WDS Career Corner: Pearls for the Job Search

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Thanks to Contributors: 
Ahmed Badawi, MD; Angela Jiang, MD; Caroline Morris, MD; Gabrielle Robinson, MD;
Aaron Russell, MD; Christine Schafer, MD; Eric Sorensen,MD, Ting Yang, MD, PhD; Lisa Zhang, MD

What things should graduates look for in their first job?

  • Having a dedicated team for biologics and prior authorizations is key (aside from your clinical MAs or RNs who will have patient responsibilities throughout the day)  
  • Look for mentorship opportunities or support to expand your skill sets (ie. cosmetics, lasers) if desired. 
  • Consider your colleagues. Do they seem happy and like people you can get along with? 
  • Find out who reads your dermatopathology and if there is an option to read your own pathology if this is important to you. 
  • If you are working at multiple locations, try to determine the infrastructure for how information and results get communicated to you at the different offices (e.g. is there continuity or will you not see urgent results until you are back at that office location?) 
  • Does someone regularly meet with you to go over your billing or other charges? Is there a sample of what metrics are reviewed? Is there transparency for your collections? 
  • Ensure the clinic has enough volume for you to be busy quickly (e.g. long wait list of patients). 
  • Strong referral network and/or marketing team. 

What are red flags that should prompt reconsideration of a job?

  • Lack of control over your own schedule. Flexibility and control of your schedule is important. You should decide your start time, end time and time allotted for new and established patient visits.
  • High turnover in either the providers or the support staff. It can be difficult to constantly train new hires.
  • Working with many different MAs may be difficult due to lack of consistency. 
  • Not being able to speak with other physicians within the practice during the interview/negotiation process.

 

What would you recommend negotiating within a contract?

  • Consider other financial aspects aside from salary, such as 401k, 403b, CME, loan forgiveness.
  • Non-compete radius. 
  • If you are supervising mid-levels, have a clear understanding of your compensation for your time. 
  • If a practice makes claims about projected productivity, then try to get in writing or receive a concrete example. This may help if your productivity is off from what is projected and you can try to re-negotiate. 
  • If you're joining a physician owned private practice, make sure there is a buyout clause in your contract in case the practice is sold to private equity. 
  • Length of notice needed if you decide to leave.
  • Compensation for cosmetic procedures and selling products. 

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