Graduating from residency is super exciting, but is also anxiety-provoking as you need to find your first “real” job.
The first aspect to think about when tackling this overwhelming idea is the type of environment in which you’d like to work. At first glance, it seems like a relatively straightforward decision: academics or private practice. However, there is much more to it as you need to also look into the hybrid systems, like private hospitals and private practices affiliated with hospitals. Additionally, if you choose private practice you need to decide which type of practice you would like, i.e. a single practitioner office where you either buy a practice or start your own, a dermatology group practice, or a multispecialty practice. If you choose either of the latter two, you need to decide if you want to be hired as an independent contractor, an employee or as a partner. Each of the three ways of being hired has its own positives and negatives which are specific to you and your own situation. If you spend time figuring out the answers to these two questions — what type of practice do I want to do and how do I want to be employed — it will make your job search much easier as it will help to focus where you put your time and energy.
