How to look for a job in AP pathology. Please advice?

[immortal80]

How to look for a job in AP pathology. Please let me know your thoughts ? Thanks

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[Thr0mbus]

How to look for a job in AP pathology. Please let me know your thoughts ? Thanks

If you have to ask this question for any number of reasons that I can think of, you need to find a new line of work. You are not helping the cause.

 

[Nilf]

Res ipsa loquitur.

 

[KeratinPearls]

How to look for a job in AP pathology. Please let me know your thoughts ? Thanks

Craigslist.

 

[gorillamunch]

Fellowships:

Fellowships

Pathology Outlines Fellowship Search

www.pathologyoutlines.com

Jobs:

Jobs

Pathology Outlines Job Search

www.pathologyoutlines.com

 

[Thr0mbus]

If you can’t spot the fish, you are the fish.

 

[LADoc00]

Geeze man, responses are harsh even for SDN.

Pathology outlines and CAP job bulletin are the best.

Recruiters now are doing quite well. Comphealth and there are a bunch of smaller pathology only ones that are fairly successful.

I would go to Veterans Admin job search and use pathologist as a search term. Pension, stability etc. VA jobs I think are the single best safe bet out there.

Would stay away from big groups, employment only positions in private prac, part time gigs promising perhaps more down the line, temporary gigs etc until you have exhausted ALL options.

 

[KeratinPearls]

Geeze man, responses are harsh even for SDN.

Pathology outlines and CAP job bulletin are the best.

Recruiters now are doing quite well. Comphealth and there are a bunch of smaller pathology only ones that are fairly successful.

I would go to Veterans Admin job search and use pathologist as a search term. Pension, stability etc. VA jobs I think are the single best safe bet out there.

Would stay away from big groups, employment only positions in private prac, part time gigs promising perhaps more down the line, temporary gigs etc until you have exhausted ALL options.

I interviewed for a VA job. The Chief said he got done with signout in a hour. Rest of the day are meetings, teaching residents and sitting around I’m guessing lol.

 

[LADoc00]

I interviewed for a VA job. The Chief said he got done with signout in a hour. Rest of the day are meetings, teaching residents and sitting around I’m guessing lol.

I had a great time working at the VA as a resident. There was one staff member who said he only had a single rule: Do not knock on his door or call him after 2pm. That was nap time. And if I interrupted nap time all sorts of bad things could happen. I never interrupted nap time....

 

[doctor313]

Would stay away from big groups, employment only positions in private prac, part time gigs promising perhaps more down the line, temporary gigs etc until you have exhausted ALL options.

I follow everything you said except "big groups" - what's the downside of joining a big group?

 

[LADoc00]

I follow everything you said except "big groups" - what's the downside of joining a big group?

typically but not always larger groups indicate a churn and burn operation and will often treat new associates as widgets of production they can make money from the arbitrage off of rather than human beings.

 

[Pathprimer]

Geeze man, responses are harsh even for SDN.

Pathology outlines and CAP job bulletin are the best.

Recruiters now are doing quite well. Comphealth and there are a bunch of smaller pathology only ones that are fairly successful.

I would go to Veterans Admin job search and use pathologist as a search term. Pension, stability etc. VA jobs I think are the single best safe bet out there.

Would stay away from big groups, employment only positions in private prac, part time gigs promising perhaps more down the line, temporary gigs etc until you have exhausted ALL options.

Does VA pay you good? I am curious.

 

[LADoc00]

Does VA pay you good? I am curious.

Define "good". To define good you also need to figure out what your goals are.

If you are goals are to retire fully after 20 years, have pension FOR LIFE and healthcare costs covered, live comfortably while you work and then f- off to a tropical island somewhere, then I would would say VERY GOOD.

Tell me what your life goals are and then I can give real advice because "I want to rich and successful" isnt a plan, its a pre-adult fantasy.

 

[AZpath]

Try to reach out directly to pathologist in the area you wish to work.
Even cold calls asking about future needs works.
If you have several years before you are looking, keep in touch every six months.

If you have a state medical society go to meetings as a resident

Lead time is helpful, Waiting until the last six months of fellowship is not a good idea

We have a good specialty with weakening reimbursement and a very competitive job market.
Scope out the type of practice you want and target it.

