How hard is it *actually* to get a job as an ophthalmologist in California?

[premeddyteddy]

I am originally from the SF bay area, moved to the Northeast for med school, and would like to make it back to California someday. I've read a lot on this forum that certain parts of the country, including the SF bay area and Los Angeles are "saturated." Does this mean that A) I won't be able to get a job, B) My pay will be lower than if I practiced elsewhere but still will get a job easily, or C) I will struggle to find a job, get one eventually, but it will not be under ideal circumstances (locums, no partnership opportunity, low pay, etc). How does the job market compare in these areas for employed (kaiser, sutter, etc) vs PP? I looked on the AAO website and there are some listings, but I'm not sure if these are getting loads of applicants/how realistic it is to get one of them.

Thanks so much!

PS Not a pre-med anymore, ignore the name haha

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[mjohnsonets]

You will be able to find a job but the terms like compensation and paid time off may not be as high or good as your colleagues looking in less saturated areas. It will also affect the speed at which you build your patient base grows given the level of competition in the area and thus how long it takes you to make a bonus. I would say that many practices in LA specifically have more locations and do a little more driving than your average ophthalmologist. You can still be very successful in these markets but I would say the young ophthalmologists I know doing well, have a lot of hustle, and really work hard at it their first couple of years. I would highly recommend doing a fellowship as well. Again, it's not that you can't find a comp job, it just makes you more competitive.

Also, if you're willing to go to places like the Inland Empire, you will see a marked increase in compensation and patient volume generally.

As with anything, the more parameters you put on your job search such as a specific area or specific type of practice style, the less options you will have. I would tell you that a little bit of personal sacrifice for professional advancement/gain early on in your career will typically pay off very well.

As for Kaiser, in my experience working with docs who consider those jobs, they come available and you take what options they have open at the time.