Jobs: The Good, the Bad and the Snugly

In this episode, host Dr. Aaron Fritts interviews interventional radiologists Drs. Reza Rajebi and Kavi Devulapalli about what constitutes a good job versus a bad job in interventional radiology including red flags to look for, the importance of mentorship and when to pivot in your career.

The three begin by discussing their training and various jobs they have held. Dr. Devulapalli took the first job he got out of residency, then worked with an interventional cardiologist building a multidisciplinary OBL. Now he does locums and teleradiology from home. Dr. Rajebi started in academics, then transitioned to private practice at a traditional IR and DR group. He is now at an OBL, now doing a mix of locums. Dr. Fritts currently does locums and DR in Dallas.

They discuss what makes an ideal IR job, as well as what leads to job dissatisfaction. They agree that the people you work with are the most important aspect of a good job. Supportive colleagues who share your vision and a pathway for professional growth are also key requirements. Job dissatisfaction in IR is often due to lack of autonomy, inability to build your practice, private equity buyouts such as paths to partnership, and politics such as hospital contracts. They discuss how to spot red flags when job hunting. Dr. Rajebi advises to be aware of false promises, to do robust research, and to ask like minded people what they think of the position.

They end by discussing when to pivot in a job you are unhappy with. Dr. Rajebi says not to pivot until you are sure you will get 3 out of 4 things that make an ideal job: location, salary, job satisfaction, and work life balance. Dr. Devulapalli shares his experience with job dissatisfaction and advice on mentorship, noting that you should not pivot too early or too often. He says that the moment you start having negative feelings about your job is when mentorship really matters. He advises to give it a year and use that time to reflect in order to pivot and find a better opportunity.