How much should I charge a researcher to read his slides?

[Converse]

Hello,
A researcher ask me to read a few slides for him. Looks like some immunos and simple H&Es.

He wasn't willing to put my name on the paper, but was willing to pay me for services. I don't know what the going rate is. I finished a surg path fellowship and am board certified.

I think cytotechs get paid like $5 per slide (which, after taxes, is like $2).

This happen to anyone here before? Any advice?
Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Unty]

With today's economy, I think this should be enough to cover your time and put food on the table for your family.

 

[Gene_]

I think the technical component for 88305 is $50-60 per case. Start there, and don't provide any extra input on the project, since he's unwilling to accept you as an intellectual contributor - somewhat insulting really.

 

[pathstudent]

500 per hour or put your name on the paper.

Hello,
A researcher ask me to read a few slides for him. Looks like some immunos and simple H&Es.

He wasn't willing to put my name on the paper, but was willing to pay me for services. I don't know what the going rate is. I finished a surg path fellowship and am board certified.

I think cytotechs get paid like $5 per slide (which, after taxes, is like $2).

This happen to anyone here before? Any advice?
Thanks.

 

[macrocyte]

You're a fellowship trained board certified pathologist. Forget what the cytotech's get per slide. I would say that you are not interested in the project if they are unwilling to put your name on the manuscript. Unless they are paying a reasonable rate (I'd charge $120/hr and no less) then they are wasting your time.

 

[Substance]

If he's utilizing your expertise to complete his research, your name should go on the paper.

If it doesn't want to put your name on the paper, you have two options:

1. Charge the going 88305 rate per slide plus whatever premium you want to charge for research consultation - I'd say make it double. Do not provide anything else besides this, since he will not credit you for your contribution.

2. Tell him to shove it.

Those are the only two options worth considering. Don't be passive. Don't accept $5 per slide. That's insulting, and would make you look like a doormat. You'll get no respect. You are not even on the same low level as a cytotech. You have an MD and a board certification. I cannot even believe that you suggested that you were equivalent to a cytotech. Jesus. Grow a pair.

 

[2121115]

Agree with the above.

Either he offers authorship or you charge the equivalent of an 88305.

 

[Gene_]

I think the technical component for 88305 is $50-60 per case. Start there, and don't provide any extra input on the project, since he's unwilling to accept you as an intellectual contributor - somewhat insulting really.

Yeah, I meant to say professional component. Perhaps a freudian slip. The dollar amount is correct.

 

[SLUsagar]

Hello,
A researcher ask me to read a few slides for him. Looks like some immunos and simple H&Es.

He wasn't willing to put my name on the paper, but was willing to pay me for services. I don't know what the going rate is. I finished a surg path fellowship and am board certified.

I think cytotechs get paid like $5 per slide (which, after taxes, is like $2).

This happen to anyone here before? Any advice?
Thanks.

in doing some histologic consultation work with a private surgical instrument service, I was offered 300/hr (I also ended up getting included in an abstract and future paper -- based on my pathology-related input and contributions to the project).

 

[rirriri]

i would say at least $350/hour.....just so you can say TREE-FIDDY!!

 

[xanthines]

If all you're doing is reading the slides and giving your input as a professional pathologist, then you should charge what professional pathologists charge (whatever that is!). You shouldn't be listed as an author if you didn't contribute to the intellectual premise of the paper (not a hard rule at all, I admit, but that's my idealism for the day).

Core research services (flow cores, microscopy cores) at major academic research centers charge around $50-$150 per hour depending on institution and which core facility. I'd probably stick to something in that range if you want to actually get paid. Otherwise the researcher will probably just find another pathologist.

Just my opinion, of course!

-X

 

[DrBloodmoney]

Your name on the paper. That's basically my standing offer to any resident or staff at my hospital. You want me to help you with your research, take photos of your silly little cases or help you find patients to round out your study from our archives == name on the paper too.

