My NON crit care fellowship is doing the same. Not fair by any means. Right now it is on a volunteer basis but there are whispers of making it mandatory.
I am no lawyer but looked over my contract in detail. Not sure how they can legally do this. Other programs geographically surrounding mine are doing the opposite ... Distancing fellows from COVID exposures. I am very confused and concerned.
It is all about money! hospitals can recruit moonlighters and pay them. I receive emails about 2500$ a shift for moonlighting 7am-7pm for COVID-19 patients (one week on, one week off). However fellowship programs are not willing to pay that money and also ACGME gave the green light: "residents/fellows can be redeployed". However ACGME does not talk about money and compensation and apparently left it to programs. Some programs like Loyola and Northwell "may" compensate.
"Congress has already approved an
$8.3 billion bill for health agencies"
ref:
What's in the $2 trillion coronavirus bill? Here's how it could help you.
So if hospitals receiving money from government, and also they charge patients, why some are not willing to pay and recruit moonlighters?
are they using this crisis to make more money?
Does our contract say they can force us do the moonlighting job in crisis without paying?
These are legitimate questions, and if ACGME is not willing to response (I called many times, and they refer me to IM department which is an answering machine now), we can possibly ask some legal experts or something.
I feel I am in a communist country. "work as a hospitalist, but we do not pay you as the hospitalist, and don't ask about money, just be nice while we use this crisis to make more money".
Sadly my attending do not want to take the sub=speciality calls either, so beside working as hospitalist I have to cover the calls too.
Cliche of abusing fellows/residents. You can not object cause they may fire you, or at the end you need their LORs to find a job! vicious cycle.
