Rural EM, earn more or less?

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LiamNeesons

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Do rural areas pay more to attract EM physicians, or are they poor due to low volume and forced to pay less?

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Rural areas tend to acquire men with a very particular set of skills. Skills that are acquired over a very long residency. Skills that make them very valuable in places where noone else wants to go.
 
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Rural areas tend to acquire men with a very particular set of skills. Skills that are acquired over a very long residency. Skills that make them very valuable in places where noone else wants to go.

...nice
 
Rural areas tend to acquire men with a very particular set of skills. Skills that are acquired over a very long residency. Skills that make them very valuable in places where noone else wants to go.

Haha
 
There's a tipping point, where someone can say "pay me X, and I'll work there", but, mostly, that doesn't happen, and pay is less (I know, I live it).

Mostly, it is opportunity - either the docs live there, or they want an easy life, or it is the only job they can get (or the simplest job to get).
 
Rural areas tend to acquire men with a very particular set of skills. Skills that are acquired over a very long residency. Skills that make them very valuable in places where noone else wants to go.
I don't know who you are or where you come from, but I will go and practice there. (in my best Liam N voice)
 
Anecdotal:
Same hospital chain in South Dakota
40k volume shop in a city of 150k, dual or triple coverage - offering $200/hr
~8-10k volume shop in a newly established hospital in a city of 30k, single coverage - offering $185/hr
YMMV
 
Anecdotal:
Same hospital chain in South Dakota
40k volume shop in a city of 150k, dual or triple coverage - offering $200/hr
~8-10k volume shop in a newly established hospital in a city of 30k, single coverage - offering $185/hr
YMMV

Excuse my noobishness, but what does single/double/triple coverage mean?
 
yeah. our group has several rural contracts (single coverage, 12 hour shifts). See 5-20 patients in a shift. night shifts can usually get sleep. Or surf SDN occasionally (like me right now). pays about 2/3 of what our "busier" in town shifts are. still good coin though.
 
Do rural areas pay more to attract EM physicians, or are they poor due to low volume and forced to pay less?

From my experience as a military doc who has been stationed in some rural areas (of not my choice) I've seen two types of civilian physicians practicing at either the military hospital or around town. One is either a local or someone who grew up in a rural area and likes practicing "rural medicine." The second type is just a complete hack and/or has a checkered professional past. The pay for rural areas is less than suburban metro areas and maybe on par with highly saturated highly desired cities (DC, LA, SF etc).
 
This is very dependent. Know of multiple contracts in Midwest in communities of 20k or so. They tend to be 12 hr shifts with 18-24 PTs a day with pay in the $215-240 hr range.
 
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