 

[Pathprimer]

Define "good". To define good you also need to figure out what your goals are.

If you are goals are to retire fully after 20 years, have pension FOR LIFE and healthcare costs covered, live comfortably while you work and then f- off to a tropical island somewhere, then I would would say VERY GOOD.

Tell me what your life goals are and then I can give real advice because "I want to rich and successful" isnt a plan, its a pre-adult fantasy.

Thanks for the reply! I meant to ask salary compared to academics and private.

I want to get a relatively low stress job (8 am to 5 pm) and have more time for myself and family. I am fine with relatively less money. A few private groups I have interviewed with pay a lot but ask to work 12 hours a day. Also need to come in during the weekend. I don’t like Academic since I hate doing research. That’s why I am thinking about VA. Great benefits and low workload. Work life balance. But have no idea about salary.

 

[LADoc00]

Thanks for the reply! I meant to ask salary compared to academics and private.

I want to get a relatively low stress job (8 am to 5 pm) and have more time for myself and family. I am fine with relatively less money. A few private groups I have interviewed with pay a lot but ask to work 12 hours a day. Also need to come in during the weekend. I don’t like Academic since I hate doing research. That’s why I am thinking about VA. Great benefits and low workload. Work life balance. But have no idea about salary.

I think you are the correct path to answering the prime questions of your quest.

Salary for VA is 200, topping out around 350K with like 6-8 weeks off a year and nearly every imaginable holiday off. The best part is you can shoot for locations with a very low cost of living and even move relatively friction free once you are in the VA system to new places.

 

[KeratinPearls]

Thanks for the reply! I meant to ask salary compared to academics and private.

I want to get a relatively low stress job (8 am to 5 pm) and have more time for myself and family. I am fine with relatively less money. A few private groups I have interviewed with pay a lot but ask to work 12 hours a day. Also need to come in during the weekend. I don’t like Academic since I hate doing research. That’s why I am thinking about VA. Great benefits and low workload. Work life balance. But have no idea about salary.

Talkabout low workload. You want my job. OK pay, sitting around reading SDN all day. Low to no stress. Weekends off. 8 am-5 pm but most of the time just looking at cases at my leisure.

 

[KeratinPearls]

I think you are the correct path to answering the prime questions of your quest.

Salary for VA is 200, topping out around 350K with like 6-8 weeks off a year and nearly every imaginable holiday off. The best part is you can shoot for locations with a very low cost of living and even move relatively friction free once you are in the VA system to new places.

VA pension is awesome. Free money if you work there a certain number of years. I think 20 years is it?

I remember the Pathologist During my rotation reading newspapers in her office like she was at the park lol.

 

[KeratinPearls]

Thanks for the reply! I meant to ask salary compared to academics and private.

I want to get a relatively low stress job (8 am to 5 pm) and have more time for myself and family. I am fine with relatively less money. A few private groups I have interviewed with pay a lot but ask to work 12 hours a day. Also need to come in during the weekend. I don’t like Academic since I hate doing research. That’s why I am thinking about VA. Great benefits and low workload. Work life balance. But have no idea about salary.

Some of the pathologists in these groups are high strung. Comes with the workload andstress. It would be good experience though.

 

[coroner]

A few private groups I have interviewed with pay a lot but ask to work 12 hours a day.

Do these groups also require you to assemble iPhones in sweatshop-like conditions? I never heard of a pathology position averaging 12hrs/days. Unless it was temporary, because they are short-staffed/vacation freeze and they are down a person. Think about it, that would be putting in a 60hr work week every single week. Even the busiest practices I know of work more like 8-10hr days = 40-50hrs/week. Sustaining 60hrs/week with no possibility of hiring extra help would lead to high turnover as most pathologists would pursue less stressful positions. And, even the most industrious and/or shrewd administrators/pathology groups would hire extra personnel to keep their hours below that. If the groups you interviewed with are doing working 12hrs/day because they are down a person, fine, because that should reduce after. But if the workload is still expected to be 12 hours/day even with the new hire, I would avoid.

