Questions to Ask During Your Interview While at the Academy Meeting

By Michael G. Haas, MD

The annual American Academy of Ophthalmology Meeting is a great experience for most people. In addition to some great courses, you may have the option of setting up several interviews with potential employers. There is a job fair held on Sunday where you can meet multiple practices looking for new associates, or you may have already set up some interviews outside of the job fair via the Professional Choices section of the AAO website. Either way, it is time to get down to business. The Academy Meeting is a great place for this because you can potentially have a first interview with several practices before refining your search, and your travel burden will be greatly reduced.

Now that your interviews are lined up, what exactly do you need to ask these potential practices? These initial interviews will basically help determine whether a future site visit would be beneficial to both parties. With this in mind, initial interviews are not the place to immediately bring up salary requirements and vacation/benefits. The purpose of these initial interviews is to determine whether there is good chemistry and rapport between the two parties and to decide whether to have you out for a site visit (with your significant other for those in relationships).

Frame your interview questions in a manner that takes into consideration your main goal here, which is to get a general sense of the practice and its employees, and whether you may enjoy working with the people interviewing you. One of the first things you should know is the reason they are looking to add an associate to the existing practice. Is one of the doctors retiring and there is need for somebody to take over that physician’s patients? Is one of the doctors leaving the practice for another reason? If so, why is that? Has the practice grown so busy that the existing doctors cannot handle the increased volume of new patients? Why exactly are they looking to hire a new doctor? You need to know whether you are being hired with the expectation of going out and marketing yourself to the community to bring in your own patients, and/or whether you will also be helping with the existing caseload of patients within the practice. What type of patients are you expected to see? It would not be good to look at a position where minimal to no surgery is expected if you are looking to become a busy surgeon. By the time the initial interview is over you should have a good sense of how large the practice is and how many physicians are currently in the practice. Do they also employ optometrists? Is this something you are comfortable with? It is important to know roughly how many staff are employed, how many patients are seen daily, and even how many surgeries are performed yearly (and what a new physician can expect to produce). The answers to these questions will help you understand the practice needs and the type of role they are looking to have you fill. Are you being looked at as an employee only or as a future partner?

You also want to know where the practice performs its surgery. Does it own an ambulatory surgery center (or will ownership ever be an option for you)? Are the surgeries performed elsewhere? How many hospitals does the practice cover (this can help to indirectly answer questions you may have about call)? Does the practice have satellite offices or will you be expected to travel at all? How many other ophthalmology practices are in the area (is there a sufficient need for a new associate or is the local market already oversaturated by ophthalmologists)?

If you are not familiar with the practice location this is the time to ask more questions. This can indirectly show them a little of your personality. If you have a passion for hiking, skiing or biking… are there going to be nearby trails for you? If you love theater, does the city support the performing arts? Are there nearby lakes for fishing or water sports? How are the school systems? Are there many local colleges or universities in the vicinity? If you have a significant other will the city be a place that appeals to him or her? This also gives a chance for the interviewer to brag about their city a bit. Perhaps there is something special in the area that is a source of community pride. Either way, what you want is to have a feel of whether you would be interested in seeing the practice and city firsthand. Ask them what they enjoy doing for pleasure when not working. You may be pleasantly surprised. Asking about the city prior to a visit can help tremendously, and can often be a great way to learn a little bit more about those who may be your future colleagues. Make notes about the interview directly after, while things are fresh in your mind. This can help guide further discussion should ongoing dialogue follow.

Do not expect to have firm answers by the end of the Academy Meeting interviews. You should, however, have a clear direction on which practices you like (or dislike) most. You now have a chance to think about the opportunities and to make a list of questions that were not answered. If you have a significant other, use them as a sounding board. You should also write a Thank You to each practice that interviewed you. It is not only polite, but it can open the door for further discussion. Ideally you will want to contact the interviewers soon after the Academy Meeting ends. I would recommend contacting people within a week, by mail and/or phone. After you have put more research and thought into the practice and area, any further questions should be easily answered during a follow-up phone call to the practice. You will probably have a great sense at that time whether a site visit should be taken. If nothing is set up by now, then tell the practice you are interested in a visit. You will quickly know whether the interest is mutual. I would recommend at least two site visits for comparison, but that is a topic for another discussion.

During your second formal interview (on-site), many more questions will be brought up and discussed. Salary, benefits and on-call responsibilities should not be the priority questions at the initial Academy Meeting (if they come up great, but do not expect them). After a formal on-site interview, these are questions that should be answered. For now, you want to narrow the list of places to take a site-interview. Enjoy this adventure, and have fun during your interviews.