Is it Time to Consider Switching Your Medical Job?
5 reasons you might want to switch to a new medical practice or job.
When you first got out of med school you were focused on getting a job. You had student loans to repay. You were hungry to get to work doing what you love and had trained so long to do and you might have taken the first or best offer you had at the time, but not you’re a seasoned professional. You’ve learned that quality of life is directly tied to the quality of your work environment and now you’re looking for something new.
There are lots of reasons that you might want to look for new work. Maybe you want to avoid the headaches of a seemingly toxic administration, maybe you want to set your own hours or at least have a bit more flexibility with them, maybe you want better benefits, more time off or to maximize your pay.
With the demand for qualified medical professionals constantly on the rise, you don’t have to take just any job. You are educated, talented, experienced. If you take the time to get clear on what you want in your job, you can get it!
Here are a few things you might want to consider moving forward.
You want to learn and explore
Do you have a growth mindset? Do you want to keep learning? Are you working for a practice or institution where the kind of growth, whether it be in leadership or trade, a possibility?
In a hospital, you will see many kinds of cases each day. As you encounter patients with new and uncommon conditions, you will have no choice but to expand your knowledge. While in a small practice with a specified niche you might have the chance to learn about new cutting edge practices within that area of expertise and grow faster within the company.
Job security
What is your risk tolerance? How important is stability to you? In a small group practice you don’t need to worry about finding employment, but you do need to work continually to build and maintain your client base. That requires a significant investment of time and money, with no guarantee of a payoff.
In a group practice you’ll get to focus on patient care, but you’ll also have to focus on marketing and business development. If you are less risk tolerant or entrepreneurial, or you just like honing your skills as a medical professional vs business owner, administrator and customer service professional, you might want to consider working for a large hospital system. You will always have patients who need you. Are you happier being a small fish in a big pond?
Supportive Colleagues & Company Culture
Working around other medical professionals will provide you with a constant source of input, professional support, and camaraderie, allowing you to expand your own abilities as you support them. You’ll be exposed to new concepts and treatments and have peers to dialogue with to keep you from getting stuck.
And each company, institution, clinic and hospital system has a target market, mission and culture that shapes the experience of working there, so what kind of environment do you want? Do you want a more casual environment? Do you want to serve a particular type of client? Do you want to have a formalized growth structure within the organization?
Knowing what kind of colleague interactions and culture you want to work in will help you narrow your job search significantly.
Pay structure & Benefits
You need to make a living. We all do, but as the workforce evolves so do benefits and over the past 10 years the landscape has really changed. And different employers or types of employment environments come with different compensations models so what matters to you?
Do you want 401(k) and matching? Do you want tuition reimbursement and training opportunities? Do you want a flex schedule and the ability to travel? Do you want lunch at work and more connected culture?
You won’t have this job forever so think: What’s most important to me right now and over the next 5 years?
Work/Life Balance
The smaller the practice the greater the impact and influence of a single individual. The larger the practice/organization the easier it is to back fill a position at any given moment and the more likely an employee is to feel like a cog or spoke in a much larger wheel. Neither is bad, and both have an impact on your work/life balance.
Fewer employees could mean it’s harder to take a day off. There’s no one else to do the work, and you have to reschedule all your patients and remain available to them at all times. It could also mean that you have greater influence and colleagues are more likely to work with your schedule requests.
When you work in a later institution or hospital system, you can plan your absences systematically with less impact, but your flexibility may be limited by “rules” and policies you can’t change.
Where to Start Looking for a New Medical Job or Opportunity
There are a lot of opportunities out there for a talented provider, but it can take some effort to figure out what you want from a job, what your options are and then to do the work to navigate the application and interview process while working. Which is where we step in.
Genesis Healthcare Consultants is a full-service concierge medical recruiting service that specializes in helping you find the right culture, company and career fit the first time. To find your perfect fit, reach out to us today at 239-244-9511 or db@genhc.com today!