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Hi, I am currently working in oncology at a private practice in Florida.  I have worked here for a little over 4 years.  Prior to that I worked in family medicine for 4 years. 

 

I interviewed and was offered an oncology position at Mayo in Phoenix. They even paid for my travel out there for interview.

 

It is a full time position 8-4:30 M-F, no weekends or call.  Usually see 10 patients a day.  Salary I was offered was $109,500, 28 PTO days (this INCLUDES holidays), $4,000 for CME plus 7 days (but they don't cover any licensing fees), they offer a pension. They will pay moving expenses.

 

Currently I get paid 97k work usually 8:45-5:30 M-F work about 4 weekends a year in hospital.  I get only like $1000 for CME & 3 days.  Usually schedule is super busy and hectic.

 

I know this sounds like an excellent position, but it would be a huge move.  Am I crazy not to just jump on this offer?  I do have family in Arizona, but my husband is a lawyer and would need to take Arizona bar exam, so he would be unemployed for like 6 months (unless he found some other temporary job in meantime).

 

I have read that Mayo does not negotiate and I kind of got the same impression from the HR department.  I asked for only 5K extra basically to just make up the difference in state income tax (Florida has no state income tax).  I haven't heard back from HR yet because she is out on vacation.  I need to make up my mind by Jan 3rd.  That is the day HR contact will be back. 

 

Help!  I am having a hard time making a decision.

 

 

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Mayo will not negotiate (most likely) because they are very protective of the morale of their employees.  They don't want a PA with your same experience making less than you because when he or she finds out about it then they will be crabby about it.

 

Some small factoids about Mayo, their retirement system is fantastic and it resembles the military.  They are consistently top ranked in both performance and employee satisfaction.  You will never have to fight anyone to get your patient taken care of.  They don't tolerate people not putting patients first.  They have their 3 shields which in fact do govern all they do, patient care, research, and education.  This translates to a smooth environment where you can consult with anyone any time and people rarely say "no".  You'll have cutting edge practice standards, and they have skills development labs on site.  You can bang your CME out on campus and burn that $4,000 on anything medical you want like lab coats, stethoscopes etc and find some low demand CME event next to your parent's house somewhere and get another 7 days of paid time off to hang out where you want to hang out.  They also set you up a 403b since they are an educational institution.  That comes with benefits over a 401k as well and that is in addition to your pension plan they start for you.

 

Phoenix is hot but super close to Sedona and Flagstaff.  It's busy but a fun city with a lot to do.  Tell your hubby to take the bar and keep his stuff current in Florida.  After working for Mayo in Phoenix for a few years, you can apply with an advantage for positions in Jacksonville.

 

To answer your question, no I don't work for Mayo's HR haha.  You may find a better job in a small practice somewhere but you will never find a better hospital network to work for than Mayo.  Lots of job stability too.  If you talk to HR again, ask them about lay offs and how they handle that.  You'll be impressed and really feel secure in the job.  You're giving up a lot to miss the opportunity.  If your hubby is killing it as a lawyer then sure, stay in Jacksonville.  If he's just getting started, take the adventure.

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Actually, my husband has a pretty terrible job now and the legal market where we live has little opportunities for him.  He works for the state of Florida, so he has good benefits, work hours, and time off, but the pay is horrible.  I don't think I would relocate to Jacksonville because we do not have any family there.  I suppose it could be an option, but my parents live near me in Florida now and I would hate to leave them for another part of Florida.  My sister lives in Arizona, so my parents could eventually relocate there or at least visit and see both daughters and grandkids at the same time.

 

I hope I wasn't being too pushing by asking for the tiny 5k extra, lol.  I was falsely told by a family member that Arizona also did not have state income tax and was annoyed when I found out that I would have to pay extra in Arizona. I figured I might as well try because in the past I tend to not negotiate well and then find out everyone else gets paid better than me.

 

The SP I work for now seems to have the impression that I make "above average" for PAs.  She does give me a 3k bonus, but they tax it like crazy, so it doesn't end up as much. I think it will be like 8 years before I'll ever get up to 110 at my current job and that's if I am lucky and she continues to give me tiny raises every year. The rest of the PA job market in area I live in doesn't look too great and I think I actually have a good deal compared to most the jobs I see advertised around here.  I also think working in oncology is a good specialty and would hate to leave it. 

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Also remember, that $109 Mayo is offering is a starting salary with them.  They pay more as you go.  Here's their pension plan.

