Kendall's Job

So I got a bowl of cereal in my this morning, and I'm feeling a lot better. Still not 100%, but staying home today was definitely a good idea. I'm sure by tomorrow I'll be ready for my big 2 day work week with the kids...hahaha.

So on to Kendall's job....

We've been meeting and talking with several offices in the Troy/Piqua area for over a month now. I know that I mentioned his interview up there in mid December and the dinner I attended. Kendall was impressed with two separate groups and wasn't sure what he was going to do. Each office is different and has its pros and cons. One is smaller but seemed to be offering slightly better benefits. The other has the benefit of being larger which would mean less weeks on call throughout the year.

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to meet the doctor and wife from the smaller office. Kendall wanted me to get a feel for them so that I could weigh in on the decision. While I was flattered, I also made it clear to him that the final decision should be his, since he was going to have to work with these people all the time. Upon meeting "Bob" (I'm leery of posting anything more...) and his wife I was immediately cautious. Bob's wife runs the office. And it's obvious. He defers to her on many decisions. Even when we were talking "turkey", which seemed to take Bob aback a little bit when I asked him some serious questions, Bob would defer to his wife on many answers. That made me nervous. You don't want to work with family. Furthermore, every time Bob talked about the future, it was about what he and his wife wanted to do with the practice. The problem with that, is there is an expectation for Kendall to buy in to the practice after two years. At what point does the decision making become "Bob and his partners"? On top of all of that, I didn't feel that Bob and his wife were "our people". They didn't have the same sense of humor or wit that Kendall and I appreciate. They seemed very conservative. Bob barely cracked a smile. That's not like Kendall at all. After leaving dinner, we both had a better idea of what working with him would be like.

Now recall the dinner from December. That's where we met the guys from "Jim's" office. I was thoroughly impressed with these guys almost from the moment we shook hands. They were relaxed, funny, and you could tell they genuinely enjoyed working together. Their wives were funny too. They seemed interested in what I had to say and what I did. One of them was also a teacher. To give you an example of their relationships, at dinner that evening we all passed our desserts around so that everyone could try them. It's something that the doctors do any time they go out together. While at first it seemed strange because they were men, I realized it was something I wouldn't hesitate to do with my girlfriends, so why should it be strange for them to do as well? You could also tell that they had the same sense of humor we had. One of the docs even collects beer t-shirts of the world.

The deal breakers? Bob and his wife don't watch TV. They must be communists. One of Jim's colleagues went to UD. Need I say more about their excellent taste? Bob's office expected Kendall to use his signing bonus as his first two months salary. Jim's office treated it as just what is was, a BONUS. It left a significant gap in salaries. Not to mention the fact that when it came down to it, Jim and his colleagues truly are, our kind of people.

Kendall is extremely excited, as am I. He is in negotiations right now with the hospital over the amount of his signing bonus and the time we have to move to the Troy area. If all goes well, we will have a 15% down payment on our home up there from the signing bonus and at least a year to move. He will probably sign the official contracts with both the office and the hospital by the end of February. It's almost surreal to think that in 5 months time, Kendall will be finished with his training and we'll actually get to start living normal lives!