“Do you know of any openings in xyzzy?”
“What if my experience is only in xzx?”
Tons of questions pour in about getting a job. About finding something or about being “qualified enough” for a position.
Since you’ve asked, let me explain something. Looking at job postings online and then qualifying or disqualifying the job (or yourself) based on those postings is the worst thing you can do.
The best way to find and get a job requires you to do the most terrifying thing ever. It will require you to have nerves of steel and the confidence of a king, but I promise you, nothing works better.
What is this dragon you must slay? What is this English Channel you must swim across?
YOU HAVE TO TALK TO PEOPLE!
Sitting behind your computer looking at job postings doesn’t count.
At my hospital 15 or so years ago, there were NO PAs. None. Soon there will be 6 in our department and another 10 or so throughout the hospital. Employed by the hospital.
About 15 years ago, my manager moved into town. She came with a plastics background. She had been working with a plastic surgeon for several years. Did she flip through the paper (remember this was ancient times, 15 year ago) and say “looks like no jobs in plastics, poor me.” ?
Nope, she went knocking on doors. Literally. She got the name of every plastic surgeon in town. Then she started making phone calls and knocking on doors.
Everyone she met with told her the same story. Plastics is largely a cash business and they couldn’t think of a way for her to earn enough money to bring her on board full-time (a better understanding by the docs about how to use PAs makes a huge difference; at the time, in our area, no one knew what to do with her).
One of her last meetings in town was with the chief of plastic surgery. At the end of the meeting, he still couldn’t come up with a way to use her full-time. He knew by speaking with her that she was going to be an excellent team member. That he wanted her, but he couldn’t make the numbers work for a full-time position. But part-time. A few days a week.
He wound up going to the hospital administration. He presented to them the idea of hiring her. If the hospital hired her, then all of the plastic surgeons could use her as an assist on their O.R. days. They wouldn’t need to be responsible for her salary if business slowed (which in plastics it can be like a roller coaster, way up and then way down for a while). She could assist anyone who came to the hospital, providing a valuable service for the hospital and at a relativity cheap cost.
They agreed. Initially, she only did plastics and some C-sections. A lot has changed. There will be 6 of us very soon and we cover plastics, ob/gyn, ENT, ortho, urology, urogynecology, and general surgery.
All of this because she didn’t wait for someone to call her. SHE took the first step. SHE started knocking on doors and made something happen.
Don’t sit back and wait for that perfect job posting. Go create the position.
Of course, if you’ve got your PANRE coming up you shouldn’t be thinking about a new job. You should be totally focused on your exam. Maximize Your Time and Efficiency will help with that.
This weekend, when you purchase Maximize Your Time and Efficiency, you’re going to also get access to Get It All Done Without Losing Your Mind video series. This is a video series I created as essentially a “part two” for MYTE. This series was inspired by everyone working from home and goes through some new ways of tackling the challenge of staying focused and getting your work done in the shortest amount of time.
This weekend only, you’re going to get Get It All Done Without Losing Your Mind for free with your purchase of Maximize Your Time and Efficiency.
Here’s sneak peek: https://wallacedm.lpages.co/myte-get-it-all-done/
Brian Wallace