change from outpatient ortho to hospital

[srfntrf]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hello, folks

I am a first-year post-graduate DPT currently working in outpatient ortho. The company for which I work is very focused on high patient volume. We treat mostly s/p MVA and workman's comp, with the usual top ten Dx's rounding out our patient population. I am finding especially that s/p MVA and workman's comp cases are very poorly rewarding; my salary is below the national average for outpatient ortho; and the morale in my clinic is a wee bit low thanks to poor office administration and constant middle-management interference. Thus I am contemplating a move to a hospital (inpatient rehab) and am currently in the process of applying at a local hospital for a recently advertised position there. I'm wondering if anyone out there is in the process of making the transition from outpatient ortho to a hospital or has already done so. If there is such a person out there, would s/he care to share some observations about 1) the environment of outpatient ortho as it's currently being lived and 2) what is it like to go from an outpatient clinic to a hospital? In short, does it end up being a case of jumping from the frying pan into the fire? Thanks in advance for any ideas you care to share.

 

[Bluecase]

Keep in mind outpt ortho that is hospital based can be very different from private practice outpt ortho

 

[NewDPT31]

Keep in mind outpt ortho that is hospital based can be very different from private practice outpt ortho

I agree. My work/life and salary are better than friends who work at high volume clinics(big companies like ATI/Athletico).

Also, I worked for a high volume clinic for 3 months just after graduation. Didn't even make it to be eligible for vacation time/healthcare/benefits before I was like nope. This is not happening. Started browsing craigslist. First day saw an ad for a SNF across town closer to my apartment. phone interview next day. In person interview the next day after that. Offer and negotiation the next day after that. Faxed my agreement/contract letter from my first job. That felt good.

The SNF happened to be a really good one, and the benefits and workplace atmosphere were great. That was a great move for me to build confidence and learn basic skills from older PT's. I also really enjoyed getting to spend so much 1 on 1 time with older patients. Everyday I learned something about WW2 or living through the great depression/dust bowl/cuban missile crisis, etc etc.

 

[Bluecase]

At a SNF the salary probably would improved but I know that private practice outpatient tends to pay better than hospital based outpatient - but as a trade off I have better benefits, 20 days vacation per year, and treat a much lower volume of patients (I'd say about half - my busiest day compared to their busiest day). Thats what I meant about looking into outpatient ortho hospital based - much better quality of life than some private practices.

 

[NewDPT31]

At a SNF the salary probably would improved but I know that private practice outpatient tends to pay better than hospital based outpatient - but as a trade off I have better benefits, 20 days vacation per year, and treat a much lower volume of patients (I'd say about half - my busiest day compared to their busiest day). Thats what I meant about looking into outpatient ortho hospital based - much better quality of life than some private practices.

I only did the SNF for under a year before moving to chicago. As hospital outpatient I make way more than my friends at athletico and ati.

 

[Bluecase]

I don't know what my friends at those places make- only at a pop which is higher for sure.


Could depend on location

 

[DrEvil518]

@srfntrf, I actually did exactly that, for the exact reasons you did. After graduation, I tried 3 different outpatient ortho clinics over 3 years, and did not enjoy any of them as much as I'd hoped. The ones with high volume case-loads were burn-out central for me (taking work home, etc), though some seemed to thrive in that environment! The outpatient hospital job was not super satisfying b/c the capitation system meant 5 visits per patient, and I could barely get someone on the road to recovery when I had to D/C them 5 visits in. I would say that moving to inpatient (I was primarily acute not inpatient rehab) was much easier than I thought. I was lucky in that I wasn't asked any clinical questions during my interview, but some places are tough, so I'd review some basic lab values, precautions/contraindications and safety considerations when you land your interviews. I actually found it easier on my body, easier emotionally and more flexible overall. My work/life balance improved and my sanity returned 🙂 Drawbacks to inpatient rehab are that the cases can be quite sad when patients don't recover well, plus it's really hard on the body. On the other hand, acute care PT (like true acute, not rehab) was super easy on my body...easier than ortho b/c less repetitive stress from the manual work. I hope that helps! Feel free to PM me if you want more info 🙂

Oh, and just to let you know, I eventually went back to outpatient from the hospital b/c I felt like I was losing my skills, and I still didn't like it. Now I'm per diem registry and working as a rehab intake liaison (plus I run the website in my profile).

PT is nice b/c you can find what fits your personality and go from there. You should always have plenty of options to craft a career that fits your own needs.

 

[NewTestament]

I thought private practice outpatient paid less than other outpatient clinics, like POPTS, corporate clinics, and hospital-based clinics. It seems the outpatient clinics in the hospital pay the best.

SNF's aren't a bad place to get started because you can gain some momentum. You need a lot of the same skills in every clinic: emotional intelligence, managing a case load, note taking, evaluation skills, interpersonal skills, etc. You don't need your manual skills in a SNF and your patients are much less capable in a SNF but it's not a bad experience. You can probably make $15-20k more a year there. We'll see if that's still true now that HHS is scrutinizing SNFs.

 

[Bluecase]

In my experience hospital based pays less. There is more room for promotion potentially but out if the gate private practice outpt definitely pays more.

 

[CherokeeWahine]

I switched from hospital-based outpatient ortho to private practice outpatient ortho. I definitely make more money working in private practice. I was dreadfully unhappy in hospital-based outpatient. I really didn't like that we were required to provide inpatient coverage as well. I was also turned off by the corporate politics/rules working for a hospital system.