Moonlighting During Residency

[Relentlessrook18]

Anyone have any experience doing this during residency? Would love to get more experience plus the extra money!
I’ve heard urgent care is a good route, but are there any other options out there?
Thanks!

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[gutonc]

Yes.

There are also a few dozen threads out there already discussing this.

 

[mvenus929]

Just remember, moonlighting externally requires your own license, and you no longer have an attending to back you up, so all your decisions are your own.

 

[Relentlessrook18]

Yes.

There are also a few dozen threads out there already discussing this.

So what are all the options for moonlighting besides Er and urgent care? I haven’t been able to find that. Not sure why some people have to be so condescending towards others on this site.

 

[NITRAS]

The program where I work hires residents to help with admissions, but that wasn't available where I did residency.

 

[galactus]

There's working at the county jail, working in LTAC, doing disability exams, work as a nocturnist taking admits, stroke call, etc. Plenty of different kinds of moonlighting opportunities.

 

[gutonc]

So what are all the options for moonlighting besides Er and urgent care? I haven’t been able to find that. Not sure why some people have to be so condescending towards others on this site.

It will completely depend on your specialty and your program. Your options may be nothing, it may be covering your own service when you're not on an inpatient service, or if may be overnights on a sub-specialty service (my program had several options including hospitalist, BMT and Cards).

External moonlighting is difficult in most specialties other than EM and FM (UC mostly).

 

[Raryn]

So what are all the options for moonlighting besides Er and urgent care? I haven’t been able to find that. Not sure why some people have to be so condescending towards others on this site.

Depends on the field.

For example, there are often a ton of available moonlighting opportunities in Psychiatry. That often pay really well. Fourth year psych residents also typically have a majority of their year dedicated to electives, so I personally have known people to triple their salary during PGY4 by adding a bunch of moonlighting. But no one other than a psychiatrist could pick up these opportunities.

EM has tons of opportunities.

Radiology often has moonlighting opportunities to pick up extra call/nights/whatever.

Internal medicine there's sometimes internal opportunities (specialty services, pick up extra call, something).

I've heard in rad onc there's often opportunity to be the one babysitting patients while techs do the job (some forms of radiation therapy simply require a doctor in the building who might not otherwise be there).

Etc, etc. It will vary a lot depending on field, program, and location.

 

[AdmiralChz]

Be careful about these opportunities, some resident contracts forbid external medical moonlighting. While they technically can’t stop you, if you are found working externally it could trigger harsh punishments or straight up dismissal. I know people that had this happen to them, just be advised.

 

[Vandalia]

There's working at the county jail,

A minor point: inmates are notorious for filing lawsuits and complaints with professional boards. They have nothing better to do. These are almost always dismissed and there is almost never any personal financial risk, but that is probably something you don't want to be dealing with as a resident.

 

[eimaise]

I'm currently in my final year of med-peds residency and moonlight as an IM/peds hospitalist in several surrounding community hospitals (around 50-100 beds) which are owned by my hospital system. They pay well in my opinion but it can be stressful. I am responsible for general floors, intermediate unit, medical ICU (including vents, codes, intubations, etc) as well as neonatal call for L&D. At night, you and the ED doc are the only physicians in house and it can be really busy. I like it though as this is what I'll essentially be doing once I finish residency in 2019. Had to get my own license and get credentialed for all the procedures which took 3 to 4 months and cost about $1200 but made all that money back in less than one shift. It's not for everyone, but it works for me.

Other residents in my program moonlight doing disability physicals about 1 hour away which I hear is mind-numbing work and pays significantly less than the hospitalist work.

I am also currently arranging to be able to moonlight in an urgent care owned by my hospital system about 1 hour away.

Lots of options. Just ask around or talk to your PD.

 

[atomi]

A minor point: inmates are notorious for filing lawsuits and complaints with professional boards. They have nothing better to do. These are almost always dismissed and there is almost never any personal financial risk, but that is probably something you don't want to be dealing with as a resident.

