Finding a good job as a physician isn’t usually a difficult task. However, accepting a physician job is normally a major commitment, with positive or negative repercussions that will last throughout the physician’s career.  That means that every physician job seeker will feel pressure to find the best possible position in order to achieve a long-term positive outcome.  Here are eight tips for how to go about finding your personal best physician job.

Networking

Networking remains, as it always has been, the number one way to locate the very best jobs, and physician jobs are no exception. Every candidate may have a slightly different idea of what the best jobs look like, but for many of the best physician jobs, there will always be a surplus of candidates with excellent credentials that are difficult to differentiate on paper. The well-networked candidate who knows somebody, or even knows someone who knows someone, is often the one who gets offered the job.

Online Physician Job Boards

Online physician job boards such as HospitalRecruiting.com have been rising in popularity for some time now, and with good reason. Using job boards allows candidates to conveniently browse and apply to a wide variety of jobs, and they allow hospitals and healthcare groups to reach a large audience of physician job seekers while saving money when compared to some other methods of filling physician jobs.

Physician Job Fairs

Job fairs are an excellent way for physicians to learn about multiple practice opportunities and employers at one time, without the pressures or commitment of an interview, or even a formal employment application.  Employers love to attend job fairs because they are eager for a chance to meet physician candidates face to face and to answer questions about their jobs.  If you are fortunate to live near enough to a good physician job fair, definitely attend.

In-house Physician Recruiters

In-house physician recruiters hold the keys for most physician jobs, and you should definitely seek to engage them in your job search. This is especially true if your job search is centered around a targeted geographic area(s) where contacting a handful of recruiters is easily done. Even if no suitable jobs are advertised, it is still a good idea to try to connect with the in-house recruiters in your desired location. They might remember your sincere interest in their job/location and reach out when a position does become available.

Physician Recruiting Firms

Recruiting firms probably aren’t as helpful as some of the other methods listed above if your personal “best physician job” is located in a major metro area (but they can sometimes be useful in those areas). However, physician recruiting firms can be an excellent resource when a candidate wants to consider a large geographic area, rural areas, and small to medium sized cities.

Expand Your Geographic Parameters

If you have already tried the methods listed above without success, it may be that the best job for you doesn’t exist in the place where you’ve been looking. Consider expanding your geographic parameters so that more options become available. You might want to expand to nearby cities, or consider areas that would be perfect for your favorite hobby, or look at the other areas where you might have family ties. Many physicians end up finding perfect jobs in areas they never would have thought of at the outset of their searches.

Expand Job Types

If you’ve tried everything, and relocating for work isn’t an option, then perhaps it is time to consider looking at alternative job types. Clinical options may include urgent care, wound care, palliative care, primary care, emergency medicine, pain management, and more. Non-clinical options can include medical research, expert legal witness, teaching, writing, and others. Advantages to expanding job types can include finding a great schedule or lower responsibility/stress. Another benefit is that many of these jobs don’t require the same long-term commitment as traditional physician jobs.

Locum Tenens

If you’re still not finding success or direction with your job search, another good option is to consider working as a locum tenens physician for a while.  Locum tenens will provide the opportunity to experience a range of practice conditions and locations, and this may help you determine what your best job actually is. Other advantages include good pay, lodging is usually provided, and some locum tenens jobs include the option for permanent placement if the “fit” is good.