New Rads

[youngdad]

A question to any Radiology residents/fellows: Any sense of what the job market is like in BC and Alberta right now? Any prognostication on the future of the jobs in BC/AL? I am assuming at least 1 fellowship is pretty standard if you want a job, am I right?

I am trying to weigh all my options. I could live anywhere in those 2 provinces. With kids, the thought of moving to the other side of the country doesn't sit too well with my wife and I. I would love to practice on Vancouver Island some day, but I doubt there is much movement there.

[Lactic Folly]

Job market is cyclical. A lot can change by the time you finish residency. I don't think a fellowship is necessary if you are willing to go to a smaller or more remote area.

[youngdad]

Job market is cyclical. A lot can change by the time you finish residency. I don't think a fellowship is necessary if you are willing to go to a smaller or more remote area.

 

Thanks for the response. If you don't mind, where are you in your training? Are you in western Canada? Are you hearing about positions?

 

Anybody else want to chime in here? Or have some suggestions of where I can go to find the answers I am looking for. I don't really have any "connections" as far as radiologist friends etc. And at my school student affairs rep just gave me some vagary.

[Lactic Folly]

From your post history, you are nearing the end of clerkship, correct? My post stands - even those of us nearing the end of residency are being told to check back closer to when we are ready to enter practice. If you want to work in a specific location, you'll need to talk to the groups there. People retire, but also move away, get sick, etc. so openings can arise unexpectedly. Unlikely that anyone would give you a firm answer about their needs this far in advance (unless they have a chronic shortage or something like that).

[youngdad]

Yep. 3 more months of clerkship.

 

So if I understand you correctly....you have no idea.

 

Forgive me. I am not trying to be cheeky. I sense from everywhere that this is one of those things that is very difficult to predict. It's hard for a person like me who likes answers and safe bets. Especially when I have a family to think about.

 

I am caught between Radiology and Family Practice. FP seems like the "safe bet" right now as far as job prospects, choice of where to live, etc. I have thought Radiology all the way for the past 2 years. Fellowships drying up, outsourcing, more applicants every year for the same # of residency spots, fewer jobs, federal and provincial cutbacks....the waters have become muddier.

[Lactic Folly]

I am not sure whether you are looking for an answer to the question of whether there will be a job waiting for you when you graduate. It is similar to CaRMS - you can look at the numbers for an idea of the competition, but a lot of your success depends on your individual situation.

 

I know of several new graduates who have found jobs in BC and AB in the last 1-2 years. I have also seen multiple job postings come and go in that same time period on publicly available job websites.

 

But as to what the job market will be like in 5-6 years' time - no, I don't know. It's probably safe to assume that FP will remain superior in flexibility of location. Worst case scenario is that people stay on as fellows waiting for something to open up in their desired geographic location.

[ac84]

Many people I have spoken with said Calgary and UofA had made a lot of new hires from among their graduates and UBC grads. What this means for hiring 5 years from now is anybody's guess.

 

Demographically, populations out west are likely to outpace most of the rest of the country in growth, they are also likely to have an increasing demand for rads and GPs.

 

If you are willing to live and work anywhere in Alberta and BC including community jobs, then rads is probably reasonable at any of those programs. No one can give you any guarantees on the job market, and if they do they are lying.

 

If you feel rads is a better fit, go for it and back up with family. If the job market is so terrible that there are no community or academic jobs in the entire region of two large provinces, you can always retrain in family.