When you're trying to find your first job as a healthcare
professional, it may seem the cards are stacked against you…..
After all,
employers prefer job candidates with healthcare experience, and can't get that
requisite experience unless someone hires them, right?
It's a vicious circle, but you can escape it. With some
patience and persistence, you should be able to work in your chosen healthcare
profession. New healthcare professionals talked to Monster Healthcare about how
they landed their first jobs -- and how you can, too.
If your healthcare education included an internship or
clinical rotations, you made valuable contacts that can likely help you in your
job search. "Don't be afraid to talk to people and ask for help,"
says Christine McElroy, MS, who lined up a job while still in graduate school
and began working as a genetic counselor at Children's Hospital Oakland in June
2000. Your school advisor or internship supervisor can inform you of healthcare
job openings and expand your pool of acquaintances as well as be a valuable reference.
McElroy interviewed with only two employers before
accepting her current position. She learned about the first opening from a
former classmate who called to tell her about a position in her workplace. She
learned about the other opening through the National Society of Genetic
Counselors email listserv, which periodically posts job listings. While a
student, she also attended the society's meetings and says the events were
"hot spots" for meeting others in the field. "Don't be shy about
networking," McElroy advises.
Besides networking through professional healthcare
associations, you can demonstrate your dedication to potential healthcare
employers by getting out in the field and volunteering. "There's no better
way to find a job than to volunteer first," says occupational therapist
Julie Henderson, director of restorative services at the Human Rights
Initiative in Dallas. "You're looking for a job anyway, so why not go
volunteer a couple of hours a day at different places within your field?"
As a student, Henderson worked with classmates to develop
a new occupational therapy program geared toward the homeless population, and
she knew she wanted to continue with community work. Although she took some
part-time home-health contracts to pay the bills right after she graduated, she
knew she didn't want to do it full-time. "I didn't think I'd be effective
as a healthcare professional if I didn't like my job," she says.
Holding out for the right fit was a good strategy for
Henderson. She ended up taking the place of another occupational therapist at
the Human Rights Initiative who remembered hearing about Henderson's program
for the homeless. Henderson now works with political refugees and people who
have been granted asylum by the US government.
Henderson sees clients in the community most days. When
she is in the office, she's surrounded by attorneys. "I'm the only medical
professional in a law office. It's unique," she says. Henderson advises
other healthcare professionals to consider such alternative paths. "Just
find the nontraditional stuff and sell yourself." she says. "It's the
easiest way to get a job. You're not fighting anyone else for a job, rather
creating one."
If you're lucky enough to have a healthcare degree
currently in high demand -- like pharmacy or nursing -- you're likely to
receive multiple healthcare job offers. Be sure to weigh the decision
carefully, and don't be blinded by big money, says Michael Dietrich, PharmD,
assistant professor for pharmacy practice at Midwestern University College of
Pharmacy in Glendale, Arizona.
"My advice to students is to keep an open
mind," Dietrich says. Unless the offered is significantly below market
level for other such healthcare jobs, "I tell students that they need to
remove money from the equation and figure out what is going to make them happy
as a professional," he says.
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