Low-ball pay for locums / soapbox

[peterish]

I do a lot of locums hospitalist work on top of my full time job. Anyone who's looked for locums work has surely received some low-ball offers from recruiters. I'm talking $150/hr for rural hospitals. How do these agencies get away with such low offers? Are there hospitalists out there that are accepting this kind of pay? Personally I have no problem finding $170/hr gigs in similar geographic areas. Lowest I've taken is $165. I simply say no to any subpar offers that come my way. The hospitalist community needs to band together against low-ball gigs; otherwise we will continue to be taken advantage of. It is a buyer's market(at least for now) so there's no reason to allow ourselves to be devalued. /soapbox.

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[IMGASMD]

I do a lot of locums hospitalist work on top of my full time job. Anyone who's looked for locums work has surely received some low-ball offers from recruiters. I'm talking $150/hr for rural hospitals. How do these agencies get away with such low offers? Are there hospitalists out there that are accepting this kind of pay? Personally I have no problem finding $170/hr gigs in similar geographic areas. Lowest I've taken is $165. I simply say no to any subpar offers that come my way. The hospitalist community needs to band together against low-ball gigs; otherwise we will continue to be taken advantage of. It is a buyer's market(at least for now) so there's no reason to allow ourselves to be devalued. /soapbox.

Probably many reasons.
Agents indicates there’s only at most x admissions daily. Census less than 20 for two hospitalists? It’s “easy” work? Hospital cannot pay, it’s a very poor area.

I’ve started jobs before after two shifts, I told them it wasn’t enough. I’ve also stayed at a underpay job for a while, because they give me some flexibility in my schedule.

Is it still a good job market? I haven’t really gotten much email blasts with bonus and straight up telling me rates for a while. Maybe I am just out of touch.

 

[rokshana]

I do a lot of locums hospitalist work on top of my full time job. Anyone who's looked for locums work has surely received some low-ball offers from recruiters. I'm talking $150/hr for rural hospitals. How do these agencies get away with such low offers? Are there hospitalists out there that are accepting this kind of pay? Personally I have no problem finding $170/hr gigs in similar geographic areas. Lowest I've taken is $165. I simply say no to any subpar offers that come my way. The hospitalist community needs to band together against low-ball gigs; otherwise we will continue to be taken advantage of. It is a buyer's market(at least for now) so there's no reason to allow ourselves to be devalued. /soapbox.

It varies...hospitalist in desirable city that pumps out IM residents is not going to have to pay a lot...for someone 120/hr is better than nothing, especially if they are only doing 1 or 2 shifts a month...it’s extra money...even a rural place that basically just needs the presence of an admitter but they really get paid to sleep is not necessarily going to pay a lot

If going to get paid to sleep? 150/hr is fine...I’m admitting 15/night...not so much.

 

[BigRedBeta]

The group of physicians doing locums is a highly heterogeneous population with a multitude of reasons for why they are doing it. Good luck trying to get the person making a career out of locums to feel the same as someone using it as a bridge to retirement or the current fellow looking for a little extra cash.
No one is forcing you to take a spot that you don't feel pays enough.