Disability Evaluations As Moonlighting

[IdkLol2049]

Hello everyone!

I am interested in moonlighting as a PGY-2, however my program has pretty much 0 opportunities to moonlight. I could try and go outside of the system, but to get my unrestricted license and DEA and everything else would cost like $2k so it would take probably 2 shifts for me to just break even. I had read someone else on here had done disability evaluations. He had rented out an office space on like a weekend and basically worked 12 hours and would book 2 per hour plus a few double bookings and would make a few thousand dollars a day doing that.

Does anyone have any experience doing this? I was looking for information on how to get started with that. My thoughts are that I likely wouldn't need my own malpractice insurance as I wouldnt be treating or even diagnosing. You just do a physical exam and document it for the insurance companies if I understand correctly.

Does anyone know how I can get started doing this? I am in Ohio for reference .Thank you!

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[VA Hopeful Dr]

I did this in residency. Lots of companies out there will contract with you to do them.

I worked for MedPlus. They're big so might be in your area.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

There are companies you can contract with who will hire you to do this. That sounds a lot easier and more cost efficient than trying to set all of this up yourself in a rented office space as a resident.

Also, you do need a type of malpractice insurance (known as “errors and omissions”) for doing these types of evaluations. The companies who contract with you will often BS you and say that you don’t need any malpractice insurance, but that is wrong.

 

[MD46]

Would look around for maybe hospitalist weekend gigs.

I went 2.5hrs drive, small town 3500 or so folks, small hospital 25 beds. From 5pm Fri till 7am Monday. You admit and round, max volume was 3-4 admits a day and like 10 rounding patients. Paid about $6000 for the weekend.

Just nights at some places low volume and no ICU or codes paid 175$/hr . This was 2015ish

They provided malpractice actually

 

[IdkLol2049]

There are companies you can contract with who will hire you to do this. That sounds a lot easier and more cost efficient than trying to set all of this up yourself in a rented office space as a resident.

Also, you do need a type of malpractice insurance (known as “errors and omissions”) for doing these types of evaluations. The companies who contract with you will often BS you and say that you don’t need any malpractice insurance, but that is wrong.

It definitely would be easier, but if I am able to make more money by doing my own thing I don't mind doing some extra legwork. I have started businesses before and I definitely am not afraid of getting past some of the startup stuff. It just depends if it is feasible as 1 person to do that if it makes sense.

I didn't know that about E&O insurance but I will look further into that!! Thank you so much!

 

[IdkLol2049]

Would look around for maybe hospitalist weekend gigs.

I went 2.5hrs drive, small town 3500 or so folks, small hospital 25 beds. From 5pm Fri till 7am Monday. You admit and round, max volume was 3-4 admits a day and like 10 rounding patients. Paid about $6000 for the weekend.

Just nights at some places low volume and no ICU or codes paid 175$/hr . This was 2015ish

They provided malpractice actually

This was as a resident??

 

[Make Or Break]

Would look around for maybe hospitalist weekend gigs.

I went 2.5hrs drive, small town 3500 or so folks, small hospital 25 beds. From 5pm Fri till 7am Monday. You admit and round, max volume was 3-4 admits a day and like 10 rounding patients. Paid about $6000 for the weekend.

Just nights at some places low volume and no ICU or codes paid 175$/hr . This was 2015ish

They provided malpractice actually

I can believe this. A lot of places will try to low ball you saying it’s “low volume” but if they are desperate enough this isn’t uncommon.

 

[MD46]

This was as a resident??

As a heme onc fellow in 2nd and 3rd year of fellowship

 

[Ubba]

I've looked into this. It's not quite so simple. First of all, it's not necessarily just a physical. Some companies that do this require that you occasionally review EKGs and PFTs. You gonna put your name on an EKG interpretation as anything but a senior resident about to graduate? You damn sure better have malpractice.

Renting out a shop on weekends seems like a lot of work for moonlighting, but if this is a business plan you might want to carry past residency, could be worth looking into. There are examples of derm residents who've set up botox clinics on weekends and tripled their salaries.

From a physician who doesn't have the business sense to set up a lemonade stand: if you go for it, I salute you.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

Would look around for maybe hospitalist weekend gigs.

I went 2.5hrs drive, small town 3500 or so folks, small hospital 25 beds. From 5pm Fri till 7am Monday. You admit and round, max volume was 3-4 admits a day and like 10 rounding patients. Paid about $6000 for the weekend.

Just nights at some places low volume and no ICU or codes paid 175$/hr . This was 2015ish

They provided malpractice actually

I heard of a hospital near where I did residency that had 72 hour hospitalist shifts like this.

This was as a resident??

Yeah I’m not sure how a ~48 hour shift that starts at 5pm Friday and ends 7am Saturday works when you’re a resident. Especially if you’re driving 2.5 hours each way. Maybe if you’re on vacation.

 

[collegestud2013]

Hello everyone!

I am interested in moonlighting as a PGY-2, however my program has pretty much 0 opportunities to moonlight. I could try and go outside of the system, but to get my unrestricted license and DEA and everything else would cost like $2k so it would take probably 2 shifts for me to just break even. I had read someone else on here had done disability evaluations. He had rented out an office space on like a weekend and basically worked 12 hours and would book 2 per hour plus a few double bookings and would make a few thousand dollars a day doing that.

Does anyone have any experience doing this? I was looking for information on how to get started with that. My thoughts are that I likely wouldn't need my own malpractice insurance as I wouldnt be treating or even diagnosing. You just do a physical exam and document it for the insurance companies if I understand correctly.

Does anyone know how I can get started doing this? I am in Ohio for reference .Thank you!

As a PGY-2 if you're going to moonlight or have some type of side gig, would suggest you do something non-clinical for now; there's a bunch of things out there depending on your skillset. Try to find something that allows more flexibility and less liability than independent clinical practice, and is relatively easy to get started. PGY-2 IM tends to be a busy year anyways, so would focus on your core clinical responsibilities as a resident first. The set-up you're describing above seems like a lot of work up front just for occasional moonlighting.

If you're going to moonlight doing clinical work as a PGY-2 resident, would limit it to work where you're essentially a functioning as a PA/NP (with an attending signing off your notes). Some institutions will offer inpatient shift work to the residents there on a moonlighting basis in which the resident functions as a midlevel; this usually happens when there's a staffing issue getting NP/PAs.

Also, many programs have policies that restrict moonlighting (especially for clinical work) so would make sure you're not violating your program's policies.