Dr. Z had accomplished a lot in his life: he was an acclaimed, tri-lingual OBGYN with an MBA who had built advanced surgical expertise at a busy hospital where he held a leadership position that paid him nearly $1 million per year. All this success paled in comparison to what he was most proud of: his family. His five children and wife, a speech pathologist and a French teacher, were the center of his life. However, his intense work schedule kept pulling him away from them. A high volume of surgeries plus twenty deliveries per month were interfering with his ability to attend the children’s sporting events and extracurricular activities. At home, he was missing his four-year-old’s milestones. Life was moving fast, and he worried it was passing him by. He loved his work, but it was taking too much of his time.
Recalibrating Priorities
Living in Nebraska had been wonderful for his career. He was making a valuable impact on the local community, but it was costing him his ties to his Lebanese community, which was hard to come by in Nebraska, where Lebanese people make up only .1 percent of the population. He and his wife longed to share their rich culture with their children, who rarely experienced it outside the family home.
They decided it was time to recalibrate Dr. Z’s work-life balance and relocate to an area with a vibrant Lebanese community. Step one was to create a profile on DocCafe. With a national shortage of OBGYNs and his stellar credentials, he was a 5-star candidate.
The Right Practice for the Right Reasons
The emails started rolling in, but one from Ryan Haynes, Senior Search Consultant at Jackson Physician Search, caught his eye. The opportunity was with a 100-year-old women’s health practice in Virginia that promised a four-day work week and a very relaxed call schedule of 1 in 16, with only two 24-hour call shifts per month. He started to think about what he could do with his days off and how much better life would be without the worry of a call interrupting a soccer game, date night, or bath time.
While browsing their website, he was pleased to find a very progressive organization focused on patient-centered care. A mission-driven practice, they offered a patient financial advocate on staff and integrated midwives into their practice, indicating a more collaborative approach to patient care. It would be a welcome change from the high-volume, robot-assisted procedures he was doing in his role at the time. It was exactly what he was looking for, on the work side of the work/life equation. The life side of it was looking up, too: he and his wife had friends in the area, who were part of a strong Lebanese community. Could this be it?
A Candid Conversation About Compensation
He responded to Ryan’s message, who called him to discuss the details shortly thereafter. Ryan was helpful in answering all of Dr. Z’s questions and was enthusiastic about the Center’s humanitarian ethos. But he cautioned Dr. Z that the compensation was nowhere near what Dr. Z was earning — and that there was little room for negotiation.
Dr. Z was undeterred and assured Ryan that his goal was not to boost his earning power but to maximize the time he could spend with his family. He told Ryan all about his kids and how he wished he could chaperone a field trip one of them was on today. If he pursued this new role, he would finally have time to make the memories he longs for. His excitement for the role was palpable. After Ryan hung up, he called the practice manager and urged her to give Dr. Z a call.
She was incredulous. Dr. Z was overqualified, over-experienced, and over-credentialed for the position. How could he possibly be serious? Ryan assured her that Dr. Z understood the role’s requirements and that he was deliberately seeking a reduction in his workload, which would mean a corresponding reduction in compensation. It was worth her time to speak with him and find out for herself.
More Than a Site Visit: A Preview of a New Life
The call went as expected. The practice manager thought Dr. Z was wonderful and that his kind, caring bedside manner was undeniable. An onsite visit was arranged. Ryan prepared for the visit by contacting a realtor in the community, who pointed Ryan to the Lebanese mainstays of the area, as well as the best neighborhoods and schools, which he was excited to share with Dr. Z
Ryan was at the gym when Dr. Z called. “He was over the moon about the onsite visit,” Ryan shared, adding that he was especially impressed by how warm and welcoming the staff was. He was treated like a guest, instead of a business partner on the other side of the negotiation table. As a newcomer, he appreciated that he would already have people who would take pleasure in introducing his family to the area. He was ready to sign.
Solidifying the Perfect Match
Dr. Z flew back to the practice a few weeks later to finalize the offer. He was able to negotiate an additional $150,000 in compensation via a signing bonus and an increase in base pay. He would still be earning much less than he was in Nebraska, but what he gained was priceless: ample time with his family and a connection to his culture, all while providing personalized, compassionate care to the community.
It was a success for the OBGYN group, too. They anticipated a much more challenging, drawn-out search, given the low penetration of OBGYNs in the region and the compensation they could offer. They never imagined they would attract a physician of Dr. Z’s caliber — who was as wonderful a person as he was a doctor — in only 172 days.
Jackson Physician Search helps physicians find roles that fit not just their career goals, but their whole lives. If your job search could benefit from an introduction by a permanent recruiter, contact us today, or search our open positions now.
