Hi:
My wife's a physician on the J1 visa, specializing in Nephrology.
She wants to get a waiver job in an underserved area(MUA/HPSA)/VA/HHS etc.

There seems to be an organization called Global Marketing Resources, Inc
(http://gmri.net), which has a bunch of recruiting sites for J1 physicians.
They "guarantee" a waiver upon employing them to be placement consultants.
The catch is $5K upfront, $20K once you get the job. Is this a scam?
How do I find out if the testimonials listed there are genuine?
(Check practice.org -> J1 Waiver). Should we employ these guys at all?


It'd be great get a job on our own without a recruiter. Is it even
possible to get a job for specialists for a position starting summer
06(when her J1 runs out andthe fellowship ends)?

Which states are the best? Any specific hospitals/regions
particularly attractive/suited for J1 nephrologists?

Ideally she'd like to work in one the following states:
AK, AZ, CA, ME, MN, MS, NC, NH, NV, NM, OH, OR, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA


If it is close to a hi-tech hub, it'd be nice, since I'm a software engineer
and would like to find work nearby.

Any pointers to finding such positions appreaciated.

Once you get such a job, what are the next steps?

Thanks in advance for your answer.

---

Clarification of Question by ananthd-ga on 06 Sep 2005 15:00 PDT

myoarin, hummer:
  Thanks for your answers. Let me clarify:

Myoarin:
We don't mind paying gmri.net or any other recruiter; obviously makes our 
job much easier. We just don't want to throw money on the wrong horse.
 
I just wanted to know if there are more credible recruiters. the GMRI guys are
ubiquitous and tend to get noticed by web searches. I wanted to know if there are
hidden pearls elsewhere.


Hummer:
Most of this is relevant to primary-care. Our case is that of a sub-specialist.
Are there any states particularly useful for sub-specialists.

Is there is a HPSA list for specialists similar to primary care?

Hello,
I hate to see a question of serious personal importance slip out of sight here.

It surprised me that on that site "Russian Girls" was linked under one
key.  That  does not make a very serious impression, but I am not in a
position to judge if the site is a scam.  One could suspect that it
preys on foreigners who are insecure about dealing with the
immigration matters.

While discovering what nephrologists do, I learned that there are
about 170 trained each year and that there is an increasing demand: 
due to retirement of those who entered the field 30 or so year ago and
because the aging population increases demand for nephrologists'
services.

Here is the site of the New England Journal of Medicine which provides
a nationwide job market for physicians that allows searching by
specialty, state, how long the position has been posted  (click on
"search physician jobs" at the left:

http://careercenter.nejmjobs.org/jobdetail.cfm?job=2197854&keywords=

This would seem look a good place to start looking at the market.

I hope someone can give you further advice.
Myoarin

Hi ananthd,

I'd like to help you with your question but it is very complicated,
here are a few links to get you started.

It would be nice to hire someone to take care of this for you like
GMRI, especially if you have the funds to pay them, but it isn't
absolutely necessary. I would worry about how they are guaranteeing
positions given that there are only 30 waivers are granted to each
state each year. Once these positions are filled, no more are granted
until the following year.

Following is the database for Health Professional Shortage Areas.  To
start, make the following choices:

All Regions
Select the states you are interested in by holding down the CTRL key
Primary Medical Care
Metropolitan
Designated
All Types
HPSA Score: 14

Health Professional Shortage Areas
Ad-Hoc Database Query Selection
http://belize.hrsa.gov/newhpsa/newhpsa.cfm

ATTENTION J-1 PHYSICIANS :
To simplify your search, please go to www.bhpr.hrsa.gov ?Health
Professional Shortage Areas,? ?Search the Database,? and set the
search parameters within a State for designated Primary Care or Mental
Health HPSAs with a minimum score of 14. These are the areas in which
you may search for an eligible facility. "
http://www.globalhealth.gov/newguidelines1.shtml

CONRAD STATE 30 
"The Conrad waiver program was implemented to give each state an
allotment of no more than 30 waivers for J-1 IMGs for each fiscal
year. While each state has been given some flexibility to draft its
own guidelines, some basic criteria must be met. These include
submission of a letter from the state director of health stating that
it is in the public interest to grant a J-1 waiver to the IMG and
submission of a 'no objection' letter furnished by the government of
the IMG's home country. Moreover, the IMG must sign a three-year
employment contract and the sponsoring facility must be in a HPSA.
Most states open their program for applications in September. One of
the most important things that a J-1 Physician can do, is to already
have the data sheet number from the Department of State, the next step
would be to be licensed in the state that you would like to work. You
will need to have been offered a position with a facility within the
state in order to qualify for the state program. Doing this will save
time in processing the application and put you ahead of some
candidates, because you are ready.
You must have a sponsor for your adjustment to immigrant status. This
is where the rural areas, HPSA, ARC, HHS, Conrad 30, VA, all come
together. They are all dependent on time served in the U.S. You must
apply to hospitals that are in rural areas hospitals, VA hospitals, or
any of the above. For ARC positions you need a letter of
recommendation for the states governor. Correctional facilities do
allow waivers but only after every means to get a U.S. citizen have
been used. The jobs are out there, GO GET THEM."
http://www.celestetabriz.com/j-1physicians.shtml

UTAH
http://health.utah.gov/primary_care/employment.html

VIRGINIA
http://www.vdh.state.va.us/primcare/center/primcare/primcare.asp

For more links, search Google using the terms:
"CONRAD STATE 30"

I hope this helps.
hummer

If you want your wife to work as a specialist (nephrologist), your
only (legal) option is at the Veterans Affairs health system
(http://www.vacareers.com/). Of course, she would have more
opportunities working as a Primary Care physician (e.g.: as
internist). However, you must move fast, because it would take for
your potential employer at least 6 months of advertising, in order to
be legally capable to offer you a job (once they show there is no
citizen nor U.S. resident willing to take the job).

ALERT REGARDING PRACTICE.ORG/GLOBAL MARKETING!!!
In response to the above inquiry regarding J-1 recruiter, especially
www.practice.org
There is no doubt that they "guarantee" the J-1 waiver..but at what
cost. 1st of all they request initial"non-refundable" $5000. As soon
as they recieve your deposit their attitude changes.They will find
"underpaid" jobs for you in the range of 90-100K.They dont negotiate
contract for you....and actually most of them work in the employer,s
interests. Even when they arrange interview in some small area they
start threatening you that this is the only job available in the
world. They also have bogus testimonials on their site. I know many
physicians who have lost their money because of false claims made by
practice.org
No one should even think about practice.org....unless you have tried
all other means of obtaining a J-1 waiver.

I hope it will help some people who have confusion regarding practice.org