M-F Hospitalist

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SouthArkHog88

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I just wanted some advice. I have a unique opportunity to take a job in a nearby southern state, working Monday-Friday as full time hospitalist (Average 10pts/day). I will also be covering the medical aspect of a Geri psych unit that averages about 5pts. They only have to be seen twice per week and prn. Only downside is I am the sole hospitalist 24hrs a day Monday-Friday so I take all night call, but only have to attend emergencies at night, no admissions. ED docs cover hospital on weekends. It isn’t your standard situation since it’s in a rural area. What type of salary do you guys think is reasonable in the south for that kind of work? It’s hard to compare to other jobs and I’m having a hard time deciding... It’s not a terrible gig and patient volumes are relatively low, but the call portion is a lot, no weekends.

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I just wanted some advice. I have a unique opportunity to take a job in a nearby southern state, working Monday-Friday as full time hospitalist (Average 10pts/day). I will also be covering the medical aspect of a Geri psych unit that averages about 5pts. They only have to be seen twice per week and prn. Only downside is I am the sole hospitalist 24hrs a day Monday-Friday so I take all night call, but only have to attend emergencies at night, no admissions. ED docs cover hospital on weekends. It isn’t your standard situation since it’s in a rural area. What type of salary do you guys think is reasonable in the south for that kind of work? It’s hard to compare to other jobs and I’m having a hard time deciding... It’s not a terrible gig and patient volumes are relatively low, but the call portion is a lot, no weekends.
24/7, can't be far from the hospital, can't have a drink, have to answer the phone at any time and leave any event at the drop of a hat?

That would be costly. How much are they offering?
 
I’ve been asked a few times to do something similar. 24/5, covering medical floor, PA’s do most all the patient contact and admissions and precept with doc over the phone or in person if needed. 2-4 inpatients at a time is the average. Pay was abysmal...$60k/yr.

I laughed and straight up told them to jump in the lake. To give up my freedom 5 days a week is gonna cost at least $180k in that scenario, and there would need to be mods to the schedule so I could skip town when I needed to. And that’s if I was willing to supervise PA’s (I’m not). Would be a lot more if I had to come in for all patients.
 
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24/7, can't be far from the hospital, can't have a drink, have to answer the phone at any time and leave any event at the drop of a hat?

That would be costly. How much are they offering?

250k/year with 50k per year loan repayment x5years. Doesn't seem like a tough job considering 8-10pts average, but the on call time is a lot. The reason the hospital is doing it is to increase the longevity of the older doctors in town, and also recruit clinic doctors that don't care to round on their own patients anymore. Town of 6k people so its hard to get people to go there but i have family connections so it's not so bad. It seems hard to bargain when the RVUs i could generate are low, but this is really would be more of a service to the hospital, not a way to make money.
 
You
250k/year with 50k per year loan repayment x5years. Doesn't seem like a tough job considering 8-10pts average, but the on call time is a lot. The reason the hospital is doing it is to increase the longevity of the older doctors in town, and also recruit clinic doctors that don't care to round on their own patients anymore. Town of 6k people so its hard to get people to go there but i have family connections so it's not so bad. It seems hard to bargain when the RVUs i could generate are low, but this is really would be more of a service to the hospital, not a way to make money.
you can make that much working 26wks a year inpatient at a normal gig or m-f in a clinic and do what the hell you want with almost no call ever

“Service to the hospital” means very little to me as a career goal.
 
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you can make that much working 26wks a year inpatient at a normal gig or m-f in a clinic and do what the hell you want with almost no call ever

“Service to the hospital” means very little to me as a career goal.

Well I meant "service to the hospital" meaning them hiring a hospitalist is a service to the hospital/other physicians and not a means for them to make money. I have no intention of being someones cheap labor
 
What hours are you expected to work?
If you don’t have to be there all day, 8 or 12 hours, and can leave early afternoon after rounding and doing orders then 250k seems like a pretty good deal.
 
What hours are you expected to work?
If you don’t have to be there all day, 8 or 12 hours, and can leave early afternoon after rounding and doing orders then 250k seems like a pretty good deal.

yea it's a round and leave situation, just have to be available after that. stop doing admits at around 4-5p, After that, ER transition orders will take over until i'm back in the AM. The schedule is pretty relaxed. I can come in and leave when I want, as long as the rounding is done by a reasonable time.
 
I’ve been asked a few times to do something similar. 24/5, covering medical floor, PA’s do most all the patient contact and admissions and precept with doc over the phone or in person if needed. 2-4 inpatients at a time is the average. Pay was abysmal...$60k/yr.

I laughed and straight up told them to jump in the lake. To give up my freedom 5 days a week is gonna cost at least $180k in that scenario, and there would need to be mods to the schedule so I could skip town when I needed to. And that’s if I was willing to supervise PA’s (I’m not). Would be a lot more if I had to come in for all patients.


I'm assuming they didn't go for the 180k/year?
 
