Where to look for a good physician job?

Over the years, I have learned many pearls if you will, about ways to find a good physician job. There are many approaches and methods. Your particular approach is largely due to the urgency at which you need to find a job, and, your comfort threshold for exposing the fact you are looking for a new job. Here are my thoughts on various approaches:

Recruiters – are frequently lumped in the same category as a car salesman! However, a good, reliable, and ‘physician advocate’ recruiter is absolutely invaluable. Be patient though – communicate clearly to the recruiter what you are looking for in a practice. The good thing about recruiters is they don’t cost the physician anything. If a recruiter begins to sell you on things that you are not interested in, it’s time to look for another recruiter.

Meetings – Local and State chapter meetings can be another good source for information regarding practice opportunities. Networking with colleagues typically produces discussions of group gossip. Without disclosing that you are looking, you can often hear and learn much about prospective places to inquire.

CME conferences – and workshops are an excellent place to obtain physician practice opportunity leads. However, you must be careful to attend the right conference. A small 1.0 unit, 1 hour, drug rep sponsored conference will generate fewer leads than a 2 day new procedure course at a Disney resort. Large 3+ day conferences hosted by your specialty's college, often have exhibitor booths that are loaded with recuriters, practice representatives, and physician jobs. Make sure you visit these.

On-line job boards – are an excellent source for physician jobs. Only catch is, make sure you use a reliable and frequently updated one. Many job boards advertise for more than just physicians and doctors. Others have very outdated ads. Make sure you find one that stays current, and updated, otherwise you will waste your time.

Journals – and throw-a ways I find very interesting. I actually like them to help me gauge the market, and help me keep up with salaries for a particular region. You can typically tell when a practice is struggling, by looking closely at the package details.

Internet – searches for physician job opportunities is a growing source of leads. You may get lucky, but right now, it’s still not a reliably consistent solution. By the time a particular internet ad makes it to the 500th position on Google, the job would have been filled by other means. (It sometimes takes at least 3 months for Google to recognize a new ad, and even longer to work its way up from the 100th page toward the top 2.

Colleagues – are an excellent source for job leads, and typically my first pick. However, the confidentiality of your clandestine or subtle inquire may be breached. As physicians, we tend to know a lot of other physicians, and there is always someone who knows something about a job opportunity. So practice your approach so as not to disclose that it is YOU who is actually looking for the job.

Medical Staff Lounge – much like your colleagues, the hospital or group practice medical staff lounge can be a fruitful place for physician job leads. This location however, is usually for more of the local job opportunities. You have to be even more stealth in your inquiry here, for rumors will spread rapidly.