Residency Rap
 

Young Physicians, the Job Search, and an Idea

by Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
PRESENT Resident Editor
Botsford General Hospital
Farmington Hills, MI

Recently we at Botsford General Hospital hosted a unique educational experience for the residents in the area: a round table forum with local young attending podiatric physicians. These local podiatrists, in practice for a relatively short period of time, discussed their respective entrances into professional practice, emphasizing some of their own mistakes and pitfalls along the way. It was very informative for the several residency programs in the area that attended. I’d recommend all residencies in the country tap this resource and hold your own young attending forum.

This round table and my own job search had me thinking just how difficult it is to actually connect with those physicians around the country looking for associates or partners. I’ve tried many avenues thus far, including the professional journals, the APMA website, internet sources, and cold calling areas of interest as well as pursuing personal contacts.

From my search one of the many discoveries I’ve made is that there’s no centralized service for residents to meet prospective bosses. The podiatric colleges do not offer much by way of job placement assistance. The Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine has a small service for its alumni, which is a start. My alma mater doesn’t offer much. Perhaps they feel once you’ve gotten a residency their responsibility is complete? I hope not. When I spoke to Medical Mavin they tried to hard-sell me into buying a practice, implying becoming someone’s associate was a terrible idea, and I’ll never be treated well. Obviously they have their own agenda and are paid more for selling practices than placing associates. Basically, unless you’ve made specific connections throughout your schooling or residency, you’re on your own. And what about physicians who’ve been in practice for a few years and want to relocate? That’s like starting fresh without the safety net of a residency behind you during the search. My point? The job search is not easy!

So, cogitating on this matter, I had an idea. We create a centralized application service much like the CASPR for residency without the actual CRIP weekend. Any podiatrist looking for an associate, partner, etc would list themselves on this service for FREE with certain information (including a base pay offering). In addition, anyone searching for a job could post their CV for all to see with contact information. Perhaps there might even be a “CRIP” weekend where everyone meets in one central location and applicants can interview with many practitioners. This would be almost like a dating service, providing a forum for both sides to “see” each other. Rather than eHarmony, we might call it ePodJobs!

What do you guys think? Is this another crazy idea by Shapiro? Am I being naïve again? Write in and tell me if you think this would work, and if you would make any changes. Let’s brainstorm together!