Cover Story
A Field Guide to Starting Medical Practice
Answers to your questions about finding a job, getting licensed and credentialed, billing and coding, and quality.
By Kim Kiser, Carmen Peota, and Scott D. Smith
Kyle Kircher, M.D., remembers feeling well-prepared clinically to practice family medicine after finishing residency at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine but not feeling at all confident about the more practical aspects of starting his career—interviewing for a job, evaluating an employment contract, or understanding how rising health care costs could affect a clinic’s bottom line. “I realized there was very little room for that kind of discussion in our curriculum,” says Kircher, who finished his training in the mid-1990s.
In order to become more knowledgeable about the business side of medical practice, Kircher went on to do a fellowship in the department of family medicine at Mayo that combined clinical training with work toward a master’s degree in business administration at the University of St. Thomas.
After hearing from other young physicians who felt much the way he did about going from training to practice, Kircher, who is now a consultant in family medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, created a program in 2000 to help residents and fellows at all three Mayo sites make the transition. The annual seminar “Life after Fellowship or Residency: Transition to Practice” has addressed issues such as preparing a CV, interviewing for a job, evaluating an employment contract, managing office personnel, and understanding finance. Mayo alumni also share their stories about starting out and what they wish they had learned during training.
Mayo isn’t the only organization that’s trying to address the needs of young physicians. Several years ago, Lynne Peterson, manager of physician recruitment for Fairview Health Services, along with recruiters from other health care organizations in the Twin Cities, began giving presentations to residents on finding a job and getting started.
Not all young physicians get such help in making the transition from trainee to practitioner. For that reason, we’ve put together this guide to starting medical practice.
Because entire books could be written on topics such as coding and employment contracts, we only set out to answer some of the most frequently asked questions and to connect you with resources that can help you learn more about finding jobs and practicing in Minnesota. And because the majority of physicians here work for large clinics or health care systems, we’ve written this primarily for the employed physician.
Whether you’re a resident or fellow, an established physician moving to Minnesota, or a practicing physician who wants to brush up on job-hunting and interviewing skills, we hope you find it useful.
Making the transition from learner to practitioner is difficult for anyone entering a new profession. But for physicians, who have spent so many years preparing for the moment, moving from the protective environs of academia to the realities of practice can feel especially jarring.
“The emphasis is different, the need is different, the environment is different,” says the University of Minnesota’s Louis Ling, M.D. “There isn’t the emphasis on learning and sharing that you’re used to … When you join a practice, it’s not about you, it’s about making the practice work.”
In drafting this guide, we knew we couldn’t touch on all of the issues you will face as you enter the profession. But we hope we’ve answered some of your questions and given you a sense of where you can go to get help when you need it.
Good luck.