There is another good post in the forum that Jet has answered in detail about the job search process.
For myself (just graduated and praying that I don't have to retake the written boards
), I looked at areas I thought were desirable for me to live in, narrowed the focus somewhat to five states (California, Texas, Washington, Arizona, and Oregon), came up with cities that I liked in each state, and then sat down to look at what I wanted to look for in a group.
You need to come up with a list of factors that you feel are important for you to consider in joining a practice and you need to rank those factors.
I looked at
1. Reimbursement and reimbursement schedule
2. Location
3. Call schedules
4. Partnership track
5. Single versus multiple facilities
6. Hearts (yes or no)
7. Predominant case type
8. Business model (group of a larger group of a behemoth group, small group, etc.)
9. Benefits package and investment opportunities
10. Composition of the group (age distribution, educational background, personalities, conflicts, etc.)
11. Vacation time
12. Group reputation
13. Distribution of cost, who pays for what overhead, etc.
14. Malpractice insurance cost and cost distribution
There were several others, but I think those were the main points.
Start your job search with your program and any alumni contacts that you can find in the areas you are looking at. Those first hand sources are golden and can usually give you great insight not only into their own group but competing groups as well. Having a first hand reference from someone already in a group you are looking to join pretty much guarantees you a spot, unless you are a poor candidate for whatever reason (probation, etc.).
Look at the various hospitals in the cities you are looking at and you can just call the hospital, ask to be connected to the department of anesthesiology or the medical services department, and just ask which groups are there and if any are looking to hire.
After that, you can look at internet sites like Gaswork, etc. and/or use a recruiter to widen your search. Understand that recruiters have vested interests in placing you with certain groups (i.e. groups that will pay them more for finding a candidate), so having done the above steps may help you avoid a situation that the recruiters are presenting to you in a different light.
San Diego is a tight market with one huge dominant group and some smaller groups. I have heard the partnership track in the big group is lengthy and the reimbursement at the partnership level probably average compared to other areas. There was a smaller group I looked at that was composed of older anesthesiologists looking to hire younger partners and offering a very short partnership track. Elite Anesthesia, if I recall correctly. Cover facilities in San Diego, the valley, and one or two facilities in L.A., all in a close proximity to each other. Contact David Wu at
[email protected] if you want to look at it. I had already made my decision when they contacted me.
Good luck and don't hesitate to ask any more questions.
