this thing I don't know how to do, and no one ever taught me...aka job hunting

So I've had jobs before, ones where I had to go for an interview and prepare a resume and EVERYTHING! My first job was a public library page (reshelving books, and making sure everything was in proper Dewey Decimal order), it paid 10% above minimum wage, which came out to $4.905/hr. It was 2 blocks from high school, and it was in a mall! I was so cool, I bought meals at the mall food court! Some of my co-workers routinely stole music CDs from the library's collection. There were no perks (kinda like medicine! ha!) but it gave me a sense of accomplishment when I used my earnings for spending money on the school trip to Europe, and bought my parents wooden plates that are probably collecting dust in the basement...ahh, but I digress.

So my other jobs also went through a formal process: advertisement, apply, submit resume, meet with employers, get hired...usually the same day. But now I have to go find me a real job. And really, it's not even super real since I'm only looking for temporary spots. PEI wanted me to work there without talking to me, meeting me, references, knowing whether I had passed any of my exams, could talk English good. Nothing! Yes, those sad desperate small towns. Not so in the big shot oil city of E.

My job search in the E went something like this: I heard from someone at a conference last month that the hospital in E was hiring now. I call up the Department chair to set up a meeting. I wasn't even going to bring my CV b/c I thought it would be informal, since I was only looking for locums...but good thing I did (thanks dad!). The meeting lasted 1hr, during which he mentioned a number of times that I was a new grad with no experience (thank for the clarification, in case I tried to pass myself off as something else), and that just b/c I MIGHT get a locum position, does not mean that it will lead to a permanent position, and that they are looking for a head of the division who may decide that they won't hire anyone without a Masters (see previous post) or extra training (cuz I guess residency was just a joke, and not real training). He wanted to know if the acuity in H was the high as in E (as H was probably in the boonies), since E was the center excellence, and does this and that, and transplants every single organ possible. I was a little taken aback at this question, and what I should have said was "H is the only tertiary peds center for all of the Maritimes, we have 2 peds cardiac surgeons, and transplant kidneys and bone marrows in house, and run ECMO, and I have no doubt that our patients are just as sick as those in E"...but I didn't say any of those things, I only said, "I believe the acuity is the same from talking to residents here." Don't get me wrong, the person was overall very nice, and I've heard nothing but good things about him, but I suppose he doesn't know me from Jane Doe. Then he said that I should meet with 3 other groups and that afterwards, they'd get together and talk about me.

So the next day, I meet another doc for lunch and she tells me all about how the hospital teams run, she was fairly nice too, and said that the first opening for a 2 week block (b/c that's how long one is on service for at a time) wouldn't be 'till winter anyway, and that she didn't have the schedule made up for the next year yet. She offers to give me a tour of the hospital the next day.

On another day, I go to meet the 3rd person, who happens to be a H grad...yay!! And we had fun talking about all the wonderful (and a few not-so-wonderful) people at H, but mostly wonderful. She tells me that there are very few places as nice as H, and that it truly was a unique place of work, and I probably won't find the same attitudes in E, we both talk of how we miss working there (I really do). She also reassures me that my training definitely prepares me adequately for this inpatient job. I left feeling good.

And the last place I went to was a clinic 45min away from my house (that's right, still in E...I was thinking I could have been in Peggy's Cove by now). The reason I thought I was meeting with them was b/c they also worked in the hospital sometimes, and therefore, since I was interviewing for the hospital job, they were also part of that call group and had to decide if I was good enough. But in fact, I felt like I was being recruited for THEIR clinic! I had such a fantastic meeting there. There are 2 older physicians and 3 younger ones who were residents when I was a medical student. They basically told me I could come work there anytime and that they had an opening too! It's salaried, mostly outpatients, with a little bit of inpatient experience (perfecto! for what I'm looking for). They were super enthusiastic and told me that while they know I want to keep my options open and that there are plenty of jobs in the city, that they would love to have me do a locum with them and see if I like it.

Oh, and I also visited a private clinic where I did some work as a resident. The doc remembers me and gave me positive words (which i apparently depend on for my self-esteem) and took my contact info down and said if I really wanted to work there, I can call him next year and he'd "make something happen" even though he already has a new partner confirmed to join him in Jan. That place is 1 block from my mom's coffee shop...which mean free latte's and panini's everyday! lol.

So I'm not sure that this is how all doctors find jobs, but this is how I started. Not too bad. Working inpatients will be a good way to get my foot in the door, and perhaps I'll like it more than I expect to, and it'll also allow me to get to know the consultants (the sub-specialists whose services I will rely on for my patients). I was warned about the radiology, cardiology, and anesthesia departments...I guess some things are the same everywhere.

Again, all's done but the waiting...possibilities, but no promises yet.

This week was also a good reminder to rely on God's timing. I often forget that just because I have a plan and a to-do list, it may not have anything to do with God's, and that I need to seek his will and submit to HIS plan for my life. I feel a great peace about everything knowing he's always in control, and it's okay not to have my whole life planned out.