 

[Whetherby]

If all you're doing is reading the slides and giving your input as a professional pathologist, then you should charge what professional pathologists charge (whatever that is!). You shouldn't be listed as an author if you didn't contribute to the intellectual premise of the paper (not a hard rule at all, I admit, but that's my idealism for the day).

Core research services (flow cores, microscopy cores) at major academic research centers charge around $50-$150 per hour depending on institution and which core facility. I'd probably stick to something in that range if you want to actually get paid. Otherwise the researcher will probably just find another pathologist.

Just my opinion, of course!

-X

While I agree that anyone without an intellectual input into the paper shouldn't be included as an author, what make you think that a pathologist's reading of slides doesn't constitute an intellectual input? Reading slides is an interpretation, just like reading a gel is an interpretation. Pathologists can't let themselves be treated as core facility-type commodities.

Furthermore, even though I agree with your ideal, no one really follows it. There are tons of examples of grad students, undergrads, techs, etc. who get their names on papers for doing technical work without having any true intellectual input on a project. Clinicians get their names on papers all the time if they saw a patient or took a picture that ended up in the paper without having any involvement in the paper otherwise.

 

[Freak]

I agree ... definitely don't undersell yourself ($5/slide).

I would vote for the clinical payment amount (the 88305), especially since you were not offered authorship, as then you have a basis for the amount you are charging for.

If you are providing extra interpretation, then I would definitely up the amount. $300 is a bunch though.

 

[xanthines]

I didn't mean to imply that reading slides is easy or that anyone can do it, I mean, hey, I'm going into path myself! The PI and student/postdoc will take your information and use it to help support or disprove something. If all you did was just read the slides with little context of the overarching thesis of the paper/project, then what you did IS like being a core facility. Therefore you should be paid in accordance with either what a core facility charges or what a pathologist normally charges.

As for the rest of your post, believe me, I'm all too aware of who gets authorship and who doesn't.

-X

While I agree that anyone without an intellectual input into the paper shouldn't be included as an author, what make you think that a pathologist's reading of slides doesn't constitute an intellectual input? Reading slides is an interpretation, just like reading a gel is an interpretation. Pathologists can't let themselves be treated as core facility-type commodities.

 

[Whetherby]

I didn't mean to imply that reading slides is easy or that anyone can do it, I mean, hey, I'm going into path myself! The PI and student/postdoc will take your information and use it to help support or disprove something. If all you did was just read the slides with little context of the overarching thesis of the paper/project, then what you did IS like being a core facility. Therefore you should be paid in accordance with either what a core facility charges or what a pathologist normally charges.

As for the rest of your post, believe me, I'm all too aware of who gets authorship and who doesn't.

-X

Fair enough, I suppose if the pathologist chooses to function as a core facility then that's his/her choice, but it should first be assumed that they would be a collaborator, especially if they want to be. If you were doing a project and needed to collaborate with another lab that had expertise in a particular technique, wouldn't they end up with their names on the paper (simply for performing and interpreting the results of that one portion of the study, regardless of whether they designed the overall study, wrote the manuscript, etc.?) I think we should be very careful about allowing ourselves to be viewed as commodities, mainly because (as you will find out soon) clinicians have a very annoying tendancy to treat us as "The Lab" and assume that biopsies get thrown into some magical machine with an answer popping out the other side while ignoring the fact that an MD with as much medical training as they have is interpreting those biopsies.

As for the money part, while I think the $5 suggestion is laughable, asking for the same amount as a regular 88305 might be a bit greedy. An 88305 charge also takes into account the technical fee (which is more than half of the charge) and the assumption of legal liability for the interpretation, neither of which are likely to be a component of the interpretation of research slides (unless you own the lab that's processes these biopsies).

 

[KluverB]

There is a simple formula that consultants, at least in other fields, use: How much is your time worth per hour? x How long will it take?

Simple. Clean. No BS. Oh, but wait, this is medicine...