Moonlit specimens?

[earmuff]

I have been told that some path residents are grossing on the weekends at private hospitals for extra cash (ie the only viable moonlighting opportunity for path res's)... Anyone do this or know anyone who has?

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[TMZ2007]

When I interviewed at Texas Tech recently, one of the faculty mentioned in an off-hand fashion that you could moonlight at the AmeriPath facility in town for like $100/hour or somesuch.

 

[LADoc00]

When I interviewed at Texas Tech recently, one of the faculty mentioned in an off-hand fashion that you could moonlight at the AmeriPath facility in town for like $100/hour or somesuch.

who the hell would pay someone 100/hr to gross? Given Ameripath doesnt even pay certified scope pathologists that much (that would translate roughly to 200K/year), I would doubt they pay that to unboarded residents simply putting through meat.

to put this in perspective I got a call last week from CompHealth looking for a board certified hematopathologist (with AP and CP boards to boot) to cover a practice and it paid...700/day for an 8-hr day. That isnt at all meshing with paying unboarded residents equivalent of 800/day and they arent even SOing cases.

~40-50/hr is a little more realistic. Still far less than surgery residents got when I was in med school who babysat local ICUs (usually 125/hr and that was a long time ago).

To answer the OP, there is very little demand for this work in my experience. Stuff put up on the weekends is usually "smalls" or nodes in dissectaid etc. and lower paid technicians (as in 20/hr) usually can manage it. Not really a goldmine opportunity.

That being said if some idiot was willing to pay you 100/hr to gross, by all means take it!!

 

[MirkoCrocop]

ladoc is correct in my experience. we have an opportunity a few days a week to gross early in the AMs for a local group... pay is 35-40/hr. easy work though.

 

[Gut Shot]

There used to be a Lab Corp moonlight gig in this city, $55/hour ($60 after a year). Pretty miserable work, pushing through 200-280 specimens per night. Alas, it dried up.

We have a smaller moonlighting gig now through our private affiliate, $50/hour. Fewer specimens, less aggravation but less money.

 

[Napoleon1801]

U. Utah bragged about their CP "directorship" in 4th yr during which you work up lab cases on the weekend and get paid for it. I guess that's the perks of having ARUP in your backyard.

 

[Humpy]

I moonlight at a private lab processing mostly derm specimens (shaves and punches) that pay per specimen. I generally make $80-$100/hr and put in 1-3 hours a day. You have to be fast and it begins to feel like an assembly line job, but it helps pay the bills as a resident.

 

[earmuff]

Are these jobs you found on your own, or did you discover them through your residency (from other residents, PD's, etc.)?

As far as I know, I would be on my own to find these sorts of jobs... Any suggestions?

Thanks for the replies so far...

 

[Kitra101]

I see that there are a number of residents and attendings talking on this thread. I am not meaning to stir up another "jobs" thread, but I have heard from a number of people on the no jobs thread" and see there are a number of others who have not yet weighed in. Do any of you all have any positive things to say about the prospective for jobs post fellowship? It sounds like some of you are finding moonlighting opportunities so it cant be all bad out there, right?

 

[TMZ2007]

who the hell would pay someone 100/hr to gross?

I have no idea! The faculty member implied that it was infrequent at best (maybe 5 hours a month, per resident).

 

[Gut Shot]

It sounds like some of you are finding moonlighting opportunities so it cant be all bad out there, right?

Most moonlighting in path involves grossing biopsies or small specimens. It's scrub work with no relationship to real pathology.

 

[LADoc00]

I moonlight at a private lab processing mostly derm specimens (shaves and punches) that pay per specimen. I generally make $80-$100/hr and put in 1-3 hours a day. You have to be fast and it begins to feel like an assembly line job, but it helps pay the bills as a resident.

Getting paid per specimen to gross is very very uncommon, in fact Ive never heard of someone actually doing it until your post.

 

[Path_Anon]

I moonlight at a private lab processing mostly derm specimens (shaves and punches) that pay per specimen. I generally make $80-$100/hr and put in 1-3 hours a day. You have to be fast and it begins to feel like an assembly line job, but it helps pay the bills as a resident.

good god that rocks. where the hell are you doing this at?

 

[smallcat]

Some places will pay residents to act as medical examiner investigators or act as dieners on the evenings and weekends.

 

[Ale]

I was weekend prosector for the ME office. Didn't pay much but learned a lot about autopsy.