Moonlighting

[bcrosspac]

So, I recently took Step III, getting ready to look for some moonlighting opportunities and my program director says, "Well, the GME office will not let EM residents moonlight at all". Its not just EM moonlighting, its ANY moonlighting. One of our residents found a fast track job and the GME office nixed that too.

Any suggestions on how to deal with this situation. I had hoped to moonlight since it's hard to support 2 kids on a residents salary. Hmmm, guess I'll have to stand on the street corners....

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[Apollyon]

Edit that 2nd paragraph so the wrong people don't see it - the first sentence is good, but nix the rest.

And get back to work!

PS I'll see you at 7 with my dirty coat.

 

[edinOH]

Your situation is interesting.

I'm moonlighting my ass off where I am. My program is pretty hands-off in this regard. We have to get permission from the program to moonlight and they are very clear that if they at any point feel like it is interfering with our education and resident responsibilities they will suspend our moonlighting.

Overall they seem to hold the opinion that what we do on our own time is our business. I'm averaging about 4 shifts per month at anywhere from $100-120 per hour. This can equal some pretty serious bank. The money is nice but I have to admit that the maturity that comes with it is priceless in my opinion.

I've found that even as a partially trained EM resident I am by far the most highly trained doc they have working in their departments. You wouldn't believe some of the hand offs I've recieved. And the nurses at these places love us. They can't get over actually having docs in their ED who know what the hell they are doing.

I really think it will make me a better doc in the long run. It will help the "learning curve" that all residents must deal with when they go from resident in June to attending in July!

One nice thing is that most of our staff are generally supportive of these endevours. I know I can always call one of them up and ask them how they would handle a certain situation.

I know some people are very against residents moonlighting but overall I think it has been a good thing for myself and my fellow residents. Not to mention the patients we take care of.

(here comes the resident moonlighting debate thread-jack!)...

 

[bcrosspac]

Your situation is interesting.

I'm moonlighting my ass off where I am. My program is pretty hands-off in this regard. We have to get permission from the program to moonlight and they are very clear that if they at any point feel like it is interfering with our education and resident responsibilities they will suspend our moonlighting.

Edin:
Man, that sounds so great. I chose my program with the understanding that limited moonlighting was allowed and now the story is changed. I ranked other programs lower (for other reasons) that had an open moonlighting policy. I completely agree that besides the money, the experience gained is highly valuable and definitely enhances your EM training. I only wish I could convince the GME office of that philosophy.

Bring on the debate...........

 

[bartleby]

Moonlighting is not essential from the career development standpoint, but if you've been moonlighting outside of your program, you're going to see several benefits besides a fatter bank account. First, you get outside the "ivory tower" of residency (and yes, they're ALL ivory towers to some degree) and see how an ED really runs in a non-academic setting with no attendings around to shelter you from the storm. There's no better way to decide what kind of practice environment is right for you when you're done. Second, it forces you to get out of the mindset of "well, I'll just bounce it off the attending and we'll see where to go from there". You learn to quickly formulate an opinion on your own, stick to it, and "get off the pot", so to speak. Third, nothing forestalls senioritis like the cold hard realization that soon you're going to be fending for yourself outside the warm, comfy nest of your residency.

Downsides? This applies to playstation, beer, and excessive womanizing as well as moonlighting, but don't forget that you shouldn't let ANYTHING come between you and the educational process of residency. You'll never get this time back... don't waste it! You should never moonlight excessively at the expense of conference, reading, or even your own mental health.