What are you looking for
when considering your next place to practice medicine?
If factors like physician
salary, opportunity, competition and medical environment are part of your
consideration, WalletHub’s latest ranking of Best
States to Practice Medicine should be of interest.
For their 2019 list, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District
of Columbia across 18 key metrics. Their data sets included such things as: average annual
physician pay, adjusted for cost of living; competition for positions; malpractice
insurance rates; malpractice payouts; quality of the public hospital system;
and how punitive the state medical board is in comparison to others.
Researchers
collated the data and divided it into two major categories—Opportunity and
Competition, and Medical Environment. Based on these factors, the following
states came out on top in the overall rankings:
The
15 Best States to Practice Medicine*
1.
Montana
2.
Wisconsin
3. Idaho
4.
Minnesota
5. Iowa
6. South
Dakota
7. Kansas
8.
Nebraska
9.
Mississippi
10. North
Dakota
11.
Tennessee
12.
Alabama
13.
Colorado
14.
Nevada
15.
Oklahoma
*Source: WalletHub’s 2019 report, Best & Worst States for Doctors
FIND locum
tenens physician jobs in your favorite states across the U.S.
‘Best states’ vs. healthcare powerhouses
Similar
to past years, WalletHub’s list of top ranked states for doctors is filled with
those in the Midwest, Southern and Western regions of the country, many of
which have smaller populations. At the same time, some larger states that seem
to dominate the healthcare scene and employ the largest number of physicians
appear much farther down the list--including Texas (ranked No. 30), California
(No. 39) and New York (ranked last at No. 51).
While
these rankings of the best states may surprise some physicians, they are based
on factors that could stand a closer look when making their career decisions.
U.S. News
Best States Rankings in 2019
Physicians
interested in lifestyle factors such as the economy, education, healthcare, the
natural environment, and quality of life might also want to consider rankings
like the U.S. News Best States 2019 list, which
compiled their annual list based on more than 70 metrics. Here are the states
that topped their rankings:
The 15 Best States for 2019:*
1.
Washington
2. New
Hampshire
3.
Minnesota
4. Utah
5.
Vermont
6.
Maryland
7.
Virginia
8.
Massachusetts
9.
Nebraska
10.
Colorado
11.
Wisconsin
12. New
Jersey
13.
Florida
14. Iowa
15. North
Dakota
*Source: U.S. News Best States Ranking –
2019
U.S. News also publishes their annual ranking of Best Places to Live,
which highlights specific communities based on desirability, job market,
housing affordability index and quality of life. See their 2019 list of 125
Best Places to Live.
One way to try out the top states for doctors
Whether you choose from WalletHub’s list of Best States for Physicians
due to their opportunity and medical environment, top-ranked states and cities from
the U.S. News lists based on
livability factors, or have an entirely different way of evaluating the places you
might want to call home, a locum
tenens position could allow you to explore new places on your
terms.
In fact, a locum assignment may be the best way to try out a different
city or state before making a permanent move. You can also compare work
environments to determine the best match for your skills, personality and
career aspirations.
Locum tenens jobs can last for a few weeks or a few months. They offer
competitive pay and free housing and travel arranged by the locum tenens agency
(or a travel stipend). Your malpractice insurance is also covered, and your
recruiter and team will help with state licensing, credentialing and
privileging, to get you where you need to go.
STAFF CARE matches physicians and
advanced practitioners with top locum tenens opportunities across the country,
based on each candidate’s criteria.
TALK TO A RECRUITER