How to Find the Best Physician Job

Over the years, I have learned many pearls and methods to find the best physician jobs. There are various styles and approaches. Your individual approach is determined by how soon you need the job, and, your comfort threshold for exposing the fact you are looking for a new job. Here are my thoughts on a few approaches:

Recruiters – are often and wrongly lumped into the same category as car salesmen! Admittedly, this is the result of a few rotten eggs out there! However, a good, reliable, physician advocate recruiter is absolutely invaluable. Be patient with your recruiter. Communicate clearly to the recruiter what you are specifically looking for in a practice. For the most part, recruiters 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. Overall, without question, a good physician recruiter can help you land that perfect job.

On-line job boards – are an excellent source for physician jobs. However, make sure you use a reliable and frequently updated website. Many job boards advertise for more than just physicians and doctors. Others have very outdated ads. Look for a site that is current, and updated, otherwise you will waste a lot of time.

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 recruiters, practice representatives, and physician jobs. Make sure you visit these.

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.

There are more atypical ways such as locum tenens placement groups and staffing solutions, list-serv discussion groups, etc. However I have found those aforementioned to be more popular, and likely to help you land the best physician job. All the best in your professional endeavors!

Dr. Williams
Consulting Medical Writer