Finding a Med-Peds Position: Gathering Information
What resources are available for job searching?
How do I find out about ‘word of mouth’ positions?
What professional organizations have information about Med-Peds positions?
What professional publications have information about Med-Peds positions?
What are the ramifications of submitting my name to a job database?
How do I find positions in a specific geographic area?
What are the ramifications of using a physician recruiter (“headhunter”)?
How do I find an academic position?
What job information is available via the internet?
Internet Based Job Searching Resources
What are the advantages of doing a locum tenens or other temporary position?
What are the ramifications of marketing yourself to practices seeking a single specialty physician?
What credentialing issues arise when applying for a position?
What resources are available for job searching?
This is potentially the most complex, energy-requiring component of a Med-Peds job search. Like other disciplines, Med-Peds positions available are not systematically posted in any one place, medium, or forum. To optimize the probability of finding the right match, one needs time, a strategy, and a multifaceted approach.
The seven most commonly utilized resources for job searching include:
1. Networking colleagues
2. Professional organizations
3. Professional publications
4. Physician recruiters
5. Database companies
6. Locum tenens and other temporary positions
7. The internet
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How do I find out about ‘word of mouth’ positions?
Some, if not the majority, of the most desirable non-academic positions are not advertised. This may reflect a desire on the part of practices for discretion and selectivity, a lack of knowledge of available options, or unwillingness to pay advertising or recruitment fees. Attending physicians, colleagues, and residency alumni may be your greatest resource in learning about the right local job opportunity. They may know of unlisted jobs, may know enough about you to have a sense of your needs and fit, and may have a vested interest in your success. Word of mouth networking is inefficient. The more people aware of your interest, the greater the probability those with jobs to offer will become aware of your interest. If your interest is in another region, the same strategy can be employed by sending your cover letter and resume or CV to all the Med-Peds physicians in that region. Names of most Pediatricians and Med-Peds physicians in a region will be listed in the AAP Fellowship Directory.
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What professional organizations have information about Med-Peds positions?
The AAP, ACP-ASIM, and AMA have local, regional, and national chapters that may have listings of opportunities for Med-Peds physicians. Contacting a local chapter in a region of interest may yield usefulleads. The web sites of the AAP and ACP-ASIM are linked to searchable repositories of job opportunities. The AAP’s PedJobs (http://www.pedjobs.org/pedjobs/) offers the opportunity to search a job database that includes a Med-Peds category, create and post a CV online to all or selective employers, or post available positions. PedJobs is free to AAP members or subscribers to AAP News and Pediatrics. Others can access for a fee of $75 for 30 days. The Society of General Internal Medicine lists a small number of job opportunities.
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What professional publications have information about Med-Peds positions?
Medical journals carry classified ads in print and online, and may list Med-Peds opportunities. Classified ads can be a barometer of salary and job markets. ACPonline lists career openings from current issues of Annals of Internal Medicine, ACP-ASIM Observer, Effective Clinical Practice, and The Hospitalist (see: http://www.acponline.org/jobs/index.html). Listings are posted two weeks before the print publication date. Some career opportunities are posted exclusively online. Ads can be searched by State, Region, or Specialty. Med-Peds is not listed separately, and will require a search of the Internal Medicine/Primary Care and Multispecialty Group postings. The NEJMsite CareerLinks (http://www.nejm.org/careerlinks/) features the last 2 issues of the NEJM, can be searched on-line, and has a separate category for Med-Peds physicians. Pediatrics also houses classified ads. Beware of responding to ads listing only a post office box, which may be a database company more interested in adding your CV to its database than actively assisting your search..13
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What are the ramifications of submitting my name to a job database?
Database companies collect information about available physicians and practice opportunities. They can be useful if you are willing to share your CV and personal information with a wide variety of potentialemployers. To avoid inquires that don’t match your interest, one needs to be as specific as possible regarding the location and practice setting one is seeking. PedJobs is an example of this type database, and there are numerous others.
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How do I find positions in a specific geographic area?
Multiple strategies should be employed. Canvas the area by sending your cover letter and resume or CV to all the Med-Peds physicians in that region. Names of most Pediatricians and Med-Peds physicians in a region will be listed in the AAP Fellowship Directory. Consider contacting the Med-Peds training program if there is one in the vicinity. Check job postings in national organizations, national publications, and databases. If no opportunities are apparent consider using a physician recruiter, spending time at a temporary position/locum tenons in the area, or marketing yourself to Family Practice or Multispecialty Groups in the region that are seeking family practitioners, internists, or pediatricians.
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What are the ramifications of using a physician recruiter (“headhunter”)?
