Thinking of changing jobs? Not all practice opportunities are created equal, and identifying the ones that will work best for you in midcareer is not an easy task. Most physicians could use help from someone who specializes in matching candidates with employers.
Here is a list of articles summarizing advice drawn form a guide (login required) published by AMN Healthcare Physician Solutions, a major health care recruiter formerly known as Merritt Hawkins, with an eight-step process for assessing a new medical practice opportunity.
You can learn more with a separate AMA STEPS Forward® toolkit, “What to Look for in Your First or Next Practice: Evaluate the Practice Environment to Match Your Priorities.” It is enduring material and designated by the AMA for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
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To succeed in your physician job search, first learn the process
- Finding employment as a physician can be a daunting process, especially if you’re a final-year resident or fellow. You might expect the decision to be largely dictated by each opportunity’s practice location and compensation package, but determining whether a position is right for you requires going much, much deeper.
- “There are lots of questions to answer: Is there a need for my specialty in the service area? Will I have the resources I need? What is the local payer mix?” said Leah Grant, president of the AMN Healthcare Physician Solutions division. “It's understandable if the average physician coming out of residency or fellowship is not fluent in all of this.”
Your employer’s vision can make or break your first job
- Health care delivery is undergoing profound changes, and this process presents new challenges to physicians seeking employment—especially those transitioning to practice, who often are inundated by job offers. According to the most recent survey by AMN Healthcare Physician Solutions, 56% of final-year residents said they had received 100 or more job solicitations.
- “Understanding the vision of the group, hospital or health system is critical because—as we learned from the COVID-19 experience—the overall plan is what matters most,” Grant said. “A resident or fellow needs to understand that leadership stability can speak volumes about the type of situation that they’re walking into.”
Before taking a new job, check on the needs in its service area
- The transition to practice—or simply changing jobs—can be fraught with challenging questions. For example, what type of practice should you choose? How does an employer’s vision factor into things? And how do you begin the process of scrutinizing job offers?
- “You want to make sure you're walking into a stable environment, so understanding the defined need is critical,” Grant said. “You need to know what your catchment population is, as well as how many competitors you have for that population. This gives you a better understanding of patient volumes not only now, but also in the future.”
When considering physician jobs, study the offices, staffing and technology
- Medical school provides robust training in the science of medicine, although its curriculum is notably short on instruction about the differences between practice settings and employers, which can leave some physicians transitioning to practice—as well as doctors making a change mid-career or later—in the dark. Knowing how to assess a practice opportunity is vital to physicians’ professional satisfaction. It’s also crucial to patients’ health and safety.
- “If the groundwork for your recruitment has been laid properly, resources should be in place or pending that will allow you to establish your practice,” the guide says.
When interviewing, you must ask about this
- In the transition to practice, many young physicians might be unsure what questions to ask prospective employers to ensure their expectations of a job will line up with the reality they face on day one. In fact, not knowing where to start may lead some to avoid asking the tough questions altogether. But one of the most common reasons why physicians don’t stay with a job long term is that their expectations of time commitments were not properly established during the interview process.
- “Physicians seeking a new practice opportunity typically begin the process by asking two questions: Where is the practice located? What is the financial offer?” the guide says. “These are important questions, but physicians interested in determining if a practice opportunity is right for them and for their families should go much deeper.”
Finding the right job also means finding the right community
- No matter what images you might have in your mind about any city, state or region in the U.S., if you’re a physician considering moving for a job, you should set aside those preconceived notions and invest ample time in rigorously examining the amenities in the prospective employer’s community.
- “AMN Healthcare has recruited hundreds of doctors who began the conversation stating they would never live in the community to which they were ultimately recruited,” the guide notes. “Keeping an open mind can lead you to opportunities that match both your professional and personal needs.”
What to ask when employers start talking compensation
- For a final-year resident physician or physician fellow assessing practice opportunities, one of the most difficult tasks can be evaluating compensation packages. Not only are they often formulated using a slew of variables—many of which physicians transitioning to practice may be largely unfamiliar with—but determining how they compare with market standards is not always apparent.
- “Some years ago, in the era of traditional private practice, there was only limited data regarding physician compensation,” the guide says. “Now that many physicians are employed, more data exist to benchmark physician compensation and help structure incentive packages.”
To know whether the job pays enough, assess your goals and values
- For physicians transitioning to practice, knowing whether a compensation package is up to market standards is one thing. Knowing whether it works for you and your career goals is another.
“There are an increasing number of financial structures and contract types being offered to physician candidates today,” the guide says. “It is important to ensure that the structure being offered reflects your mindset and financial goals.”
The AMA has assembled a variety of resources to help physicians flourish in the employment setting. They include the AMA Physicians’Guide to Hospital Employment Contracts (PDF), free for AMA members, and the Annotated Model Physician-Group Practice Employment Agreement (PDF).
Learn more with the AMA about understanding physician employment contracts.
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