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Career FAQ
In this section you will find some of the most commonly asked questions about a career in medical management, as well as tips to help you land a job or advance your career.
What is Medical Management?
Medical management is a rapidly growing and continually changing field.
It is the field that integrates the knowledge, skills, ethics and values of medicine with the knowledge,
skills, ethics and values of leadership and management. Practitioners in this field, generally
called physician executives, have mastered the science and art of medicine and have then acquired
the knowledge and skills of management. Physician executives are found in every sector of health care.
They may be CEOs or chairs of departments. They have many different titles, but the most common are
Vice President of Medical Affairs, Chief Medical Officers or Medical Directors. They may be in hospitals,
group practices, managed care organizations, government service, industrial corporations, consulting firms,
or individual entrepreneurial enterprises.
The size of the field or the number of physician executives engaged in medical management depends largely on
how one chooses to define who is in and who is not. Some have said that all physicians engaged in clinical
practice must manage that practice and are therefore physician executives. Others argue that only physicians
engaged in full-time management roles should be counted as physician executives. Any arbitrary definition,
in our opinion, serves no purpose other than to answer the question of, "How large is the field?" Our view
is that the field is as few as 10,000 and as large as 100,000.
How can I get into the field?
It's the old story that you need experience to get into the field, but how do you get
experience if you are not in the field. When recruiters call us asking for someone to fill a management
position, they have what they call their base line requirements. They are:
The person must be board certified in a specialty, have practiced clinically at least 5 years, have good
communication skills, and have management experience.
People get management experience by serving on and then leading committees in their hospital, group,
IPA, etc-committees such as utilization review, quality assurance, strategic planning, credentialing,
privileging. Sometimes they work part time for insurance companies or HMO's doing utilization review or
quality assurance. Sometimes they go up the hierarchy in the medical staff. It is often necessary for
physician executives to go up the management ranks in their own organizations (becoming department chairs,
presidents of the medical staff, assistant medical directors, etc.) before they can move to another
organization as full-time VPMAs, CMOs, or medical directors.
Click here for additional resources and readings on how to get into the field.
What education do I need to get a management job?
While management experience is the most important criterion for getting a full-time management
job, management education can help you get the experience. If you want to serve on and then lead the Finance
Committee, you need to know the terminology that other administrators know to be an effective team member.
You can take ACPE's four day Finance Course and learn what you need to know. The Physician in Management
Seminar is a program that gives you an overview of all management topics. ACPE offers various educational
programs held throughout the United States and on the Internet.
Many have taken these courses to see if they are interested in the field.
Those who are interested and want to know more have an array of courses they can take at their own pace.
If you are taking courses, you could enroll in one of the degree programs just in case you decide you want
to get a master's degree. You can complete a Master of Medical Management degree through ACPE and in conjunction with one
of three universities: Carnegie Mellon, University of Southern California, University of Massachusetts
at Amherst. The UMass degree is completely on line and is an MBA.
What will a degree do or not do for me?
When recruiters call us asking for someone to fill a medical management position,
they have what they call their "base line requirements"—the person should be board certified in a
specialty, have practiced clinically for at least 5 years, have good communication skills and have
management experience.
A master's degree will help you do the medical management job, but it will not assure
that you will get the job. It is the management experience that gets the job. So, if you decide to get
a master's, you should also be positioning yourself to get the needed experience. However, if you aspire
to the highest level of medical officer or executive officer positions, then a master's degree should
definitely be in your plans.
What kind of master's degree should I get?
We recommend that you get the degree that is most
convenient for your schedule and your pocketbook. Since you already
have a prestigious terminal degree (the MD or DO), we have not found it
is necessary for physician executives to go to one of the top ten
schools or get a particular set of letters. Employers just want to see
that you have received management education. Any of the letters (MPH,
MHA, MMM, MBA, etc.) seem acceptable.