 

[Pathprimer]

Talkabout low workload. You want my job. OK pay, sitting around reading SDN all day. Low to no stress. Weekends off. 8 am-5 pm but most of the time just looking at cases at my leisure.

That’s my dream job! Are you hiring?

 

[KeratinPearls]

That’s my dream job! Are you hiring?

Unfortunately, no. I consider myself lucky to have this job in a notoriously bad/tight market.

 

[Pathprimer]

Do these groups also require you to assemble iPhones in sweatshop-like conditions? I never heard of a pathology position averaging 12hrs/days. Unless it was temporary, because they are short-staffed/vacation freeze and they are down a person. Think about it, that would be putting in a 60hr work week every single week. Even the busiest practices I know of work more like 8-10hr days = 40-50hrs/week. Sustaining 60hrs/week with no possibility of hiring extra help would lead to high turnover as most pathologists would pursue less stressful positions. And, even the most industrious and/or shrewd administrators/pathology groups would hire extra personnel to keep their hours below that. If the groups you interviewed with are doing working 12hrs/day because they are down a person, fine, because that should reduce after. But if the workload is still expected to be 12 hours/day even with the new hire, I would avoid.

They make a lot of money, pay 300k even with new hire, potential to 500k in few years

 

[KeratinPearls]

They make a lot of money, pay 300k even with new hire, potential to 500k in few years

How many years until partner? Last year the groups I interviewed with were 4-6 years until partner. I was told that’s a long time by my MD relative. Is this the norm in medicine or is it just pathology? I was told other fields it’s 2-3 years until partner.

 

[coroner]

They make a lot of money, pay 300k even with new hire, potential to 500k in few years

That is in the upper income tier for pathology; but, they are grinding for sure if they're putting in 12 hours per day every day. But in private practice, the harder you work i.e. push glass, the more you earn. Again, most groups would be willing to cut their workdays down for less pay if it meant getting home at 5pm vs 8pm. I would imagine putting in those extra hours leads to quicker burnout over one's career; but, on the bright side, they should have a nice nest egg. There's a fair number of private groups that earn sub500K, but have far more ideal hours. I would personally find that more appealing and sustainable in the long run for my career. But, it depends on your goals and work tolerance.

How many years until partner? Last year the groups I interviewed with were 4-6 years until partner. I was told that’s a long time by my MD relative. Is this the norm in medicine or is it just pathology? I was told other fields it’s 2-3 years until partner.

Pathology has always had a higher number of years to make partner vs other specialties. I never heard of 6yrs though. My experience from interviewing and talking with colleagues is 3-5yrs to reach partnership applies to 90% of groups out there. The rare exceptions I've heard of that required less years to partnership (1-2) are either for insiders who got the job thru connections, or the group is thriving and flush with cash, or the group really wanted that person as their top candidate and wanted to sweeten the offer.

 

[Pathprimer]

How many years until partner? Last year the groups I interviewed with were 4-6 years until partner. I was told that’s a long time by my MD relative. Is this the norm in medicine or is it just pathology? I was told other fields it’s 2-3 years until partner.

4 years for that group.

 

[doctor313]

Talkabout low workload. You want my job. OK pay, sitting around reading SDN all day. Low to no stress. Weekends off. 8 am-5 pm but most of the time just looking at cases at my leisure.

What kind of practice? Do you have a VA job?

 

[KeratinPearls]

What kind of practice? Do you have a VA job?

100% outpatient work. No tumor boards. No frozens. No autopsies. No meetings. No BS. I work with nice good people. In some busy groups, there’s infighting. Partners fight each other. I don’t want any of that BS in my life. I don’t and hope I don’t ever have to work with aholes, nasty or crazy pathologists. I’ve met several during my training both attendings and trainees. I am happy where I’m at.

 

[doctor313]

100% outpatient work. No tumor boards. No frozens. No autopsies. No meetings. No BS. I work with nice good people. In some busy groups, there’s infighting. Partners fight each other. I don’t want any of that BS in my life. I don’t and hope I don’t ever have to work with aholes, nasty or crazy pathologists. I’ve met several during my training both attendings and trainees. I am happy where I’m at.

That's awesome, happy for you. How big is your group (roughly) and what kind of fellowship training mixture do you have?