Lunch with the medical director for a outpatient psychiatry job in the Southeast

[annmarie]

Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by. I am a PGY-4 Psychiatry resident about to start interviewing for an attending job. I have a lunch with a medical director of a community psychiatry hospital scheduled in a couple of weeks. This specific job outpatient M-F with no call requirements, which is what I want. Just want to get people's input on this as its my first time discussing job details over lunch. Should I consider this an interview and ask all the questions I would normally ask during the interview such as salary, sign-on bonus, contract length, and non-competes? When I talked to the hospital recruiter over the phone, she hardly disclosed any details about salary and money, so I am really interested in knowing what they are offering. On the flip side, what should I be asking as far as salary is considered if this job is community non-profit psychiatry clinic 30 minutes outside of a major city in the Southeast? Location is the most important factor in me choosing a future job post-residency. I have seen the MGMA data, but with it being 2020 I know the several hospitals have hiring freeze, so not sure if this is going to be reflected on how much they are willing to offer. TIA for any advice you can offer.

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[wolfvgang22]

Yes, it's an interview.
Yes, discuss all details as you would in any other interview. If they had a hiring freeze on psychiatrists, they wouldn't be interviewing you. Ask for what you want to be paid that your research has told you is reasonable. Demand for psychiatrists is still high.

 

[Sushirolls]

You as the new graduate are the lunch. A favorite meal of the Big Box shops.

 

[nexus73]

It is an interview. But depending on the medical director, could be very serious or more casual conversation. I would ask all the questions about salary, sign on, loan repayment, etc...though medical director may not have all that information necessarily.

Pay is going to depend on how busy you are. If you're seeing 20 minute followups 8 hours a day, with notes completed in between patients at lunch or after work you should make more than 90 minute intakes and 30 minute followups with documentation time blocked out. The MGMA data is important because you can look at the median RVU numbers and guesstimate how many RVUs you can generate to arrive at a reasonable salary request based on how busy the job is.

 

[Alemo]

You as the new graduate are the lunch. A favorite meal of the Big Box shops.

Lol! As the kids say, “savage!”