When to start the hunt for the first post residency gig?

[Psychotic]

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Seeking advice, examples appreciated.

I am a PGY4, and will finish residency next summer. My goal is to move to another state from where I am currently in residency, so all of my job hunting will be long distance. I have narrowed it down to multiple cities in just a couple of states, with a strong preference for one state in particular, so it is not going to be a broad, unfocused search.

When should I start this process in earnest, with the hope of yielding a job offer and acceptance for an August/September start date in 2018? I mean, like everyone, I am looking at job postings to get an idea of what is available, but those are jobs out there NOW. Can I, or should I, wait until later this year, or even wait until after the first of 2018, to really go after this? I would rather concentrate my efforts to, say, a 3 to 4 month period of intense looking if possible, ideally from Jan to Mar/April of 2018, if that is practical and feasible. My concern is that would somehow be "late" in the game, based on some of the private msgs I have shared with fellow 4th years. I scratch my head at all of this, frankly - seems crazy to be looking now for a job that I won't start for more than 12 months or so, but I am new to this and open to advice.

I would love to hear examples of the timing of job searches, and when did you first contact the place where you got that first job, and how long was the process or courtship before contracts were signed? I realize that licensing and credentialing take a few months, hence why it is necessary to lock down a job a few months before it starts, but how far in advance is really necessary?

Finally, my secondary goal is to defer starting a job for at least one month, if not 2 months, post residency - jeez, I would like to take some time off, go on a long trip or two, before starting a new job in a new city. Would this affect my job hunt timing, or more importantly, the availability of jobs? I am NOT looking for an academic position, which would seem to be more tied to filling vacancies in the residency calendar, but I don't want to limit my opportunities for regular jobs, either. Any comments appreciated.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Based on the experience of my last couple of batches:
1) Start now with exploratory efforts, get earnest about by December. It's not too soon.
2) Yes to taking the time off, especially if you're planning to take boards in September. It's more or less the common route these days, so shouldn't affect your prospects.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

Jobs seem to be everywhere. Employers will lock you in now for when ever you ask. If you wait until after you travel the world, it might take you a few hours to find a job when you start looking.

 

[WisNeuro]

If it's anything like my wife's job hunt (non-psych MD) nothing is too soon in the last year of residency. She had a stipend bonus as part of her contract, might as well get that rolling along. She also deferred starting for several months after finishing residency so she could travel and train our new dog.

 

[Psychotic]

Based on the experience of my last couple of batches:
1) Start now with exploratory efforts, get earnest about by December. It's not too soon.
2) Yes to taking the time off, especially if you're planning to take boards in September. It's more or less the common route these days, so shouldn't effect your prospects.

Yes to #2; that is the plan, to take the boards, next year. Time off to take a nice trip or two, to study for the boards, and take them, too.

A question about the boards: I know that we sign up for it in a few months, but is there flexibility in choosing or changing the location of the test center? Not sure where I will be come Sept 2018.

I was able to take off 2 consecutive weeks comprised of accumulated vacation days and holiday closure of clinics last XMAS, and it was glorious, and I took full advantage with a trip to a warm, sunny place (think aloha). That is the longest stretch of "time off" I have had since summer breaks in college, and I suppose the summer after MS1, but I succumbed to the institutional and peer pressure to do a research gig that summer, too early for my own interests to have formed, and I really wasted my time (in orthopedics) that I now wish I had just taken off that summer for myself instead. As it was, I had a week off at the start of that summer, and about a week off after the research gig ended and before MS2 started, but that wasn't enough for more than a quick trip home.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

The kids grow up so fast. Seems like yesterday Psychotic was just posting where he/she was invited to interview. I'm sure the act of training provided some time dialation however

 

[PistolPete]

To OP: start about 1 year in advance of finishing residency, so about now. Nail down your job with contract by November/December. Then the last 6 months are to do all the administrative stuff to finish residency, move and find an apartment if you're moving far, etc.

I nailed my soon to be new job 1 year ago and I'm glad I did.

 

[Stagg737]

N = 1, but the last psych rotation I did the attending had a private practice and was looking to hire someone in the near future. He said there was a local PGY-4 who had rotated with him when she was in med school and was considering just offering her the position now (She's just starting PGY-4) and holding it for a year. Seems like the job market for psych is booming, so you should be able to find something regardless of when you start looking.

 

[Ψ-117]

A year out feels like it's far away, but in most cases it's a good time to look for jobs, and it allows time to compare multiple jobs, negotiate terms, etc. I found mine about 12 months before my start date, but didn't sign a contract until 9 months later. My options were limited, though, since I was required to work at certain facilities due to a scholarship program I'm in, and there were very few to no jobs in a specific region I was looking at that would qualify. I found the job I wanted, fortunately, but I'm not sure I would have if I waited much longer than I did. One doctor who will be starting with us next year reportedly secured his position 2 years in advance, so it doesn't hurt to start early. Then again, there are always lots of jobs out there, so you probably won't have difficulty finding something even if you wait until the last minute, though it might not be exactly what you want.

 

[Ψ-117]

A question about the boards: I know that we sign up for it in a few months, but is there flexibility in choosing or changing the location of the test center? Not sure where I will be come Sept 2018.

Yes. I'm taking boards this September, and only last week did they start allowing us to select a test date and location. They suggest a few locations that might be near you based on your mailing address, but you can choose to take it anywhere there is an approved testing site.

 

[Bartelby]

I agree with OldPsychDoc that December is around the time you should get serious. Have some ideas about what you are looking for in mind before then. Being 7-8 months out means credentialing will be no problem, and the wait (while kind of long) will be worth it to most employers.

And yes, try to take some time off! Some employers will push back against that, but it is one small chip in the negotiation process.