Moonlighting Average Rates

[aspiringdoc09]

Hi,

I don't use this website as much anymore, so forgive my ignorance. I tried looking to see what other threads have said but can't find exactly what I'm looking for.

I'm a psychiatry fellow in the northeast region. I've never moonlighted in the past and didn't know a lot of colleagues who did. Not a lot of information outside of my own research.

Anyway, I've come across a disability evaluation moonlighting gig that requires 1 Saturday per month from 8a to 6p. The pay is $70-75/eval for 30-minute slots. No pay for "no shows". No diagnosis or prescriptions necessary and I fill in a simple template (reviewed). Is this a good deal? The sites are at least 1-1.5 hrs commute, so they will pay $75 for travel.

I am exploring other options at my institution and telepsych. My research shows psych (ED/C-L/Inpatient) rates as $100-200/hr or ~$2500-3000/weekend. I just don't know what the rate is for disability evaluations.

Thank you in advance for your knowledge.

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[littlefred]

Very poorly compensated for your time. You could do remote work, not have to commute and make like 50 dollars an hour extra. The no pay no show should be a huge red flag. I wouldn't even consider negotiating with them as their rates are really insulting.

 

[Monocles]

Anyway, I've come across a disability evaluation moonlighting gig that requires 1 Saturday per month from 8a to 6p. The pay is $70-75/eval for 30-minute slots. No pay for "no shows". No diagnosis or prescriptions necessary and I fill in a simple template (reviewed). Is this a good deal? The sites are at least 1-1.5 hrs commute, so they will pay $75 for travel.

I am exploring other options at my institution and telepsych. My research shows psych (ED/C-L/Inpatient) rates as $100-200/hr or ~$2500-3000/weekend. I just don't know what the rate is for disability evaluations.

That is absolutely awful. $200/h should be the minimum for moonlighting these days. If you do enough in the area you can start leveraging locums companies against each other and push up to $225/h for essentially glorified "sleep study participant" gigs

 

[aspiringdoc09]

Ok. Thank you very much for the information. I thought it was low but didn't want to assume for disability evaluations.

 

[nexus73]

If you can setup PLLC and do the evals yourself, they're worth about $240 each, no shows actually pay $30-40. If you are working through a company, they are going to take a huge cut and mostly get residents to take the work because they aren't yet board eligible and have fewer moonlighting opportunities. You can probably negotiate it up $90-100 each, but still a pretty bad rate. And I'd want 45 minutes 30 sucks, but you're done sooner, I guess with 30 minutes.

You'd be way better off getting a telepsych contract job doing inpatient/ED consults 8 hours a week. Try to get two 4 hour shifts a week, they need people 24/7 so you could work evenings or weekends. Will definitely pay better and be infinitely less soul sucking than disability evals. Or find a hospital that needs weekend coverage once every month or two.

Now that you graduated residency you are board-eligible and can get any job out there pretty much.

 

[surfguy84]

If you can setup PLLC and do the evals yourself, they're worth about $240 each, no shows actually pay $30-40. If you are working through a company, they are going to take a huge cut and mostly get residents to take the work because they aren't yet board eligible and have fewer moonlighting opportunities. You can probably negotiate it up $90-100 each, but still a pretty bad rate. And I'd want 45 minutes 30 sucks, but you're done sooner, I guess with 30 minutes.

You'd be way better off getting a telepsych contract job doing inpatient/ED consults 8 hours a week. Try to get two 4 hour shifts a week, they need people 24/7 so you could work evenings or weekends. Will definitely pay better and be infinitely less soul sucking than disability evals. Or find a hospital that needs weekend coverage once every month or two.

Now that you graduated residency you are board-eligible and can get any job out there pretty much.

How do you get these evals yourself with a PLLC?

 

[nexus73]

How do you get these evals yourself with a PLLC?

Social security disability is federal, but the dept of disability determination services office is run at the state level. DDDS is who contracts with the doctors. The state I did residency, they would contract directly with doctors. You have to figure out if this is done in your state and there is probably an application to fill out. You need to start a business, get office space and malpractice. This can be done fairly cheap, especially if you can find a therapist who has extra space or isn't using their office all 5 days, they can rent to you when they're out. Once set up, see 8 people the first day, make $1800 and it probably covers all the startup costs and then some. Everything after that is gravy.

It may not be a bad idea to do one shift with the company at crappy rates to see their process. It will make it easier to see what they want in a note and you can just do that when you contract directly.

 

[aspiringdoc09]

Highly appreciated. I did try to negotiate but the conversation ended, I think.

 

[dl2dp2]

Here's just a recent E-mail I got:


Adult outpatient need in Orangeburg NY, M-TH $300 per hour

Adult inpatient need in Orangeburg NY M-F fulltime $300 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Medford NY, located on Long Island M-F $300 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Poughkeepsie NY $300 per hour

Adult outpatient Psychiatry need in Wellsville NY. 6 hours a week $310 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Brooklyn NY $300 per hour


These are near suburbs of NYC.

I would not take ANYTHING below $250 an hour, unless tele.

 

[surfguy84]

Here's just a recent E-mail I got:


Adult outpatient need in Orangeburg NY, M-TH $300 per hour

Adult inpatient need in Orangeburg NY M-F fulltime $300 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Medford NY, located on Long Island M-F $300 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Poughkeepsie NY $300 per hour

Adult outpatient Psychiatry need in Wellsville NY. 6 hours a week $310 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Brooklyn NY $300 per hour


These are near suburbs of NYC.

I would not take ANYTHING below $250 an hour, unless tele.

Which recruiter/agency are you getting these emails from?

