Locum tenens Pathologists

[Tissue issue]

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So I was contacted about doing a locums gig- turns out pay is $3,000 per week for pathologists. I'm wondering how people can be strictly locums pathologists, especially in light of the relatively few offerings. Anyone out there have input on this??

 

[pathstudent]

So I was contacted about doing a locums gig- turns out pay is $3,000 per week for pathologists. I'm wondering how people can be strictly locums pathologists, especially in light of the relatively few offerings. Anyone out there have input on this??

That's seriously **** pay.

 

[LADoc00]

Yah that pretty bad pay actually. Unless its like super low volume and in some rural area.

My guess is that number is from Comp Health as that is what they are constantly telling me the "going rate" is now.

There are a TON of people who make a living doing locums but not through an agency, they form a network of groups that use them and fill up about 20-40 weeks a year depending on their work desire usually making 2x that amount or more.

 

[icpshootyz]

So I was contacted about doing a locums gig- turns out pay is $3,000 per week for pathologists. I'm wondering how people can be strictly locums pathologists, especially in light of the relatively few offerings. Anyone out there have input on this??

My group pays that for 2 days work. That's crap pay.

 

[yaah]

What are you doing for the week? Can't possibly be for full time work can it?

 

[Path or bust]

That's seriously **** pay.

If there are people willing to work for that pay, then they deserve what they get.

 

[Tissue issue]

What are you doing for the week? Can't possibly be for full time work can it?

Yup, sure sounded like full time work to me (including some call thrown in).

 

[dermpathdoc]

So I was contacted about doing a locums gig- turns out pay is $3,000 per week for pathologists. I'm wondering how people can be strictly locums pathologists, especially in light of the relatively few offerings. Anyone out there have input on this??

that pay is usual now and it does NOT pay the bills. especailly if you have gaps in getting positions. I did locums for 2 years after a gig in the PNW that promised me 185K turned out to be be mismanaged and the guy laid me off. he then turned around and offered me a locums with him at less than going rate. i went from 280K on east coast to 45K. I signed up with COMPHEALTH and they couldnt get me enough work to match 45K. Ended up taking an academic position in a new Med school in PNW...150K for working over 120 hours academic per week and zero clinical.

 

[member0007]

That sounds like below average pay. The going rate is much higher for lt gigs, closer to 2k per day.

 

[MetroPath]

that pay is usual now and it does NOT pay the bills. especailly if you have gaps in getting positions. I did locums for 2 years after a gig in the PNW that promised me 185K turned out to be be mismanaged and the guy laid me off. he then turned around and offered me a locums with him at less than going rate. i went from 280K on east coast to 45K. I signed up with COMPHEALTH and they couldnt get me enough work to match 45K. Ended up taking an academic position in a new Med school in PNW...150K for working over 120 hours academic per week and zero clinical.

You were working 120 hours per week???????????????????????😱😱😱😱 Zero clinical? So what were you doing those 120 hours????

 

[Torsed]

I did a few weeks of locums for for the sum of 4k for 5 weekdays. They covered housing. Unless the rapture comes I won't do it again, it was my little experiment.

 

[pathstudent]

For the services of an experienced pathologist (at least 10 years out of training) I would expect to pay in the ballpark of 1500 per day.

 

[LADoc00]

that pay is usual now and it does NOT pay the bills. especailly if you have gaps in getting positions. I did locums for 2 years after a gig in the PNW that promised me 185K turned out to be be mismanaged and the guy laid me off. he then turned around and offered me a locums with him at less than going rate. i went from 280K on east coast to 45K. I signed up with COMPHEALTH and they couldnt get me enough work to match 45K. Ended up taking an academic position in a new Med school in PNW...150K for working over 120 hours academic per week and zero clinical.

Hold it..wha?!

That may crack into my top 10 horror stories of Pathology employment list.

