26 on/26 off gigs

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
N

NY172

Full Member
Verified Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2017
Messages
54
Reaction score
6
What are people's opinions on these 26 on/26 off anesthesia jobs. They seem to pay close to full time jobs but in theory allow for additional employment opportunities.
Members don't see this ad.
 
NY172 said:
What are people's opinions on these 26 on/26 off anesthesia jobs. They seem to pay close to full time jobs but in theory allow for additional employment opportunities.
Click to expand...

Often small town rural hospital. If that works for you. Can be really good. Call back frequency and OB is usually the problem.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Members don't see this ad :)
I have one, it's great. You just have to make sure the volume of emergencies is very low.
We are not a full service hospital: no ER no Ob so while i'm home call for 7 days i almost never get called. I've been called back in twince in 3 years.
My pay is significantly higher than most full time jobs.

Did i mention no OB? :soexcited::banana:
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: 7 users
dhb said:
I have one, it's great. You just have to make sure the volume of emergencies is very low.
We are not a full service hospital: no ER no Ob so while i'm home call for 7 days i almost never get called. I've been called back in twince in 3 years.
My pay is significantly higher than most full time jobs.

Did i mention no OB? :soexcited::banana:
Click to expand...

So what is the community like?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
dhb said:
I have one, it's great. You just have to make sure the volume of emergencies is very low.
We are not a full service hospital: no ER no Ob so while i'm home call for 7 days i almost never get called. I've been called back in twince in 3 years.
My pay is significantly higher than most full time jobs.

Did i mention no OB? :soexcited::banana:
Click to expand...
A hospital without an ER. I wonder if those exist in the US.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
GassYous said:
26 weeks
Click to expand...

182 days.

26*5*10= 1300 regular hours
26*2*24 (Sat and Sunday) + 26*5*14= 3068 on call hours.

How would you price this out? That’s really the question right?

If you’re living in the BFE and cannot go “anywhere” outside of your 1 hour radius…. Or are you slinging it out with another anesthesiologists, doing q2, and they call it 26 weeks on? Either way sounds miserable.
 
Last edited:
Members don't see this ad :)
Not quite the same gig, but I did 6 months in a small town, 15 years ago. Few emergencies, but beeper call for 7 days straight (myself and one other Doc). Couldn’t get more than 30 minutes from hospital. Wouldn’t have been so bad if all my family was around, but I was single at the time, and family was 2 hours away.

So....... If it’s a place you like, or if you’ve already got family there, it COULD be a workable gig. OTOH, if no family around, girlfriend/boyfriend in another town, serious lack of activities within range of hospital...... It can be a REAL drag, and you quickly feel like a dog chained to a post, for half the year...
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
the small town half time gigs I know of are mostly just 7 days on/7 days off sharing the job with another doc. Tend to be slower settings with minimal amount of cases done after 3 PM and usually places that don't have OB so only small chances of ever coming in for a case at night.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
There’s one of these jobs in the next town over. Pay is close to 400. I heard they “limit” you during a set number of your off weeks in case the other doc has an emergency and can’t work. 7 days of straight call is a long stretch tied to your phone, busy or not. Some people can deal with that, some can’t.
 
gcc322 said:
7 days of straight call is a long stretch tied to your phone, busy or not. Some people can deal with that, some can’t.
Click to expand...

I agree in principle, but the places I have temporarily covered in this model it felt more just like a restriction on drinking for that period of time. Even if they had a case I got like 90 minutes notice before it was going to happen so it wasn't like I couldn't be doing whatever the hell I wanted. There was no such thing as an emergency that was coming with minimal warning to the OR.

I could see myself working in that sort of setting later in my career if it was in a location I didn't mind living half the year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
These jobs aren’t all in small towns. Some aren’t even what you are thinking.

I know multiple people who split an FTE and added a few weeks by doing 26 weeks. They just work 26 regular weeks and a normal amount of weekends.

Some even do 2 on and 2 off and travel to homes in great locations.
 
pjl said:
These jobs aren’t all in small towns. Some aren’t even what you are thinking.

I know multiple people who split an FTE and added a few weeks by doing 26 weeks. They just work 26 regular weeks and a normal amount of weekends.

Some even do 2 on and 2 off and travel to homes in great locations.
Click to expand...
That model is not uncommon for folks winding down their careers. Haven't seen it much outside that niche.
 
My buddy does 26 on. 26 off. Lives 10 min from major international airport (non stop direct flights to France/Germany/uk/Dubai et. Facility is actually in urban area but on the outskirts. So takes him 20 min to get there

he makes 450k 1099. He’s the director. The other guy makes 425k.

