By Shilpa Amin, MD, FACEP
Fall is here, and recruiting season is in full effect for graduating and, in some cases, junior residents. As you start your search for the perfect job in emergency medicine, keep in mind that one-third of you are likely to change jobs after your first year of practicing. That’s perfectly fine, because in most locations there are more jobs than there are available EM doctors.
As the director of our physician recruiting team, I have met hundreds of residents, and it seems that most of you have the same concerns. Just in time for ACEP’s Scientific Assembly, I’ve created the following questions and tips to help ensure that your interviews go smoothly, and, if you’re presented with an offer or two, that you compare the offers equally.
- LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! Where do you want to be? If you can’t find a full-time job in the exact ED you want to be in, try working at two or three hospitals in that region until a full-time position opens. This will enable you to work in different practice settings and help you determine your true fit. Maybe you thought you really wanted to be in the busy trauma center because that’s what you’re used to from your residency training, but after working in a community hospital, you may find more professional satisfaction in that environment.
- YOUR PRACTICE: What type of practice setting do you want? There are several different types, from hospital employee to democratic group to independent contractor. You should evaluate each practice type from a personal and financial standpoint. You really need to understand this aspect clearly as it may frame the rest of your career.
- CAREER: What are your aspirations? Do you want to work in an environment that promotes advancement in your career or do you want to be able to just complete your shifts and go home? It’s a personal choice and you don’t have to make the decision right now. You need to know what your options are. If you are in interested in an administrative career, you should ask about these types of opportunities when you go on your interview. Additionally, ask about the opportunity for mentorship.
- SCHEDULE and VACATION: Be sure to ask what the required hours per year are to be considered full time. Ask if there’s a part-time option or track. Ask how the hours per year really work: Are you required to complete a certain number of hours per month? How does vacation work? Is there online web-based scheduling? Find out if because you’re the new kid on the block, that you’ll be working a disproportionate number of nights, weekends and holidays. You should ask to see a copy of the schedule when you go on your interview.
- QUALITY OF SHIFT: What tools are available to help you when you are working? Will associate practitioners work alongside you to help close that complicated laceration so you can keep the ED moving? Does the ED have scribes and an EMR? Can you complete your charts from home? Do you have access to support staff who can help you attain your medical license and get you on staff at the hospital?
- SALARY AND BENEFITS: You need to review this in detail. How is your pay determined? Is it a flat hourly or based on some measure of productivity? How is professional liability insurance provided? Is the tail included? Ask about retirement and 401(k) accounts. Is there a financial advisor available to talk to if you have questions?
- TEAMWORK: As an ED physician you are used to leading a team of residents, nurses, PAs, techs, etc. Your team when you are an attending physician is very important. When you go on your interviews, make time for a shadow shift. Take time to talk to the other physicians, APs and nurses. Note how they work together when a critically ill patient is in the ED. You want to be comfortable signing out a patient and feel confident that they’ll receive the same meticulous care you would have provided. Ask about the ED relationship with the hospital attending staff. What specialties are represented? Are they responsive to the ED?
Meet Dr. Amin Shah and other contributors to this blog at Booth 1333 at the 2013 ACEP Scientific Assembly in Seattle!
Shilpa Amin-Shah, MD, FACEP, is a full-time attending emergency physician at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J. Dr. Amin is also the Director of the Physician Recruiting Team with Emergency Medical Associates, Parsippany, N.J. She received a bachelor’s degree from Rosemont College in Rosemont, Pa., and her medical degree from SUNY Downstate, Brooklyn, N.Y. She completed the Jacobi/Montefiore Emergency Medicine Residency Program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and served as chief resident. She enjoys spending her free time cooking, traveling and trying new cuisines with her husband and two young children.
