Blogging with The Doctor Job

Dear The Doctor Job,

I am currently a PGY-3 in internal medicine. How soon should I start looking for a job? My schedule is so busy with my rotations, I don’t think I would have time to look for a job until I finish my residency. Is that too late?

Regards,

Future NYC Internist

This is a question we get often at The Doctor Job. The short answer to “how soon should a physician start looking for a new job?” is “a doctor should actively begin their job search 9-12 months before the physician will be available for a new position.”

Yes, we know that a resident’s schedule is grueling. Yes, we know that fielding phone calls and sorting through emails is time consuming (especially when a resident discovers that many of those emails and phone calls have nothing to do with what kind of job they’re looking for). And yes, trying to schedule interviews out of state while completing a crucial year of career training can be overwhelming.

Do it anyway.

Here’s why:

1. Negotiating a good job takes time. It’s important for a new physician to allow enough time to go on multiple interviews. It is crucial to allow enough time to consider multiple offers, weigh the options, and negotiate a higher salary. If this process isn’t done before completing residency, the newly graduated physician will find themselves facing a long job search – with no income in the meantime. Too many times we see doctors who have not worked for months since completing a residency program who have become desperate for an income and therefore jump on the first job offer that comes along – regardless of how good of a job it actually is.
2. Other residents are already looking. At The Doctor Job, we receive the largest influx of requests for help in finding a job from residents between August and October. These are the physicians who find jobs that greatly exceed their expectations and start their medical careers with much higher salaries than their counterparts. On the other hand, residents who spend time waiting to see “what will come up” or “trying it on their own first” tend to find themselves scrambling at the last minute as graduation quickly approaches. These physicians may find themselves picking through the leftovers after the career savvy doctors have already snatched up the most desirable positions months ago.

The Doctor Job understands that the physician schedule is hectic and unpredictable. Finding time for a job search can seem impossible. (That’s why our phone lines are open 7 days a week until 11pm EST). But if a physician doesn’t make time in their busy schedule to address their job search, they can expect to find themselves a few months down the road with more time on their hands than they’d like – and too few physician job prospects.