ACC CardioCareer & CME Guide - March 2008v8 - (Page 18) From Fellowship to Practice: Getting Started in the Real World By Richard Wong, MD, Cardiology Consultants Medical Group, Tarzana, CA The following is a presentation that a recent graduate, Richard Wong, MD, gave to fellowsin-training at a previous ACC Annual Scientific Session. ortunately, there are many job options available at this time. The difficult part is trying to find the job that is right for you. Dr. Wong It is impossible to look at every opportunity that comes your way, so before you start searching, you should have in mind what you want. Narrowing Down the Job Search: Location The best way to narrow down your search is to first decide where you want to live. It will greatly impact the type of job you will end up getting, and allows you to focus your search. Multiple issues dictate where you will want to live. Most of us have some kind of family obligation, whether it is our parents, children, or spouse. During medical school and training, moving to a different area every couple of years was not uncommon. However, now that this has past, there is the expectation of settling down and growing some roots. You also have to balance location with other important issues such as salary, cost of living, and practice opportunities. In my opinion, location is the single most important decision to make prior to starting the job search. Starting the Search When starting your search, decide on which areas of cardiology you want to focus (e.g., invasive, noninvasive, interventional, electrophysiology, etc.). The more skills you have, the more marketable you will be. However, keep in mind that you may not be able to do everything (e.g., pacemaker implantations). Equally important: Know what you do not want to do. Many cardiologists continue to do internal medicine. In addition, if you are a subspecialist, decide if you are also interested in doing general cardiology. Where to Search There are many places to start looking for job opportunities. Two online resources are: ACC Cardiology Careers (http://www.acc. org/home_links/jobopport_cardiologycareers.htm) and NEJM Career Center (http://www.nejmjobs.org/). Other sources include: print journals/newsletters, headhunters, and word of mouth (e.g., attendings, other colleagues, sales representatives, etc.). In competitive markets such as Los Angeles, I found that word of mouth tends to be the most useful. Before the Interview When you hear about a job opportunity, find out more about it before you schedule the interview. It is very important to research a practice before you interview, as there may be issues that you find unacceptable. One of the issues to consider includes the type of practice that you are considering. This may include health maintenance organizations (HMOs; capitation), a single-specialty, or a multispecialty practice. Other issues to consider are the size of the practice and number of offices/hospitals. Also, it is important to consider the reputation of the physicians in the practice, as well as the quality of the practice. When you first join a practice, no one knows who you are. You end up “inheriting” the reputation of the group, be it positive or negative. Here is a common analogy about finding a job: The interviewing process is dating. The engagement period is the prepartner years. The partnership is the wedding. Before you get into an engagement, make sure you date around and learn about your potential mate. Another area to consider is the quality of the hospitals. The field of cardiology is more dependent on technology than other areas of medicine. Will the hospitals have the equipment and support staff that you need? (Continued on the following page) F 18 American College of Cardiology CardioCareer & CME Guide http://www.nejmjobs.org/
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