Job Market/Compensation

[docB]

Step 5. Government determines your hours, as we already have a "shortage"

Your point here made me think about some of the various debates that surround the idea of a physician shortage such as the midlevel issues, subsidies for primary care, EMTALA and so on. Do we really have a shortage of physicians, ie. a supply problem or do we have a shortage of physicians willing to work for what patients and their third party payers will pay, ie. a demand problem?

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[Arcan57]

Your point here made me think about some of the various debates that surround the idea of a physician shortage such as the midlevel issues, subsidies for primary care, EMTALA and so on. Do we really have a shortage of physicians, ie. a supply problem or do we have a shortage of physicians willing to work for what patients and their third party payers will pay, ie. a demand problem?

It's always going to be a demand problem. We have a shortage of health in this country, and that shortage is increasing quickly. Given the lack of incentive and interest for our patients to engage in anything but the most expensive (ie pharmaceutical) prevention strategies, the demand problem under present conditions is not solvable. Attempting to control the demand for medical care by controlling the suppliers is a time honored strategy for the US (see also the War on Drugs). I anticipate that this trend will continue as it has the fewest political repercussions (see also the War on Drugs). The only question will be how draconian the regulations governing our profession become before the futility of the strategy becomes too obvious to ignore. And whether that point will come before or after irreparable damage is done to our ability to attract and retain qualified people as physicians.

 

[takotsubo]

Can anyone chime in on the job market in Northern Cal, esp around the Bay area and Sacramento.

Also, how do people search for jobs? Do u just have to know the EM groups in the area and start your search there or is there a search engine around?

 

[EMDoc0411]

Can anyone chime in on the job market in Northern Cal, esp around the Bay area and Sacramento.

Also, how do people search for jobs? Do u just have to know the EM groups in the area and start your search there or is there a search engine around?

EDphysician.com

 

[The White Coat Investor]

EDphysician.com

A cursory look at the site shows no jobs (out of 1500) in Utah, 3 in Colorado-but only 1 in the Denver area, and none in the Portland area.

In my experience, if a job has to be advertised, you don't want it.

 

[Arcan57]

A cursory look at the site shows no jobs (out of 1500) in Utah, 3 in Colorado-but only 1 in the Denver area, and none in the Portland area.

In my experience, if a job has to be advertised, you don't want it.

I think there's a FAQ around here somethere dealing with the job search. The best option is to have someone you know call someone they know at the hospital you're looking into. Word of mouth helps open doors. There are a fair number of groups that are not actively recruiting, but will hire the right person. Cold calling EDs and talking to the director yourself would be my second option. Hiring a placement firm to spam you resume to anyone they can get ahold over would be a distant third.

 

[hookaman]

Anyone know of any opportunities in upstate NY, particularly Rochester, NY?

 

[jendc08]

Or anything in the DC area?

 

[jendc08]

and does anyone know about the company EMA in the dc area?

 

[justtheERdoc]

The best way to look for a job in emergency medicine is to decide the geographic area in which you want to live, then contact all of the hospitals/groups in the area and find out about any current or anticipated openings. This also puts your name on the list of people they would contact if an unanticipated opening occurs.
Other postings that say that oftentimes the best positions are not advertised are correct, and if you don't have any word-of-mouth connections, then the only way to get one of these jobs is to contact the group on your own.
At the risk of being labelled a spammer, I created a directory at emergencymedicinedirectory.com to help graduating residents with their job search by providing a list of hospitals and who staffs them. Oftentimes finding this information on your own is extremely time-consuming, I know that it was when I went through my own job search 5 years ago, and then again this past year. I've tried to make the price of the directories extremely reasonable for graduating residents, just enough to cover the cost of creating the directories. It's just another tool to help you find the right job for you.