Becker's Hospital Review and Becker's ASC Review has released their annual list of the 100 best places to work in healthcare. The article doesn't elaborate on what their methodology is for selecting these places. Nevertheless, the list is filled with the who's who of medical practices in this country.
Naturally, medical giants like the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic made the list. Other great hospitals that made the cut include Memorial Sloan-Kettering and New York-Presbyterian in New York, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Baylor in Dallas, and Duke University in North Carolina. No surprises there. These are some of the most famous hospitals in the world.
After going through the list, I was struck by how few California hospitals are on this survey. The largest California facility that is on the roster is Scripps in San Diego. While it is a very large medical corporation, it is hardly a household name across the country. Then there are a few smaller hospitals in San Diego County, and a couple of small surgery centers in Orange County and Beverly Hills. That's it. This is not exactly a vote of confidence in California hospitals.
The biggest names in this state are not mentioned. What happened to the medical centers in Northern California like Stanford or UC San Francisco? What became of the behemoths here in Southern California like UCLA, Cedars-Sinai, and USC? Then of course there is the biggest hospital corporation in the state, Kaiser Permanente. None of these places were chosen to be in the 100 best places to work.
Could it be that the negatives of working in California are starting to overshadow the advantages of having a Mediterranean climate and sandy beaches? There is of course, the low income made by doctors here relative to other regions in the country. Then there is the country's highest marginal income tax rate, approved by the envious masses to redistribute the earnings of those who work the hardest to be successful. Let's not forget the outrageous real estate prices in the neighborhoods most doctors would want to live in. Even if you can afford to live in a nice neighborhood, our leftist governor wants to take our tax money for education and redistribute it to poor performing schools over the good schools, thereby depriving the kids who are most likely to succeed the support they need. Even this dry temperate weather is not all it's cracked up to be.
So think twice before deciding on working here in California. It may look nice on TV and the movies, but it sure can be a lot easier elsewhere. But if you do come here, we will welcome you with open arms. After all, we need you to work so that I can take fewer calls.
Nope. Docs are still willing to earn less, be taxed more, and suffer a higher cost of living in the name of living in the Golden state. When California salaries for docs start to improve relative to the rest of the country, I might change my opinion.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I live in a fly over state.