7 Tips to help you decide where to practice

It's hard to overstate the importance of some decisions. In the life of a physician, the choice of where to practice would certainly fall among them.

“Location can impact your daily practice, as well as your career trajectory and quality of life outside of work,” says Wade Brosius, DO, a PCP at Spring-Ford Family Practice in Royersford, PA and ACE Medical Director for Tandigm Health. “Choosing the right type of practice – large or small, independent or system-owned, single- or multi-specialty – can also go a long way toward overall job satisfaction.”

The best time for making this choice varies. Sometime during the residency seems to be the best option for most, with earlier starts allowing more time for exploration. But waiting until the third year is also acceptable if the delay is not too long, according to Travis Singleton, executive vice president of Merritt Hawkins/AMN Leadership Solutions. “Given the dampening effect of Covid on the job market, it’s better to job hunt earlier in the year and not wait until you are a few months out,” he says. Regardless of timing, selecting where to practice merits careful investigation. In making your decision, consider these tips.