Finding a Job After Fellowship

[hockeyfan101]

Could anyone provide any insight on how training at a community fellowship program affects one's chances of getting a job after fellowship? If I want to do non-invasive Cardiology and work in a private practice or a community hospital, does training at a community program affect my competitiveness in getting those positions? Does it affect my leverage when negotiating a contract or my ability to practice in a large city? I understand that someone who trained at Massachusetts General Hospital is going to be looked at favorably anywhere, but I'm referring more so to mid-tier academic programs vs community programs. What factors are most relevant in why one applicant is picked over another for a private practice job? Input from those who have experience with the job search in the field would be great.

I did search this and other forums for the answer, and there was nothing Cardiology specific on the topic. I found a discussion in the Radiology forums about this but there didn't seem to be a clear consensus and this may not be applicable to Cardiology since the job market is different.

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[timpview]

Outside of academics the only jobs you are really eliminated from would be at the tertiary-care type or flagship hospitals of major systems. Not a lot of those (one in my 5 surrounding states) but they’re on par if not more competitive than academics.

So you’re open to 90% plus of the hospitals out there.

New fellows or those with less than 2-5 years of practice are the hottest items out there. You don’t have baggage like older docs and admin loves how subservient and moldable you are.

you’ll be able to get most jobs out there unless it’s some crazy saturated market seen in some larger cities.

 

[cards67]

Good questions. Regular clinical jobs outside major centers likely don't prioritize where you trained so much as what you can do, who you are and even who you know. In fact training at a big time academic institution can work against you if your clinical chops aren't quite there. Gen cards is probably the easiest to find a job though and the threshold is relatively low. As long as you can read echos and likely nucs, on top of general clinical skills, you should be good. Other factors matter too such as personality, professional connections, local connection, any unique skills/attributes, LORs, people who can vouch for you, etc.

 

[mayn]

This is great. I'll be in this boat soon enough. Did most people find jobs through personal connections? Or advertised jobs? Finally, any thoughts on recruiters?

 

[pkex008]

This is great. I'll be in this boat soon enough. Did most people find jobs through personal connections? Or advertised jobs? Finally, any thoughts on recruiters?

Fellows find jobs through a number of avenues including personal connections, advertised job, word-of-mouth, and recruiters. With regard to recruiters, using in-house recruiters (specific to own hospital or health care system) should be fine, but I would stay away from generic recruiters who are paid based on how many physicians they sign, so their incentives may not be aligned with yours.

 

[cards67]

This is great. I'll be in this boat soon enough. Did most people find jobs through personal connections? Or advertised jobs? Finally, any thoughts on recruiters?

I would say nearly everyone I know found their jobs thru personal connections, word of mouth of or simply cold calling.