Requested Update
I thought with two weeks before we leave for our vacation, that I would update you all on my wife's status. For those who missed the last post, which was actually just a paragraph embedded in another post, my wife's clinic shut down and she joined the ranks of the unemployed. After asking for her to retire and her saying no, she began a job search.
As a seasoned veteran of job searching, I thought I could be of help but really wasn't. I was used to searching. Because she has an excellent reputation, she never really searched. She had to fend off offers near and far. Also not in my skill set, I helped her set up a matrix to review all of her many offers to narrow them down and eventually she chose the one that just felt like the right amount of cultural, benefits and gut feeling. My gut also agreed with her.
After verbally agreeing to work with the new place, what happened next was a week of waiting before they sent us a contract to sign. Of course there were a couple of changes that needed to be made to make my wife happy and they were agreeable to every single one, but it still took a couple weeks to return the revised contract to her for signing. My wife, not trusting my ability to read, understand and explain in plain English lawyer-ese, probably made the correct decision in hiring a local lawyer who regularly reads similar contracts to review hers. There wasn't anything earth shattering found but there were mention of two sections that didn't exist. So it went back to the employers attorneys to review and after two weeks of waiting, they simply removed the references to the phantom sections and sent it back.
My wife signed it as did her new employer so the contract is now binding.
Although not as stressful as my past experiences where I felt like I was almost begging to be hired and there were no negotiations before I signed a contract lest they just give the job to someone else, it still was a relief to both of us to have it signed and a future someone set.
My wife won't start working until July and even then has to go through some period of time for orientation and getting new accreditation to dispense medicine with this new outfit. It also means that any benefits won't start until August, including health insurance. Fortunately, we do have a federal law (COBRA) which allows us to continue health insurance through her previous employer for up to 18 months as long as we pay all the premiums and so we opted to take advantage of that over going through the painful process of setting up an ACA account and plan for the three months in-between plans. If I remember right, it took nearly three months to set up my MIL's account with all the required denials one must get first before being accepted. That was under Obama. No telling how difficult it is now under Trump.
So there is now a job lined up. My wife has let down all the other potential suitors and we are just waiting for her new employer to make the official announcement before we follow suit. Judging from the 100's of inquiries I have fielded in the last two months, once word is out there will be a flood of people jockeying for position to create appointments with my wife before her panel fills up and closes. While that chaos unfolds, we plan to spend the next two weeks preparing for our trip and then disappear for a month. When we return, my wife will start her new job 3 days later.
That seems both easy and onerous at the same time.
ReplyDeleteWhenever someone says they just stay at the same place because it is the easiest route, I fully understand.
DeleteGlad that things have worked out, Ed.
ReplyDeleteI am extraordinarily hopeful I do not have to look for another job. At this point it seems like a Herculean task.
Jobs are no longer careers anymore it seems.
DeleteMakes me wonder if this is a typical employment process for doctors. I realized while reading this, I have no clue about how doctors are hired. I hope you're able to thoroughly enjoy your travels with peaceful minds after all that.
ReplyDeleteIn rural America, there is a huge shortage of doctors and it is getting worse.
DeleteSounds like a plan!!
ReplyDeleteI’m looking forward to the time off with my wife.
DeleteYour wife must be such a great doctor. Glad she could choose from a number of options.
ReplyDeleteI am bombarded daily by people asking when she is going to start seeing patients again because they think she is the best.
DeleteI'm glad it's settled although it sounds like there was a LOT of bureaucratic baloney. Is she still practicing in the same town? It will be a great transition to get away on a trip before starting the new job.
ReplyDeleteYes. That was one thing we both decided early on. We still have one kid with a handful of years in school left.
DeleteIt must be nice to be so sought-after! I should have gone into health care.
ReplyDeleteI’ve thought the same thing many many times in our marriage.
DeleteIt's super that your wife had so many job offers.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly was a relief to know early on that we wouldn't have to move to find a suitable job.
DeleteCongrats on assisting with the new job! So many hospitals and corporates are buying up and bunching practices. So far my PCP and dentist have remained in their own boat. Even vet clinics have been bought up by corporates who charge 50% more. Some friends and the general public have caught on and switch to a new vet not attached to the greed garabage. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteI've heard about the vet practice being even worse than medical practices.
DeleteCongrats to both you and your wife. It does not surprise me that she was heavily courted. Bless her for taking care of folks the way she does.
ReplyDeleteIt was foreign to my wife who only focuses on her patients and not the dynamics of the industry. I was constantly reminding her that everyone was trying to court her because her presence could make or break their clinic's future. I'm still not sure she believes that.
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