Buyer Beware
by Rachelle Daugherty, Physician Recruiter at Providence Health and Services
In today's world of pediatric recruitment, there are more opportunities than there are physicians to fill those opportunities. While this buyer's market can be advantageous to the job seeker, it also makes it difficult to sift through all the job listings and ads to find that perfect match. Here are some common red flags that may help you weed out the less than desirable positions.
- The opportunity is for call coverage only.
- It takes too long to make partner, or no previous associate has made partner.
- Several physicians have joined the practice and left within the first year.
- No outside assessment of buy-in amount is given at the start of recruitment.
- The practice is unwilling to share financials.
- The recruiting physician has a poor medical, behavioral, or ethical reputation (talk to the nurses!).
- The entry-level salary for a new physician is low.
- Overhead is off-loaded disproportionately to a new physician.
- The recruiting physician bad-mouths the hospital, colleagues, office staff, spouse and/or the community.
- Generalizations/stereotypes are made about the candidate during the recruitment process.
On the flip side, it is not uncommon for candidates to limit their options too severely—weeding out otherwise great opportunities. If you can identify with any of the following examples, you may want to reconsider your search criteria.
- Considering only academic opportunities.
You may feel comfortable in this setting, because that is the model under which you trained. However, many non-profit hospitals and faith-based organizations offer teaching and research options as well as better pay, and a better work/life balance than their academic counterparts. - Considering only employment or private practice arrangements.
Each model has its pros and cons, and can vary enormously depending on the unique attributes of the recruiting region/system/practice. In states where reimbursement is high, private practice is still thriving and can be quite lucrative. Conversely, employment can offer work/life balance options that many private practices are unable to offer. - Relying solely on outside recruitment agencies to find the best job for you.
Most large organizations that have in-house recruiters, who know their organization and physician partners well, will not consider you if you are being represented by an agency. We advise against working with an agency unless they are representing a specific opportunity in which you have interest.
Knowing what to look for and what to avoid can mean all the difference between long-term success and recommencing the job search after a year or two of tough lessons learned.
Read more information about Providence Health and Services and opportunities available on PedJobs.