Top 10 questions dermatologists should ask when considering a new job

Fantastic! You landed a job interview for a position as a dermatologist. Now it’s time to prepare for the interview. Preparing for the interview doesn’t just mean practicing answers for common interview questions, it also means preparing to ask good questions. An interview is like a date: both parties are trying to figure out if they are a good fit for each other. To that end, it is important for you, the candidate, to ask good questions as well. Here is a list of the 10 most important questions a dermatologist should ask while they are considering taking a new job.

1. What will my duties be? This question gets a basic expectation for your role as a dermatologist at their office. It is important to make sure you have a good idea of what kind of tasks will fill your day-to-day schedule.

2. What will my hours be? Will you get to set your hours or will the practice? Again, this gets at making sure you have realistic expectations. Some offices might have hours different from what you’d expect to meet the needs of their client base.

3. What work will I be doing outside of seeing patients? While this question sounds a lot like question #1, it will get the perspective employer to think about the roles doctors play at their office beyond the major task of patient care. Will you be doing a lot of administrative work like patient call backs and prior authorizations? Will you be doing your own scheduling? What administrative help is there?  Will there be staff to help with biopsies and surgeries?  Do you cover the clinic phone line during hours or after hours?

4. Will I be doing consultant work or have telederm responsibilities? Every practice is set up differently. It is important to know what relationships the dermatologist will be expected to continue at this practice. Will you be consulting for a local hospital? Will you be seeing patients via teledermatology after hours?

5. What is the setup of the practice? Is it a single- or multi-specialty practice? Does it have relationship to an academic or teaching institutions? The setup of the practice can determine who’s in charge and also how money is divided among different players.  

6. What is your patient base? What common diseases do you see? Are they insured? You can’t assume you know that patient base of practiced based on the address. If you know you want to work with a specific type of population this is an important question to ask your would-be employers.

7. Will you be performing cosmetic procedures or surgical procedures? You may or may not have interest in doing these kinds of procedures.

8. Does your office have its own Mohs surgery or dermatopathology practice? Or do you have to refer out?

9. Has anyone left the practice recently? If so, why? This question gets at the professionalism and personal relationship at the practice. If many people have left in the last year, it might be a red flag indicating mismanagement and poor professionalism. If people have left recently, try to talk to individuals who have left the practice recently in a private setting.

10. What’s on the contract? Before you sign the contract make sure it reflects what you have spoken about.
    Consider having a lawyer versed in medical contracts look it over.  Are there non-compete clauses? Are these clauses enforceable in your state?  What are causes for termination? Are you able to have other sources of income?

This list isn’t complete, but it’s a good place to start. One of the important things you can do is take an inventory of your expectation (make a list!) for the job and fact check that against reality. You might not realize you had certain expectation until you take the job and get stuck duties you didn’t think would be assigned to you. Nothing can lead to workplace dissatisfaction more quickly than unmet expectation.

It’s also a good idea to research the practice before the interview to customize your questions. Then, reach out to people who have worked at the practice in the past. Ask them similar questions as you asked at the interview and see if their answers align with what you heard at the interview.

Related: Questions every employer should ask before hiring a dermatologist