Interviewing with Kaiser (Northern California Permanente Group)

[SurferBoyMD]

This has been an entertaining read.

Yes, I feel like a bit of a fool for even applying for the corporate anesthesia job. I will say that a while back I interviewed at Kaiser Hawaii, and it was not nearly as stuffy.

In Oklahoma and Texas, you would have been seen as immature and untested if you showed up for an interview in a full suit, at least where I worked.

Sorry to hear your experience up in Sac. I've been with TPMG Nor Cal for 2 years, and was in academia briefly prior to that. I floated to a few of the Kaiser groups in Nor Cal for interviews when I was looking for a job, and I would say it was either really laid back, or one like the picture you described.

I ended up joining a group that was really laid back. So even in the TPMG/Kaiser world, each anesthesia group is different.

That being said, after drinking the Kool-aid, TPMG is one of the better jobs in the Bay Area/Nor Cal: job security, well compensated, good case mix, average call.

When I started the starting salary was in the low 300s and then moves up to the high 300s after 5 years - 40 hours of work in the hospital, not billing per case. I work about 50-60hrs a week, extra hours you can take as time off or pay (which can bring your salary to the 400s). 3 weeks of vacation --> 5 weeks in 5 years plus an Education week. With extra hours, most partners are taking 6-8 weeks vacation.

I think job security is key, especially with all the groups around the Bay Area being bought by management groups. Once you are partner, you are partners with all 9000 other physicians in the group, and it would be hard to be "bought out" by a management company.

The other nice aspect, is you can decide what you do with your career at TPMG - whether you want to go into administration or be a worker bee, you can decide.

Anyways, hope anyone out there who is turned off by OP's post of TPMG/Kaiser, realizes not all Kaisers in the system are the same.

I'm a surf bum that shaves about once every 10 days and I cut my hair like 4x/year - and guess what I wear to job interviews - a f*ckin' suit. You're interviewing for a position as a consultant physician, you need to act like it and look the part.

Btw, imo, I am a surf bum as well, and I still wear suits to interviews. 😉

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[deleted162650]

Once you are partner, you are partners with all 9000 other physicians in the group, and it would be hard to be "bought out" by a management company.

LOL - It is a management company dude.

not all Kaisers in the system are the same.

As already mentioned - very true. Each location is it's own deal.

 

[chocomorsel]

That's interesting, as SoCal is still home to a relatively large number of good old fashioned PP groups with real partnership opportunities. I'm familiar with only one group in my area that has gone a bit shady and cut out their track in favor of employment, but a lot of fair groups still remain. Our problem has been trouble finding high quality grads with good references these last 2 years - damn millenials 😛.

I would like to know what is considered a "high quality grad" is in your view.

 

[deleted162650]

I would like to know what is considered a "high quality grad" is in your view.

People graduating from top tier residency programs (and more importantly programs that we are familiar with producing people that know what they are doing) who also have solid personal references (again ideally from people we know at said residency programs) who prove to be normal people when you meet them in person.

 

[chocomorsel]

So if they are from a program that you are unfamiliar with and with Terence's from unfamiliar people they are considered "low tier".
Ok.

People graduating from top tier residency programs (and more importantly programs that we are familiar with producing people that know what they are doing) who also have solid personal references (again ideally from people we know at said residency programs) who prove to be normal people when you meet them in person.

o if

 

[deleted171991]

So if they are from a program that you are unfamiliar with and with Terence's from unfamiliar people they are considered "low tier".
Ok.

Don't take it personally. As long as their experience is positive, people tend to buy products from the same company. It's just human nature. The brand matters, a lot. My internship program used to take graduates from the same countries and medical schools, year after year after year.

The opposite is also true, unfortunately. A bad apple can leave a bad taste for years; that's why it's so important that PDs don't let them graduate.

 

[deleted162650]

So if they are from a program that you are unfamiliar with and with Terence's from unfamiliar people they are considered "low tier".
Ok.

o if

Look, we aren't that big of a group. We have essentially no turnover. When we hire someone, we expect it to be a long term relationship. If there's 2 applicant that on paper are pretty similar, but one is from a program we know and trust and one is from somewhere we have no connections with - guess who's gonna get the offer. It's a lot more meaningful to be able to call up a friend and say "Hey Bill, how is your resident so and so?" than just reading a letter from some stranger saying they are the best thing since sliced bread. Get it? Maybe "lower tier" isn't the best verbiage, but you should know what I mean.

 

[deleted171991]

Look, we aren't that big of a group. We have essentially no turnover. When we hire someone, we expect it to be a long term relationship. If there's 2 applicant that on paper are pretty similar, but one is from a program we know and trust and one is from somewhere we have no connections with - guess who's gonna get the offer. It's a lot more meaningful to be able to call up a friend and say "Hey Bill, how is your resident so and so?" than just reading a letter from some stranger saying they are the best thing since sliced bread. Get it? Maybe "lower tier" isn't the best verbiage, but you should know what I mean.

And that's why we always recommend that people do the last years of their training in the geographical area they want to live in afterwards.

 

[sigrhoillusion]

Agree with everyone. Wear a suit. Worst case you change into scrubs for the walkthrough or wear a bunnysuit.

I can imagine these two interviewers' questionnaire went like this:
1. Is applicant wearing suit?
Yes = give him standard interview
No = dig in