and I stand by my words, for southern California at least. Which is where the majority of the med schools are.

 

[keevwu]

Have you lived here during the drought in the past 3 years? I have, and I stand by my words, for southern California at least. Which is where the majority of the med schools are.

I agree that there are some days that can go up to 90F during the winter, but for the most part the weather is around ~70F. It really depends on where exactly you are talking about as well. The farther east you go (Inland Empire), it gets hotter. San Diego weather is incredible. LA is nice too, but the pollution is noticeable.

But regardless, just go where you're happiest?

 

[Tman90]

.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Just out of curiosity, what state tops your list? As someone from the east coast I will admit that I am excited to go out to San diego but I will miss being able to walk out my front door and go to the grocery store, bar, concert, etc... I'm also interested in the job aspects there (I know, I know, one step at a time) since, ideally, I'd like to stay around San diego... Even if I'm oos, will my chances of getting residency in Cali still be good if I go to school there? I think I already know the answer but figured I might as well put it to you all...

*slightly edited for grammar

Here's a UCSD match list from 2013:
2013 Match Lists
I think your chances of staying in Cali are pretty good from UCSD 😉

 

[mehc012]

Just out of curiosity, what state tops your list? As someone from the east coast I will admit that I am excited to go out to San diego but I will miss being able to walk out my front door and go to the grocery store, bar, concert, etc... I'm also interested in the job aspects there (I know, I know, one step at a time) since, ideally, I'd like to stay around San diego... Even if I'm oos, will my chances of getting residency in Cali still be good if I go to school there? I think I already know the answer but figured I might as well put it to you all...

*slightly edited for grammar

I'm an east coast girl at heart...ideally I'd move back to MA and enjoy some of this snow they have!

 

[Winged Scapula]

Have you lived here during the drought in the past 3 years? I have, and I stand by my words, for southern California at least. Which is where the majority of the med schools are.

While I have not lived there, I visit family and friends several times a year (i'll be there this weekend as a matter of fact) and as I come from a farming family, I probably understand the impact of the drought more than you. It's definitely much drier than it used to be.

However you're changing the subject. I didn't criticize you for any comments about the drought. Rather it was your claims of the high temperatures in the state during the winter holidays which I found to be overarching.

 

[Pusheen]

While I have not lived there, I visit family and friends several times a year (i'll be there this weekend as a matter of fact) and as I come from a farming family, I probably understand the impact of the drought more than you. It's definitely much drier than it used to be.

However you're changing the subject. I didn't criticize you for any comments about the drought. Rather it was your claims of the high temperatures in the state during the winter holidays which I found to be overarching.

I was just quoting my experience, which we have all been doing. I live in LA/Orange county where the biggest conglomeration of med schools is, and it has been very hot, up to and including 90 during the holidays. That is all I meant to say.🙄

Edit: can't seem to delete that accidental second emoji from my phone. Oh well

 

[mehc012]

I was just quoting my experience, which we have all been doing. I live in LA/Orange county where the biggest conglomeration of med schools is, and it has been very hot, up to and including 90 during the holidays. That is all I meant to say.🙄

Edit: can't seem to delete that accidental second emoji from my phone. Oh well

Why would you want to? It's the best one!