Over the last 13 years, I have had the privilege and honor of serving 1000s of dermatology PAs and NPs during interview, contract negotiation, and job performance review scenarios. There are some common patterns with clients who are very frustrated with their employer and their negotiation process. Truth be told, the majority the job frustrations could have been prevented if the right job, with the right fit, had been selected in the first place.
So how do you identify the right job for you and your goals? Let’s break it down into five of the most important things to consider:
1. GOALS: Do you know what your career goals are BEFORE you go in for an interview? Have you written them down so that you can hold yourself accountable? Have you identified the type of procedures you want to do, the patient volume and work flow that you enjoy, and if you prefer working in a “team” setting versus a more independent satellite office? There are many factors to consider when thinking about your career goals. Ultimately, you must be interviewing your potential employers as much as they are interviewing you!
2. TALK: Talk to other providers and staff. Gathering information during an interview is very helpful, but you can get a lot more intel from other current providers and staff. Inquire about patient loads, scheduling, teamwork, management support, access and implementation of benefits, employee turnover, etc… If a potential employer will not allow you to meet and interact with current or past employees and providers, it might be a red flag.
3. PROGRESS: Will this job allow you to make progress in at least one area over time? Human beings are hard wired to thrive when they are making progress. Everyone has different skill sets, opportunities, or dreams they might like to pursue, such as: adding new services and programs to the clinic, getting involved in management, speaking or working with pharmaceutical companies, joining leadership of national PA organizations, teaching, mentoring, starting your own social media/blog/vlog/YouTube, side hustles or starting a non-clinical business, or cutting back to part time to focus on family. These are just a few examples of how PA/NPs might want to make professional progress over time as they develop and grow.
What are the areas in which you want to grow? Will this employment opportunity allow you to grow in these areas? It is important to remember that an employer is not obligated to support your progress, they may or may not care if you grow in any other areas outside of patient care and productivity, so it is up to you to inquire or infer if the potential job role aligns with your overall passions and long-term goals.
4. COMMUNICATION: Many underestimate the importance of communication. Whether its access to collection reports or having open and candid conversation with management about your concerns or recommendations, lack of communication can quickly turn a positive work experience into a negative experience. It is important to identify communication expectations from the beginning. For example, if your salary has a productivity bonus but you don’t have any access to productivity reports, you will have a level of mistrust about your bonus amounts. You can mitigate this during the interview process by simply asking about frequency and access to production reports and if those reports will come from the EMR vs another revenue tracking system.
Also, inquire about staff meetings or other outlets to collaborate, discuss, and improve processes in the office. It isn’t necessary to have frequent meetings, but get a sense of if the management is open to dialogue about the practice. Lastly, your career goals can pivot throughout your work lifecycle, ideally you want to work someplace where you can approach management with new win-win structures and trajectories as your career matures and progresses.
5. BE TRUE TO YOURSELF: If you are in a role that is not a good fit for you, try to negotiate in a way that will benefit both you and the facility, nudging your personal situation closer to your goals while helping the practice reach their goals. If management refuses to negotiate, despite presenting solutions that address their concerns or needs, then it might be time to find a better fit. Remember that management is not obligated to change just because you request a change. It is up to you to present a compelling case of how your solutions benefit both parties, and if not accepted, you will need to decide if you will stay put and remain positive and productive or initiate plans for your exit.
The wonderful thing about being a Dermatology PA or NP is that there are roles focused only on medical dermatology, only surgical, only cosmetic, or a blend of all the above. There are positions out there where the PA/NP is expected to see 15-20 patients per day; or lucrative productivity-paid roles where the PA is able to see 50+ patients per day. There are 8-hour work weeks and 50+ hour work weeks. There is truly something for everyone! Ultimately, this specialty offers great work-life balance and lucrative income structures, as long as you know how to identify the right role for you.
Kasey D’Amato, MPAP, PA-C is a Dermatology PA, Entrepreneur, and Career Coach for PAs. Kasey is President of Certified PA Consulting and coaches PAs on how find clinical or non-clinical career success and fulfillment. When not in clinic or helping other PAs, Kasey enjoys spending time on the beach, golf course, or boat in her Maine and Florida homes with her husband and bulldog or traveling the globe looking for new and exciting adventures.www.certifiedpaconsulting.com