Have a family member who is a warden. Can confirm. Reasons vary from being antagonistic to being bored to being crazy to just trying to get out of lockup for a day. They complain and sue about everything creating endless amounts of paperwork and headaches for everyone handing their frivolous b.s..

 

[ryansmith888]

Can anyone give me info on LTCF moonlighting? How do you get it outside of your residency program. Dont you need BC/BE?

 

[Raryn]

Can anyone give me info on LTCF moonlighting? How do you get it outside of your residency program. Dont you need BC/BE?

You need a license. Any other requirements are going to be up to the individual facilities. Presumably most in big cities have no trouble recruiting and actually get people BE/BC in IM/FM, but crappy facilities are probably more likely to settle for someone not as qualified.

 

[PTPoeny]

In both my residency and fellowship residents had the opportunity to pick up shifts that were supposed to be covered by midlevels in the various ICUs when the schedule wasn't full. Pays less than other forms of moonlighting but is easier since you don't need anything special since there is still an attending.

 

[mymembernames]

Depends on the field.

For example, there are often a ton of available moonlighting opportunities in Psychiatry. That often pay really well. Fourth year psych residents also typically have a majority of their year dedicated to electives, so I personally have known people to triple their salary during PGY4 by adding a bunch of moonlighting. But no one other than a psychiatrist could pick up these opportunities.

EM has tons of opportunities.

Radiology often has moonlighting opportunities to pick up extra call/nights/whatever.

Internal medicine there's sometimes internal opportunities (specialty services, pick up extra call, something).

I've heard in rad onc there's often opportunity to be the one babysitting patients while techs do the job (some forms of radiation therapy simply require a doctor in the building who might not otherwise be there).

Etc, etc. It will vary a lot depending on field, program, and location.

Can you please tell me more about the Psych moonlighting opportunities? Pay, hours, and if possible to do it during the 3rd year? TIA!

 

[Raryn]

Can you please tell me more about the Psych moonlighting opportunities? Pay, hours, and if possible to do it during the 3rd year? TIA!

No, I can't. I know psych residents in multiple cities that have done various moonlighting opportunities that were quite renumerative, but I don't know the exact specifics. You would be best off asking senior residents in specific programs.

 

[Kissmyabjj]

I started moonlighting in an occupational medicine/MSK urgent care clinic as a PGY-4 in PM&R. It has been pretty cool so far, but the paperwork and having to study for and pass the DOT medical examiner exam was a pain. Also, I have to complete 16 hours of paid training. Sounds pretty cool, but sucks in reality because these hours can only be completed during the week. So last month during inpatient consults, I couldn’t work at alland. This month I can only work Friday afternoons. Once I finish the training I will be good to go for weekend shifts ($115/hour).

 

[CherryRedDracul]

I do it as a radiology resident.

My duties are to be in-house at outpatient sites as the solo physician to answer imaging protocol questions, manage any contrast reactions, look through (but not necessarily dictate) the list of unread outpatient imaging and make sure there is nothing emergent, and to dictate reports for urgent studies or communicate urgent findings. The pay's pretty sweet, and by going through a large volume of studies, I've seen a tremendous number of incidental findings and pathology that I've saved to my collection of interesting cases.

 

[Stagg737]

Can you please tell me more about the Psych moonlighting opportunities? Pay, hours, and if possible to do it during the 3rd year? TIA!

Just depends on what's available in your area. In my city there aren't many moonlighting opportunities despite a severe shortage. There is a state MI where residents can moonlight on weekends for ~2k/wknd, but apparently you're carrying around 20 patients and are completely on your own with no one to really consult with if you've got questions. My program offers a couple hundred to pick up a night call (home call) on weekends for 3rd and 4th years. Another program I interviewed at offered internal moonlighting in their psych ER for $180/hr for 5 hour shifts. Another program offered $50 to cover for 3 hours between shifts. Completely depends on region and program, YMMV.