Physician Jobs Tips

Recruiters Help You Pursue Your Passion

Perhaps you have reached a point in your medical career where you have been working in one field for years, or maybe only weeks, and you decide that your passion lies in a different area. What is the best way to find a job in a different field of medicine than your current job?

A physician recruiting firm can be an excellent resource if you feel strongly about changing your career. For example, if you are a general surgeon and you have decided that you want to dedicate your career to treating women with breast cancer, a physician recruitment firm can help you identify opportunities for breast cancer care in your area (if you don't want to move) or elsewhere (if you do want to relocate).

Physician placement agencies can help you explore a new career by finding locum tenens opportunities. And a physician recruiter can continue to help you find additional locum work or a permanent position after you complete your initial locum in a new field.

Recruiters Can Speed Up Your Job Search

Sometimes the most important factor in a physician job search is speed. You want to find the best physician job you can, but maybe your spouse's company has transferred him or her to another state, and you only have a matter of weeks to find a new job before it's time to move.

A physician recruitment firm can be a valuable tool when time is an issue. Staff physician recruiters can help you identify jobs in your specialty in the location where you are moving. And a physician placement agency that understands your specialty will listen to your preferences for the other elements that make a job a good fit: type of practice, hours, type of work, and salary.

Whether you have enjoyed a fulfilling practice in general medicine or you are an expert in a specialized niche, such as pediatric oncology, a physician recruiter can help you find the best job for you in your new location. You can spend more time packing and house-hunting, and less time sifting through job listings and trying to guess which ones would be the most similar to your current job.

Recruiters Can Help You Reorient Your Medical Career

Sometimes you reach a point in your medical career when you want a change. You may be happy with the type of practice you are in, but maybe you aren't getting along with your colleagues. Or you may have wonderful colleagues, but you feel that you aren't using enough of the skills that you trained so hard to acquire.

Even physicians who aren't currently looking for a new position may feel refreshed after a short-term locum tenens position in a different setting, and the experience can help you prepare for a future job change, or serve as a way to expand your skills in case of a layoff.

Other benefits of short-term work include:

• Making new contacts. It's important to stay in contact with mentors and colleagues from previous jobs. You may find out about opportunities that aren't being advertised, or you may be able to use these contacts as references.
• Getting more experience. A locum tenens job helps you expand your skill set, and a physician recruitment agency can help you identify the right opportunities for you to refocus your medical career.

Physician Recruiters Give Your Job Search a Personal Touch

The physician job search process can be an impersonal experience. You send resumes out into the world, often with little sense of the employers on the other end. But a physician recruiting firm can make your job search more personal in several ways:

• Personal attention. A physician recruiter who understands your specialty and listens to your preferences for your next job can identify the best opportunities for you. You don't need to sort through lists of online job postings and hope that you are targeting the ones that will meet your needs.
• Inside knowledge. A physician recruiter who knows the employers in the specialty and location where you are seeking a job has more insight into what positions would be a good fit for you and for the employer. And he or she may know of openings that don't appear in most physician job sites.
• Administrative support. A physician recruiter will be sure that your resume goes to the correct person, rather than ending up at the bottom of a pile.

A Recruiter Can Make Your Medical Career Pay Off

Money isn't everything, but it is an important aspect of a job. When you begin your physician job search, think about your financial needs at this point in your medical career. Do you need to make as much money as possible in your next physician job to pay off school loans or save for a home? Or are you willing to trade less money for a part-time position that is more family-friendly?

Talk to a physician recruiter about your financial criteria, and he or she can answer your questions, including questions about salaries. Keep in mind that salaries for physicians vary by specialty, but they also vary by location. If you live in a major metropolitan area, the salary will likely reflect the higher cost of living, but you need to take housing and commuting costs into account, too.

Physician recruitment firms can take the stress out of your job search by identifying appropriate job options based on your financial needs.