Career Planning
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Defining the Ideal Position
Determine Your Practice Preferences
Practices can vary widely from one another, so knowing what your preferences are can help tailor your search to those that will be professionally satisfying.
Use these questions to help you determine if there are specific priorities or needs to be considered as you start to search for neonatology practices.
Practices can vary widely from one another, so knowing what your preferences are can help tailor your search to those that will be professionally satisfying.
Use these questions to help you determine if there are specific priorities or needs to be considered as you start to search for neonatology practices.
Clinical Time
In general, most fellows plan to devote the vast majority of their time to clinical work. It’s the part of our training that we know the best and it is incredibly rewarding to heal the sick. Aspects such as schedule, total time commitment, and call can differ significantly between practices, so think about particular preferences, priorities, and needs when it comes to your time spent at the bedside.
- Are there a particular number of hours per week you want to work?
- Are you interested in working more than others to get more clinical exposure or to pay down debt?
- Is there a particular type of clinical schedule you would like such as night blocks, short or long service blocks, etc?
- Do you prefer a variable schedule or something more predictable?
- Do you prefer home or in-house call for night coverage?
Patient Mix
You may have an idea of the kind of clinical cases or patient mix you prefer, which could dictate the types of practices you consider. Complexity, acuity, volume, and patient demographics can vary both between and even within a practice.
- Are there specific kinds of cases or procedures you enjoy?
- Do you want to build your clinical skills in a particular area?
- Do you prefer higher or lower patient volumes?
- What kinds of patients or cases do you want to manage?
- Is a wide range in patient mix important?
- Is patient acuity or case complexity an important factor in your career?
- Are you interested in being on the cutting edge of clinical advancements?
- Are there certain patient or family demographics that interest you?
- Would you like to provide for the underserved?
- Do you have language or cultural skills or interests that may be advantageous to certain patient populations?
Practice Setting
Where the practice is located can be an important factor in terms of the patient mix, acuity level, community profile, and even the relationships you have with your patient’s families. There are unique considerations when comparing a small community versus a large metropolitan area.
- Do you want to practice in a small town or large city?
- Does the slower pace of a small town interest you, or is a bustling urban setting more appealing?
- Is rural practice a consideration?
- Do you want a close relationship with your patients and families or is anonymity more your style?
- Would you be comfortable being the only neonatologist in a particular geographic area?
- Is the type of hospital important to you?
Hospital Considerations
There are numerous considerations when it comes to the different types of hospitals and leadership structures and there may be certain characteristics of the healthcare organization that appeal to you.
- Is the hospital reputation or “national renown” important to you?
- Do you want to practice in a particular unit or hospital size?
- Do you want to work in a free-standing children’s hospital?
- Do you want to work for a single hospital or large health system?
- Is the number of hospitals covered by the practice an important factor to you?
- Do you want to work with students and residents?
- Do you want to work with physician assistants or nurse practitioners?
- Would you prefer a direct care model with just you and only staff nurses?
Group Dynamics
Think about attributes of the group when evaluating a practice to best meet your specific preferences in terms of size, single or multispecialty groups, leadership structures, and potential partners. More partners can mean greater division of labor and perhaps a better call schedule, but can also mean more interpersonal complexities.
- Are you interested in a small, medium, or large practice?
- Are you interested in more independence and autonomy?
- Do you want to work with highly regarded, well-known neonatologists?
- Do you want several specialties or specific subspecialty services available to you?
- Are there certain group leadership aspects you would like to see?
- Are you interested in socializing with your practice partners outside the work setting?
- How does the group manage scheduling, holiday coverage, vacations, and sick calls?