 

[A Witty Fool]

that pay is usual now and it does NOT pay the bills. especailly if you have gaps in getting positions. I did locums for 2 years after a gig in the PNW that promised me 185K turned out to be be mismanaged and the guy laid me off. he then turned around and offered me a locums with him at less than going rate. i went from 280K on east coast to 45K. I signed up with COMPHEALTH and they couldnt get me enough work to match 45K. Ended up taking an academic position in a new Med school in PNW...150K for working over 120 hours academic per week and zero clinical.

Frightening. Even in Shakespearean terms this is frightening.

 

[coroner]

3K/wk is actually average if you are offered a locums position via a recruitment agency. When our group gets locums coverage through such a firm, they charge us 1200/day, but their cut is 50%. That leaves the pathologist with 600/day or 3K/wk. If a pathologist gets locums directly from the group (because they’re already known) bypassing the middle man, the going rate is about 1000/day or 5K/wk. The latter situation is win-win for both parties because the group saves costs by avoiding the markup from an agency and the pathologist gets paid more by avoiding the finder’s fee.

 

[LADoc00]

3K/wk is actually average if you are offered a locums position via a recruitment agency. When our group gets locums coverage through such a firm, they charge us 1200/day, but their cut is 50%. That leaves the pathologist with 600/day or 3K/wk. If a pathologist gets locums directly from the group (because they’re already known) bypassing the middle man, the going rate is about 1000/day or 5K/wk. The latter situation is win-win for both parties because the group saves costs by avoiding the markup from an agency and the pathologist gets paid more by avoiding the finder’s fee.

Yup.

I like it how on one hand people here on SDN are saying on new fellows should be making 200+ hell even 300K starting but on the other side you have groups hiring LOCUMS for the equivalent of like 1/2 that through agencies.

Folks there is a disconnect here. Assuming these locums are not misdiagnosing every 2nd case and in many ways are independant and highly experienced, the market value of someone who is just pushing glass right out of training cant be that high.

 

[yaah]

Folks there is a disconnect here. Assuming these locums are not misdiagnosing every 2nd case and in many ways are independant and highly experienced, the market value of someone who is just pushing glass right out of training cant be that high.

Because, for one thing, there is a vastly different market value between any candidate and a candidate who you want to work with you. And the market for locums and the market for new hires are not the same thing. No doubt there are quite a few who overlap but the locums market does not typically include people looking for their first job, unless they are insane or it is a very restricted type of locums (like an in-office lab with only one type of specimen).

Just because there is a disconnect in what you are reading does not mean someone is lying or delusional. What is true is that groups (and hospitals) will have vastly different standards about who they are willing to hire. That I am positive about.

 

[LADoc00]

Because, for one thing, there is a vastly different market value between any candidate and a candidate who you want to work with you. And the market for locums and the market for new hires are not the same thing. No doubt there are quite a few who overlap but the locums market does not typically include people looking for their first job, unless they are insane or it is a very restricted type of locums (like an in-office lab with only one type of specimen).

Just because there is a disconnect in what you are reading does not mean someone is lying or delusional. What is true is that groups (and hospitals) will have vastly different standards about who they are willing to hire. That I am positive about.

I have never called someone a liar here, so check that.

I believe all the salaries posted, why the heck not.

I absolutely do agree a new hire vs. a locums are different markets but have you priced out locums in other fields? Perhaps in histotechs, nursing, anes., EMed, surgery and rads? What about for DDS, OD, DVMs? What about attorneys? What about computer programmers? Nearly every single field the locums provider costs MORE than the permanent new hire on a per work day basis. Every field.

This is simple: if you know you have a stable job, then you are willing to take less $ on a per day basis because in essence you getting more $$ guaranteed over time.

But the INVERSE is true in Pathology, locums providers clearly make LESS than new hires and not even some new hires but MOST newly minted hired graduates on a per day worked basis are making more than experienced pathologists in locums PT/limited duration gigs.

Now think about that carefully and ask yourself what that might indicate and why. That is a very bad inverse trend.