I'm assuming they didn't go for the 180k/year?

It was so far above what they’re paying the poor sap who’s doing it now, that I didn’t even put it out there. I just turned them down. The guy who’s in it now wants out BAD.
 
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Well I meant "service to the hospital" meaning them hiring a hospitalist is a service to the hospital/other physicians and not a means for them to make money. I have no intention of being someones cheap labor
At over 120hrs a week for $250k you are absolutely someone’s cheap labor.
 
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At over 120hrs a week for $250k you are absolutely someone’s cheap labor.

Well what pay would you take a job like that for? I mean if they paid you like $125/hr for 120 hours a week salary for 52 weeks a year it would be $780,000. I'm having a hard time deciding what would be a reasonable salary. If i worked 120 hours a week that would be understandable, but when you round on 10 people and just hang out the rest of the time it makes it a little different. What are your thoughts?
 
If this were a 7on/7off schedule or a monday-friday 8-5 job this would be easier but when its a unique job like this it makes it more difficult to decide what is a reasonable salary would be. And then the question is would i want to work 7on/7off every other weekend and actually be at the hospital for 12hrs a day or work block schedule with a similar situation, or would i rather see a few people in the AM, leave between 12-2pm every day and have the rest of my afternoon to hangout, with the downside of having phone calls to answer. I don't know the answer to that
 
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It was so far above what they’re paying the poor sap who’s doing it now, that I didn’t even put it out there. I just turned them down. The guy who’s in it now wants out BAD.

I'm sorry, 60k or 160k? How in God's name can he only be making 60k
 
Will you actually be doing only 8-10 patients/day? Or is that something these jobs sort of just reel you in with then once you sign the contract then keep piling on more?

Any other benefits, 401k matching or anything?
 
Well what pay would you take a job like that for? I mean if they paid you like $125/hr for 120 hours a week salary for 52 weeks a year it would be $780,000. I'm having a hard time deciding what would be a reasonable salary. If i worked 120 hours a week that would be understandable, but when you round on 10 people and just hang out the rest of the time it makes it a little different. What are your thoughts?
I work locums so a bit different, but I typically get paid between $250-500/overnight call and $500-1000/24 hr call.
But I also do that for 2weeks a month at best so have down time as well...dont know if I could do it every week.
 
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There is no way I would take a job like that even for 500k/yr plus Jessica Alba on the top of it... 24-hr call! You can not be serious!
 
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Well I meant "service to the hospital" meaning them hiring a hospitalist is a service to the hospital/other physicians and not a means for them to make money. I have no intention of being someones cheap labor

Sounds like still being cheap labor.

Call me jaded for being an M4, but I've been around enough physicians by now to know that whenever a non-clinician asks one to do a "service to the hospital" or "take one for the team" etc... they are usually trying to avoid paying you for something.
 
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I work locums so a bit different, but I typically get paid between $250-500/overnight call and $500-1000/24 hr call.
But I also do that for 2weeks a month at best so have down time as well...dont know if I could do it every week.

Whatttttt

You're getting ripped the off by your locums company. No way in hell would I take 24 hour call for $21-42 (+/- $5) hour.
Locums should be 25% above market average plus more depending on their need/where they are.
 
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Whatttttt

You're getting ripped the off by your locums company. No way in hell would I take 24 hour call for $21-42 (+/- $5) hour.
Locums should be 25% above market average plus more depending on their need/where they are.
Eh, I get maybe 1-2 calls when I’m working with residents a night as hospitalist and more often 0 calls when without residents and doing endocrinology...getting paid $500-1000 to sleep is not bad

If I actually have to go in, then I get whatever the hourly rate is...I have yet to go in...
 
Thanks for all of the replies, I think most would agree that this job has a lot of call responsibility. What that time is actually worth seems different for a lot of people. I do appreciate all of the replies and the input. It seems a lot of people wouldn't take an offer of this nature
 
I just wanted some advice. I have a unique opportunity to take a job in a nearby southern state, working Monday-Friday as full time hospitalist (Average 10pts/day). I will also be covering the medical aspect of a Geri psych unit that averages about 5pts. They only have to be seen twice per week and prn. Only downside is I am the sole hospitalist 24hrs a day Monday-Friday so I take all night call, but only have to attend emergencies at night, no admissions. ED docs cover hospital on weekends. It isn’t your standard situation since it’s in a rural area. What type of salary do you guys think is reasonable in the south for that kind of work? It’s hard to compare to other jobs and I’m having a hard time deciding... It’s not a terrible gig and patient volumes are relatively low, but the call portion is a lot, no weekends.

Do they offer any vacation, or holidays?

At least in Peds a normal rural community hospitalist gig is 7 on 7 off. So 15 days/month. With no vacation the job you are describing is 20 days/month, and 5 extra days/month is a lot to ask in exchange for not having to work weekends, especially considering that you will be working every single Christmas, thanksgiving, and New Years. On the other hand with 4 weeks vacation covered by locums and every major holiday covered by the ER then you would be working 17 days/month. I would absolutely work an extra 2 days/month in exchange for never having to work a single weekend or holiday as a hospitalist.
 