So you don’t necessarily have to be in the boonies

Work is variable. 1:4 coverage 7-3/4pm. Than sit in room solo till cases end. Cases usually end 6pm. (20% call back rate). Usually if they call you back it will be 7-8-9pm. And quick appy or something quick that they are done by 10-11pm.
Still a pain to come back and do it again the next day.

weekend is all solo md. Elective cases Saturday to 3pm. Sunday is no elective cases.
so it can be like 80-85 hours of work for those 7 days easy.

no ob.

is it worth it? That’s up to people to decide.

I had another friend work in the boonies 50 min from major international airport. He finally moved his family out there. Package is 900k for 52 weeks. He splits job. So again. Around 450k for 26 weeks. Much less acuity cases at that rural hospital. Very few cases after 5pm. Very few cases on weekend. But they do have ob. Only 300-350 deliveries a year so ob very light.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
aneftp said:
My buddy does 26 on. 26 off. Lives 10 min from major international airport (non stop direct flights to France/Germany/uk/Dubai et. Facility is actually in urban area but on the outskirts. So takes him 20 min to get there

he makes 450k 1099. He’s the director. The other guy makes 425k.

So you don’t necessarily have to be in the boonies

Work is variable. 1:4 coverage 7-3/4pm. Than sit in room solo till cases end. Cases usually end 6pm. (20% call back rate). Usually if they call you back it will be 7-8-9pm. And quick appy or something quick that they are done by 10-11pm.
Still a pain to come back and do it again the next day.

weekend is all solo md. Elective cases Saturday to 3pm. Sunday is no elective cases.
so it can be like 80-85 hours of work for those 7 days easy.

no ob.

is it worth it? That’s up to people to decide.

I had another friend work in the boonies 50 min from major international airport. He finally moved his family out there. Package is 900k for 52 weeks. He splits job. So again. Around 450k for 26 weeks. Much less acuity cases at that rural hospital. Very few cases after 5pm. Very few cases on weekend. But they do have ob. Only 300-350 deliveries a year so ob very light.
Click to expand...
Working 80-85 hrs a week in house supervising 1:4 and then being home call for 26 weeks a year while getting paid the same as working 42-46 weeks a year at approximately ~45-55 hrs a week......is totally not worth it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6 users
vector2 said:
Working 80-85 hrs a week in house supervising 1:4 and then being home call for 26 weeks a year while getting paid the same as working 42-46 weeks a year at approximately ~45-55 hrs a week......is totally not worth it.
Click to expand...

Yeah seriously if I was on call half the year I would make over a mil easy and that's solo md
 
vector2 said:
Working 80-85 hrs a week in house supervising 1:4 and then being home call for 26 weeks a year while getting paid the same as working 42-46 weeks a year at approximately ~45-55 hrs a week......is totally not worth it.
Click to expand...

Depends what you are looking for. To each their own.
Some week may be closer to 60 hours. Some weeks 80 hours. Not every week is 80 hours.

but 60 hours is on the low end. 80 hours on high end.
I’d say the average is 70-72 hours.
 
NY172 said:
What are people's opinions on these 26 on/26 off anesthesia jobs. They seem to pay close to full time jobs but in theory allow for additional employment opportunities.
Click to expand...

Why not stay local and job share?
I think all groups PP/AMC/Hospital employed should be flexible so long as they have the bodies to cover.
 
One of my partners is moving to Scottsdale and working one week a month.
I would like to to do that some day soon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
And to be fair, I meant i would like to end my career working one week a month- right here where I live now. 🤙🏽
 
Last weekend about 10 miles from my doorstep. 😎

No plans to move. Ever.

6891DB43-5079-4DA1-8E84-860B90E32A98.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • D5545DAF-9E19-4F03-BE16-8D4DE704D0ED.jpeg
    D5545DAF-9E19-4F03-BE16-8D4DE704D0ED.jpeg
    1,017.3 KB · Views: 129
  • E89DFC80-0619-43C2-A924-3470EC714C4E.jpeg
    E89DFC80-0619-43C2-A924-3470EC714C4E.jpeg
    1,023 KB · Views: 128
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

P
Rate this "cardiac" locum gig
Replies
7
Views
1K
CubsDynasty
C
nimbus
Nodding off
Replies
47
Views
3K
abolt18
abolt18
D
Locums gig in Haiti.....
Replies
9
Views
1K
nimbus
nimbus
Gator7
Botox side gig
Replies
39
Views
6K
IMGASMD
I
epidural man
Anesthesia (off) topics
Replies
11
Views
920
BobLoblaw78
BobLoblaw78
Top