The MMM offered through ACPE and in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon, or the University of Southern California or the online MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst provide a great deal of flexibility for getting the degree. The Master
of Medical Management takes the best aspects of general MBA educational
programming, then adds content unique to the issues and concerns of
medical management. Designed by senior executives and nationally
recognized faculty, the MMM focuses on the specific skills that CEOs,
governing boards, and top managers look for in physician executives
responsible for meeting health care organizations' unique demands.
The UMass online MBA in Medical Management features
course work that concentrates on basic concepts, models, and research
underlying disciplines of behavioral science, economics, and
quantitative analytical methods. Practical courses demonstrate
applications of those basic models across the spectrum of business
disciplines: accounting, information management, finance, marketing,
and human resources management.
How do I get experience?
Volunteer to serve on and then lead committees. Let
others see you managing people, information and money. Run short, efficient
meetings that begin and end on time using an agenda that has been
prepared in advance and distributed to the participants. Make
compelling public presentations. If you are visible, energetic, and
efficient, people will think of you when they have management tasks
that need to be done. You may have to volunteer quite a bit before you
get into a paid position.
Taking some educational courses such as the Physician in Management course can help you speak the language of management so you can get on
committees and be influential. For example, if you have taken a course
on Quality, you can speak the language that will be used in that committee.
What do I do if I'm not a primary care specialist?
In a recent on-line discussion about job searches,
one anesthesiologist said recruiters would not consider him for
positions because he was not in a primary care specialty. Another
anesthesiologist immediately responded and said he had been in
management for 25 years. The barrier of not being a primary care
specialist is overcome most often by networking — you know someone who
knows you are good at management tasks and, he or she recommends you
for more of those tasks.
How do I get my first part-time or full-time management job?
Stories abound about the power of networking. Everyone knows someone who got a
job because they knew someone who led to it. Most can even tell you how
it happened to them once or twice. It may have happened as far back as
high school. With all the past evidence of the process working, we
still often attribute the job-hunting success to luck and hate trying
to make it happen again by talking to people about what we want. But it
must be done. Go to meetings, tell people what you are doing and what
you want to do without an air of desperation--that scares people off.
Talk to your neighbor over the back fence, priest, rabbi, etc. Talk to
medical school classmates who live where you would like to live.
What is networking and how do I do it?
Networking is not just begging for a job when you
need one; although, it is letting people know you are looking. It's
ongoing, keeping up with people, staying in relationships, talking to
others at meetings, calling occasionally to see how they are doing,
writing a note of thanks when appropriate. Networking is also being
visible. Without being obnoxious, let people see what you can do. Dress
well, speak well, write for journals.
Volunteer to make a public presentation on some
topic. Do a good job and give people valuable information. They'll
remember you and think of you for a job. Larry Tyler, CEO of Tyler & Company,
an executive search firm says, "I'd look at it more from the
perspective of finding information. You use your network to locate
places to sell your goods and services, you use it to gather the
information necessary to do your job …and to live your life. Finding a
job is just a subset." (Physician Executive Journal, Jan/Feb, 2000)
Tyler’s book, the Heathcare Executives Job Search (2002), an excellent
career guide, has a couple of other wise sayings, “Network or not
work.” “It’s not just who you know—it is who knows you.”
How do I contact recruiters and what will they do for me?
Reputable recruiters place classified ads in the Physician Executive Journal and on the ACPE CareerLink.
Even if you are not interested in the particular positions you read
about, you can still call the recruiters, tell them about your
situation, what you are interested in, what part of the country you are
willing to live in, and ask them to keep you in mind if they hear of
something. You probably will talk to a research associate who will ask
you to send a resume that can be put in their data bank. Blindly
sending resumes to recruiters is rarely helpful in finding a job.
What is the difference between a
retained search firm and a contingency search firm?
There are two types of executives search firms — retained and contingency. A retained search firm receives a significant portion of its fee as
soon as the organization has agreed to hire them. For that they visit
the hiring organization and get to know the key players, learn about
the city and real estate, interview potential candidates in person,
present 5-6 resumes from which the organizational leaders will choose
two or three who will come for an interview.