 

http://www.mayo.edu/pmts/mc5500-mc5599/mc5500-82.pdf

 

If I were you, I'd take the relocation package they offer, move to the far North East foothills of town, buy a mountain bike, and live the Mayo dream in Phoenix.

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Thanks, I will probably take the offer.  Thanks for finding the pension plan information, even the HR woman was unable to provide me with that.  She didn't seem well informed about the pension and that link was exactly what I was looking for.

 

Do you know the Phoenix area well? I have been looking at houses in the area.  Not sure if we will buy right away or rent first.

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I know it pretty well.  A lot of it will depend on if you have kids or not and how much sqft you're looking for.  If you don't have kids in school, rent up front for a year in the area you think you want to live and see if that's where you want to buy.  Plus by then, your hubby's income will be more stabilized so you know your price bracket.  If you have school aged kids, get on greatschools.org and find a school system close to your job location that you'd want to work in.  I'd buy up front just not to force the kids to relocate again.

 

 I'm assuming the Oncology Clinic is the located at the Mayo Hospital in the NE side of town.  If that is the case, I'd live in Scottsdale (with or without kids).  If you are into the quiet life, check out the area on E. Rio Verde Drive.  The whole line up is nice but the area just North of McDowell Mountain Regional Park is kind of remote but absolutely beautiful.  Schools are great too.  If you're into more upbeat city type of things, it'll cost you a suburban existence but there are nice homes close to plenty of things to do.  Check out E. Shea Blvd running East away from the 101 loop or the McCormick Ranch part of Scottsdale.  Schools are all good in these areas.  It's pricey to live in Scottsdale if you're looking for a 4BR place but 3BR places are affordable.  If you have a lot of kids like I do, you'd just pony up the money.  You either get it in a nice house close to where you work OR you burn your savings in gas sitting in standstill traffic because you chose to live farther away on the cheap.

 

Another close by suburbanite gem is the Adobe Dam Recreational Area.  It's close enough to live there and there are plenty of trails.  Schools are okay there as well.

 

Lots of info here.  My recommendation is to stay out of the guts of town and don't live too far away unless it's miles outside of town.  A 30 minute google maps ride out to Rio Verde in the North East may be a real 30 minutes.  30 minutes into the guts of town from Mayo Clinic is liable to be the most horrific driving experience of your life.  Find a close, trail ridden area in the outskirt foothills and get some bikes and trail shoes.

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I am from Phoenix and Mayo is where I get my medical care (PCP through specialists).  I also lived in Florida for several years.

 

Mayo is different medicine entirely.  Honestly, I am old and cranky and could give less than a crap about famous names and such.  But I will tell you that the care here is ideal.

 

Providers are given the time and tools to carefully work through problems the right way.  My visits for a new condition can be an hour long, just me and the doc talking face to face.  Follow ups for routine stuff are slightly shorter but not at all rushed.  phone calls and emails get returned.  I once had a physical exam (rheumatology) that lasted for like 20 minutes and his note was almost 5 pages long.  Talk about comprehensive!

 

Comparing Arizona to Florida, don't even get me started.  I'm not particularly fond of Arizona - it's okay I guess - but I'll just say OH MAN TAKE THE HIT ON THE TAXES AND GO.

 

Also worth the hit on the bar exam - buy him something nice when he's done.  I feel for him here. 

 

I am new to the field and therefore full of crap but that offer looks pretty good to me.  Cost of living alone should sell it for you.

 

If you are at Mayo HOSPITAL in North Phoenix (56th St and the 101) then it's a different convo than being out at the CLINIC on Shea in Scottsdale.  (I think both are technically in Scottsdale so they are easily confused) 

 

At the hospital, as mentioned above, stay out of the "guts" south and west and also don't be tempted to go straight west on the 101 to commute (north phoenix or like Happy Valley Peoria).  It's a disaster!  Think east then south, North Scottsdale, east of the 51 for sure.  Or maybe Cave Creek / Carefree.  Quite nice up there.

 

If you are out at the clinic on Shea, pffft, just get something right there.  Nice area.  

 

The Metro is geographically large so don't commit to commuting something out in east Mesa or Gilbert or some crap until you drive it - could be 50 miles without you realizing it.  

 

Housing costs are still a bit low and recovering from the crash but are rising - fairly good time to buy.  

 

Good luck!

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