Tips for Launching Your Medical Career During the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Stephanie Cajigal •

Job Search Tips

To land a job right now, Singleton of Merritt Hawkins/AMN Leadership Solutions said otolaryngologists need to be flexible. “Maybe you didn’t want to go to Arizona, but you’re looking into it now,” he said. “Or maybe you didn’t want to work for a hospital, but the starting salary is more than what you thought you could get.”

Singleton said he predicts the job market will normalize by the second quarter of 2021, if the COVID-19 outbreak is under control and patients return for elective procedures. “Until you can run normal operations, patients won’t come back to you,” he said.

Liz Mahan, a physician recruitment advisor with the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment, said many of her organization’s members are seeing an increase in the number of candidates looking for jobs. “Someone who really wanted to be in private practice or in a specific area may have to think about opening up the search to being in an employed practice, at least for the interim, or considering another location,” she said.

Stephanie Cajigal is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.

Questions to Ask Potential Employers

You’ve landed an interview and have been prepping answers, but it’s just as important to know what questions to ask your potential employer. Travis Singleton, executive vice president of Merritt Hawkins/AMN Leadership Solutions, recommends otolaryngologists ask the following:

  • How are you maintaining a safe environment during the COVID-19 pandemic?
  • How are you supporting physicians’ mental health?
  • What is your physician recruitment and retainment program like?
  • How have you innovated during COVID-19, and did you transition to telehealth?
  • What is your balance sheet like? (Consider hiring a business professional to review these details.)