Contingency firms send resumes to organizations and are paid when
someone is placed in a position. They can send your resume to many
organizations at one time. A retained search firm can only recommend
you for one position at a time.
How do I negotiate my salary and contract?
You will not get everything you want when
negotiating a contract, so decide the items that are most important to
you. Put all the items in a prioritized list, and be willing to give up
some things at the bottom of the list. Decide which items you must have
or you will not take the job. The organization should bring up the
issue of money or the recruiting firm may already have told you the
salary range. Some points to consider when negotiating a contract:
Performance Evaluation
How will your performance be evaluated?
Money
- What is the market value for the position you are applying for?
Learn by reading compensation surveys and talking to others.
- If compensation equals salary plus bonus, what are the criteria for awarding bonuses?
Benefits offered by most organizations:
- Insurance: family health and dental, accident, life, short- and long-term disability
- Retirement plans--details of how long until 100% vested, portability
- Continuing education or tuition reimbursement allowance
- Paid time off usually includes the following (ask about the numbers):
- Vacation days
- Holidays
- Sick days
- Personal days
- CME days
Relocation package:
- Are moving (van) expenses and house hunting trips included?
Professional stature issues:
- Is malpractice insurance going to be necessary and are you
paying for it? If not, will you be covered by directors and officers
(D&O) insurance, and will the organization compensate you for any
additional legal expenses?
- Are you expected to maintain
specialty certification? What happens if you lose it? Who pays the
associated expenses of maintaining it?
- Is it important to
the organization that you maintain your medical license(s) and
membership in medical societies and specialty organizations? If so,
what expenses is it willing to cover?
Written agreement:
- Will there be a letter of agreement or a more formal contract?
- Are there restrictive covenants?
- Do you need a lawyer to review the contract? (If you decide you do, it is best not to announce it to the organization.)
Termination issues:
- Is there a severance package? (In these days of mergers and
acquisitions, this should be negotiated when you take the job, not when
you are about to leave it.)
If you are getting ready to negotiate a contract,
the following video lecture gives you good information and helps you
get in the right frame of mind to do the negotiating.
Negotiating a Contract and Closing the Deal
In this one-hour video lecture, physician executive
recruiter Sue Cejka, covers all of the major and minor details you need
to consider when negotiating a contract - and how to get the best deal
possible without alienating your potential employer.
Order Here »
Members: $55.00
Nonmembers: $150.00
What do I do if I'm fired?
With the many mergers and acquisitions that happen
almost monthly, you can find yourself out of work even if you were
doing a very good job. The new organization just doesn't need two
people with the same title. Hopefully you have been staying in touch
with your friends, attending to people in your network, whether by
phone or letter, or at meetings. Now is when you call them again and
tell them what your situation is and would they keep you in mind if
they hear of anything. Also contact recruiters and let them know you
are looking for a new position. You can post your resume at ACPE's CareerLink web site.
How do I become certified in the field of medical management?
The Certifying Commission in Medical Management (CCMM) is the national certifying body for physicians specializing in medical
management. It is a not-for-profit corporation chartered by the
American College of Physician Executives with the mission of
establishing and maintaining the highest standards for certification of
physician executives. Certification is awarded on the basis of a
candidate's stature as a physician, educational achievements, medical
management experience and completion of a four-day skill building and
assessment Tutorial administered by the CCMM. At the Tutorial, you will
practice management techniques in front of a video camera and be
evaluated on your ability to:
- Make a convincing presentation describing your skills and accomplishments to a panel of health care leaders.
- Give feedback in your cohort group.
- Complete 'in-basket' exercises, which are cases developed around the
nine core health care courses that are required for admission to the
Tutorial.
Certification by a certifying body is not a
substitute for a "track record." A history of successful management is
far and away the best credential any physician executive can have, but
certification can be helpful even if you have a "track record".
How do I become a Fellow, Distinguished Fellow, Board Member?