There are a large number and variety of physician recruiters, each with different agendas. They include hospital-based recruiters, retained recruiting firms, and contingent recruiters. Some are regional, others national in scope. Some purport to be specifically interested in Med-Peds physicians. None charge a fee to the physician candidate. Hospital based and retained recruiters seek to find, screen, and present candidates with a certain profile, matching the needs of the institution or practice. As part of their fee is provided regardless of securing a match, they have historically perhaps been less inclined than contingent recruiters to seek any match rather than the right one. The best recruiter is one who gets to know in depth both the professional and personal interests of the physician, as well as the cultural and professional opportunities of the position. They should present a balanced view. The more time they spend getting to know you, the less likely they are to waste your time with incongruent positions. Retaining a recruiter can have implications for positions you identify independent of the recruiter. Be aware of those ramifications. The same issues prohibit use of more than one recruiter. Before retaining a recruiter, talk with previous clients to ascertain the depth of knowledge and service the recruiter manifest, and what surprises occurred after the match. Seek a list of clients who have been matched to a position in which they have stayed at least 3 years. A discussion of physician recruiters is available at: http://www.acponline.org/counseling/search.htm
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How do I find an academic position?
Like practice opportunities, some academic positions are only known by word of mouth. Some academic positions are listed by professional organizations, others in professional publications, and some by data base companies. The best place to find academic positions may be the AAMC endorsed WEB site
Academic Physician and Scientist (http://www.acphysci.com/).
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What job information is available via the internet?
The Internet has become the portal of access to many of the resources previously mentioned. There are also resources only available on the Internet. For example, the best site for academic positions may be the AAMC endorsed Academic Physician and Scientist. The Med-Peds listserver occasionally posts career opportunities. Subscription instructions are available at http://www.aap.org/sections/med-peds/ Othrmed.htm Some of the other sites listed below allow the option to be placed on an e-mail list of new job postings..14
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Internet Based Job Searching Resources
Professional Organizations
American Academy of Pediatrics PedJobs
http://pedjobs.org/pedjobs/userAbout.cfm
Society of General Internal Medicine SGIM
http://www.sgim.org/Publicweb/ProfDev/default.htm
American Medical Association AMA
http://www.ama-assn.org/cgi-bin/webad
Professional Publications
American College of Physicians ACPonline
http://www.acponline.org/jobs/index.html
American Academy of Pediatrics Pediatrics
http://www.pediatrics.org/classifieds/
New England Journal of Medicine CareerLinks
http://www.nejm.org/careerlinks/index.asp
Recruitment Firms (examples only)
Merritt, Hawkins, & Associates
http://www.merritthawkins.com/
Global
http://www.global-medicalsearch.com/
Internet Based Job Databases
Academic Physician and Scientist
http://www.acphysci.com/aps.htm
MedBulletin
http://www.medbulletin.com/
Physicians Employment
http://www.physemp.com/
Medsearch
http://www.medsearch.com/
NationJob Network
http://www.nationjob.com/medical/
Practice Link
http://www.practicelink.com/
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What are the advantages of doing a locum tenens or other temporary position?
For physicians with time, Locum tenens or temporary Emergency Room positions offer several unique insights. They provide an opportunity to ‘try before you buy’ the culture and practice character. This maximizes the probability of a good fit. They offer a chance to network within a community, which may reveal other opportunities, create a referral base, and create an identity for the physician. Locums and ED positions may be accessed via national or regional companies, and frequently by the Internet.
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What are the ramifications of marketing yourself to practices seeking a single specialty physician?
In some areas of the country there are relatively few advertised listings for Med-Peds graduates. This can make the job market look problematic for Med-Peds graduates or students considering Med-Peds training.
The lack of published positions does not imply a lack of opportunity. California, for example, lists few positions, but houses the third highest number of Med-Peds graduates of any state. A strategy to expand opportunities is to market yourself to employers or institutions seeking a single specialty physician. They may not be aware of the existence of Med-Peds trained physicians, and frequently the response to inquiry is quite positive. General Medicine or Pediatric divisions may be quite willing to arrange a joint appointment with clinical and teaching involvement in both departments. Multispecialty groups similarly easily find a niche for Med-Peds physicians. For the first Med-Peds graduate joining such a group or faculty, there are challenges. They include identity issues, site of service issues, call and coverage issues, and compensation issues. It is easier for large organizations to make adaptations of this type, as they are more accustomed to part-time physicians and reduced call arrangement.
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What credentialing issues arise when applying for a position?
Four credentialing issues usually arise when applying for a job as a physician. They are:
1. Board eligibility or certification
2. State licensure
3. Prescription drug license (DEA number)
4. Malpractice carrier and limits of coverage
Three groups are likely to require this information. They are:
1. Your employer
2. Hospitals where you seek privileges
3. Insurers
Seldom do the three groups share a common credentialing committee, though sometimes the local Medical Society fills that role. Anticipate 60-90 days to obtain a DEA number and malpractice coverage once you apply. Anticipate at least that long for hospitals and insurers to ‘credential’ you. Most will allow you to apply while only Board eligible, but proof of state licensure, DEA number, and malpractice certificate will usually be required before hospitals and insurers acknowledge credentials and allow participation. Your employer should help guide you through the steps. Plan ahead and start early..16
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