 

[nexus73]

Here's just a recent E-mail I got:


Adult outpatient need in Orangeburg NY, M-TH $300 per hour

Adult inpatient need in Orangeburg NY M-F fulltime $300 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Medford NY, located on Long Island M-F $300 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Poughkeepsie NY $300 per hour

Adult outpatient Psychiatry need in Wellsville NY. 6 hours a week $310 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Brooklyn NY $300 per hour


These are near suburbs of NYC.

I would not take ANYTHING below $250 an hour, unless tele.

locums?

 

[dl2dp2]

locums?

Yup.

SumoStaffing. Have a great day!

 

[yoloswagpoop42069]

That is absolutely awful. $200/h should be the minimum for moonlighting these days. If you do enough in the area you can start leveraging locums companies against each other and push up to $225/h for essentially glorified "sleep study participant" gigs

Ouch looking for a 6 month locums job in Fl. $225 is the absolute maximum I have potentially seen. Should be way more common, but I’ve seen jobs for 165/hr to most at 200/hr. Doing actual patient work. In person.

Florida market sucks though.

 

[clement]

Anything under $200 should be a hard pass (if you're really starving maybe $187.50) and even that's a low ball rate depending on other variables...volume and complexity, how many you're expected to see and in what time frame, ancillary staff and their competence...If you're working in a psych ER setting, then are you alone or on with others, overnights or weekends etc. Sadly you won't always know these details until you're in the thick of things, but can't hurt to ask.
I've seen as low as $125 (2016-2022) when sharing a weekday daytime ER load w/ others vs relying on the premise that you're in a highly desirable city with psychiatrists to boot. In general, locums pay higher than moonlighting directly for the facility because they need to get their cut.

 

[clement]

Here's just a recent E-mail I got:


Adult outpatient need in Orangeburg NY, M-TH $300 per hour

Adult inpatient need in Orangeburg NY M-F fulltime $300 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Medford NY, located on Long Island M-F $300 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Poughkeepsie NY $300 per hour

Adult outpatient Psychiatry need in Wellsville NY. 6 hours a week $310 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Brooklyn NY $300 per hour


These are near suburbs of NYC.

I would not take ANYTHING below $250 an hour, unless tele.

No. These are mostly high needs less population dense areas (some ruralesque). Brooklyn is very urban, but at that rate either the volume is high, the patients are complex, or both (most likely both). Be aware that some outpatient settings will want to maximize your licensure and are looking for DEA X's (addiction work) in addition to the general outpatient stuff.

 

[Cold_Hands94]

Here's just a recent E-mail I got:


Adult outpatient need in Orangeburg NY, M-TH $300 per hour

Adult inpatient need in Orangeburg NY M-F fulltime $300 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Medford NY, located on Long Island M-F $300 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Poughkeepsie NY $300 per hour

Adult outpatient Psychiatry need in Wellsville NY. 6 hours a week $310 per hour

Adult outpatient need in Brooklyn NY $300 per hour


These are near suburbs of NYC.

I would not take ANYTHING below $250 an hour, unless tele.

Are these long-term/ongoing posts until they find someone permanent to fill the position? I'm still in med school so still a little unfamiliar with a few details regarding locums.

 

[dl2dp2]

No. These are mostly high needs less population dense areas (some ruralesque). Brooklyn is very urban, but at that rate either the volume is high, the patients are complex, or both (most likely both). Be aware that some outpatient settings will want to maximize your licensure and are looking for DEA X's (addiction work) in addition to the general outpatient stuff.

You have NO idea what you are talking about. I literally drove to the facility in Orangeburg daily for a period of time. 20 min out of George Washington Bridge. And no, you don't need X number to work at Rockland Psychiatric. I had a colleague who worked there full time for a year. It's kind of a joke job if you can deal with the SMI. You work 4 hours a day and sit at your desk the rest of the time. Get a mobile hotspot and your own laptop because they have a desktop that's 3 generations behind and block all websites. lol

 

[dl2dp2]

Are these long-term/ongoing posts until they find someone permanent to fill the position? I'm still in med school so still a little unfamiliar with a few details regarding locums.

Why don't you go to SumoStaffing's website, then call them and ask, instead of asking me to be a secretary for you?

 

[hamstergang]

Why don't you go to SumoStaffing's website, then call them and ask, instead of asking me to be a secretary for you?

He's supposedly just a med student seemingly curious about how this all works. Couldn't you just say that you don't know without the snark?

 

[aspiringdoc09]

Hey. I have moved on from them and reviewing inpatient telepsych gigs. Are there any companies I should avoid based on your experience? Thanks.

 

[clement]

You have NO idea what you are talking about. I literally drove to the facility in Orangeburg daily for a period of time. 20 min out of George Washington Bridge. And no, you don't need X number to work at Rockland Psychiatric. I had a colleague who worked there full time for a year. It's kind of a joke job if you can deal with the SMI. You work 4 hours a day and sit at your desk the rest of the time. Get a mobile hotspot and your own laptop because they have a desktop that's 3 generations behind and block all websites. lol

Wellsville isn't 20 minutes outside of the GW, though. DEA X is in reference to some general outpatient gigs. Rockland is of course a state psychiatric facility whose load is obviously SMI.... HIV/HepC/Opiates/Alcohol/Borderline PD/ASPD/PTSD + whatever else you can tack on is what's available w/ some outpatient locums and direct hire jobs in the Tri-state area (looking for X).

 

[dl2dp2]

He's supposedly just a med student seemingly curious about how this all works. Couldn't you just say that you don't know without the snark?

Nothing prevents a med student from calling a locums agency. People are getting increasingly lazy and it annoys me.