Do they offer any vacation, or holidays?

At least in Peds a normal rural community hospitalist gig is 7 on 7 off. So 15 days/month. With no vacation the job you are describing is 20 days/month, and 5 extra days/month is a lot to ask in exchange for not having to work weekends, especially considering that you will be working every single Christmas, thanksgiving, and New Years. On the other hand with 4 weeks vacation covered by locums and every major holiday covered by the ER then you would be working 17 days/month. I would absolutely work an extra 2 days/month in exchange for never having to work a single weekend or holiday as a hospitalist.

It would be 6wks PTO every year, can take the days any time, but if I didn't take off then I would have to work holidays. Does your 7on/7off include 24hr call during that time? Most jobs don't require that so that seems to be the dilemma here
 
It would be 6wks PTO every year, can take the days any time, but if I didn't take off then I would have to work holidays. Does your 7on/7off include 24hr call during that time? Most jobs don't require that so that seems to be the dilemma here
I do take 24 hour calls for pediatrics, yes. It tends to be part of the job for rural community hospitalist. Whether that's a reasonable workload depends entirely on the volume of calls and call ins, which unfortunately is hard to estimate from the outside as it depends as much on the hospital culture as the census. If they are calling 10 times per night and calling you in once a night then its a nightmare and they need someone in house. If they are calling twice per week and calling you in once per month then its a smaller price to pay. Even if the workload is reasonable a lot of people aren't comfortable with the nighttime responsibility. If you need a drink to relax at the end of the day, or if you have hobbies that aren't compatible will call ins (rock climbing, long bike rides), or if you just feel really nervous when you're holding the phone you may prefer a more traditional 12 hour shift gig.

If I were considering this I would insist that they have the ER cover some major holidays in addition to your 6 weeks of PTO: Christmas eve and Christmas, Memorial Day, the 4th, Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and New years eve and New years. Otherwise you might find out that locums is never actually available to cover those days when you decide that you want those days off. I suspect they would negotiate this.

If they did that, 6 weeks PTO + holidays = about 17 days per month. With no weekends or holidays hat's not a bad hospitalist gig. There are still plenty of people who would rather work 12-15 days a month and deal with the weekends/holidays, or who would refuse to deal with the night coverage under any circumstances. I don't think you would be a sucker to either take this or to leave it.

One other question about this job: is someone going to be available to cover if you are sick? This definitely doesn't sound like the right job for someone who calls out every month, but its a big disadvantage if you can't even call out with the flu once a year.
 
I do take 24 hour calls for pediatrics, yes. It tends to be part of the job for rural community hospitalist. Whether that's a reasonable workload depends entirely on the volume of calls and call ins, which unfortunately is hard to estimate from the outside as it depends as much on the hospital culture as the census. If they are calling 10 times per night and calling you in once a night then its a nightmare and they need someone in house. If they are calling twice per week and calling you in once per month then its a smaller price to pay. Even if the workload is reasonable a lot of people aren't comfortable with the nighttime responsibility. If you need a drink to relax at the end of the day, or if you have hobbies that aren't compatible will call ins (rock climbing, long bike rides), or if you just feel really nervous when you're holding the phone you may prefer a more traditional 12 hour shift gig.

If I were considering this I would insist that they have the ER cover some major holidays in addition to your 6 weeks of PTO: Christmas eve and Christmas, Memorial Day, the 4th, Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and New years eve and New years. Otherwise you might find out that locums is never actually available to cover those days when you decide that you want those days off. I suspect they would negotiate this.

If they did that, 6 weeks PTO + holidays = about 17 days per month. With no weekends or holidays hat's not a bad hospitalist gig. There are still plenty of people who would rather work 12-15 days a month and deal with the weekends/holidays, or who would refuse to deal with the night coverage under any circumstances. I don't think you would be a sucker to either take this or to leave it.

One other question about this job: is someone going to be available to cover if you are sick? This definitely doesn't sound like the right job for someone who calls out every month, but its a big disadvantage if you can't even call out with the flu once a year.

I would rarely have to truly "attend" at the hospital unless there were an emergency. I've covered a few weekends for the local doctors in the past and some nights it would be 2-4 calls and other nights I would sleep all the way through. The ER doctors could always cover and round in the event that I do get sick, or the local doctors would pick up and help and just round on their own like they are now. I've met with the ER group and they are open to helping and their doctors get paid extra for rounding so it works for them. I'm actually considering asking for Fridays off completely starting at 6am, or considering the major holidays off like you mentioned. That would put the job a little more in line with a normal hospitalist gig.
 
I did that kind of job for a while. The "not really being on call at night" doesn't generally work how they say it does as you still have nurses calling you at all hours. To me the money wasn't really worth it and I was happy when the job (locums) was done. Exhausted all the time.
 
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