Once you have become certified by the CCMM, ACPE
will award you Diplomate recognition. A Fellow is a Diplomate of ACPE
who has held membership for at least five years and has demonstrated
that his or her knowledge and experience have acquired regional or
national stature. To apply for Fellowship you must:
- Be a member in good standing for the past five consecutive years.
- Be a Diplomate of ACPE (granted when you become a Certified Physician Executive).
- Have submitted an application for Fellowship. Applications may be submitted July 1–December 31.
- Provide one letter of recommendation from Fellows or Distinguished
Fellows of ACPE and one letter of recommendation from the Chief
Executive Officer or governing board chair of your employing
organization.
- Have contributed to the profession of
medical management as demonstrated through published articles and
books, teaching, research and/or service to the profession.
- Show evidence of participation in ACPE activities, i.e., educational programs, online discussions, or Advisory Program.
Distinguished Fellow
A Fellow who has demonstrated the most noteworthy and enduring contributions to
the knowledge and advancement of medical management. Because this is the highest recognition
ACPE can bestow, members cannot apply, but must be nominated by their peers (Fellows and
Distinguished Fellows). Nominations are reviewed and awards made by the Board of Directors of ACPE.
ACPE Board members
ACPE Board members are elected. To qualify to run
for election, you must be a Fellow of the College, have been an ACPE
member for a minimum of five years, have taken CME hours through ACPE
programs, and be active in College activities.
Please call ACPE for more information on these topics.
How do I learn more about medical management?
We'll be making a few suggestions that will help you get started. Choose as many as time and energy will allow. To get a free copy of articles that are not actively linked below, call ACPE at (800) 562-8088 or email us. The articles linked below are in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the Acrobat Reader, click here for download.)
Articles
Peggy Naas, MD, MBA and K.W. Smithson, MD, MBA ››
Physician Executive Journal, 2009
By Lois Dister
Physician Executive Journal, 2009
By William K. Cors, MD, MMM, FACPE, CMSL
Physician Executive Journal, 2009
By Kevin Carroll
Physician Executive Journal, 2009
Carol Westfall
Physician Executive Journal, 2007
Jennifer Grebenschikoff
Physician Executive Journal, 2007
Sue Cejka and Michael W. Taylor
Physician Executive Journal, 2007
George Linney, MD, CPE, FACPE
Physician Executive Journal, 2007
Mary Frances Lyons
Physician Executive Journal, 2000
Journals/Magazines
Published six times a year by The American College of Physician Executives, the PEJ carries regular columns on career management, health law and managing change, as well as articles written by authorities on virtually all aspects of medical management. It is free to ACPE members. Non-members may preview a free copy. Click here for information on subscribing to the PEJ.
Books
The race to master the many changes in health care will be won by those who are swift and flexible. This updated book will help you stay in the race. It includes sample resumes, often-asked interview questions, and examples of experience and communication skills needed for success.
Written by nationally known physician executives, health care futurists and management experts from across the country, this book is a valuable reference for both new and experienced physician executives working in all aspects of health care.
An excellent resource for organizations considering establishing a position of medical director and for physicians new to the field who want an explanation of the typical duties of medical directors.
Education and Training
This course presents health care leadership's most
critical competencies in a 5-day/6-module format. The PIM will give you
good insight into management education. Should you decide to pursue
further education, you can carry credits from the seminar toward a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University, University of Massachusetts, or University of Southern California.
How do I get started in ACPE…
How and where to get started depends on your interests and how much time you can devote to ACPE
activities. The simplest way would be to read the College's journal, The PEJ. This publication is included free with membership and will keep you up-to-date on ACPE events and issues of interest to physician executives.
You might also consider any of the College's educational programs, in particular the Physician in Management Seminar for an introduction to the aspects of medical management or the Spring
Institute where the business of the College is discussed and you'll see
the full range of College members from those just beginning to the most
senior. If you would like to limit your travel, try InterAct, our distance education program.
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