Questions to ask prospective employer - permanent/locum

[CanGas]

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Ok,

So I’m starting to look into the locum market coming out of residency and have put together a list of questions I would want answered.

Not all are relevant to the USA and not all are relevant to the initial interview but would be for once you are started (ie. Important phone numbers).

Take a look over the list and let me know if I am missing anything.

What are some of the question you wish you asked before accepting a job at a particular site?

What questions if asked at the start would have made your life easier in the first few days/weeks/months of your job?

Here is my list so far:

Community Questions
Historically, what are the times of year/months that locums are in demand?
Accommodations in community?

General Questions
What duties are you responsible for? Eg. Obstretics, Pain service, pre-op clinic, cross-cover ICU, ect.
Important phone numbers – ICU, Pharmacy, Nurse in charge, locating, person to call in middle of night if have important question.
How many OR’s
What is the case mix? Hearts, heads, peds, obs, ortho, trauma?
What are typical hours?
What time do OR’s end on average?
Is there a case cut-off time where elective cases will not be started?
What happens if you end list early or a case gets canceled? Go home? Start an emergency?
Who does consultations?
How are pre-opts handled? Pt pre-admitted? Same day admit?
Who gives an extra pair of hands – ie RSI? Changing circuit?
What are the PACU stay protocols/discharge criteria?
What are the PACU nurses comfortable with. Art lines? LMA’s? Intubated pt’s on T-piece? Pressors (Neo, Levo)
Where is the ICU? How many beds?
Does anesthesia respond to code blues?
Who attends code blues – nurse/RT/MD?
Is there familiarity with regional? Epidurals on floor. Epidural infusions on floor? CPNB?
Location call room
Location cafeteria

Call Questions
Home call or in house?
Is a pager or phone provided?
How many days per month, weekends per month. What if colleague retires/quits/gets sick?
Do you work pre-call/post-call days.
Is there 1st, 2nd, 3rd call?
How is 2nd and 3rd call handled?
Are there accommodations in hospital for call?
Who books emergencies? Surgeon, nurse, anesthetist.
How often do you run more than one room at night? If 2 rooms are running is there a 2nd anesthetist?
How often do the OR's run past 11pm?
What is policy on emergencies? No category 3’s after 11pm?

Obstetrics Questions
Any obstetrics?
How many deliveries are performed each year?
What percentage of women obtain epidurals for labour (or what is the raw number of epidurals for labour)?
How are epidurals run? Iintermittent top-ups, infusions, PCEA?
How many cesarean sections are performed each year?
Handling Epidural request while in OR? Stat C/S while doing another case in OR?

Politics Questions
How do you go about canceling cases? Bump same service? Non-cancer cases? Person who has not been canceled in a while?
How is conflict handled? Ie. Crap category 2 vs real category 3. Anesthetist? Duty surgeon?
How is the anesthesia environment (does the group get along)?
How is the relationship between anesthesia and surgeons?
How is the relationship with the nurses?

Finance Questions
Group billing vs FFS.
How is billing handled? Personal billing or designated billing secretary?
If FFS how are rooms assigned? Ie. Will I be stuck in the eye room all the time.
What would be average weekly billings (ask 2 anesthetists for their last week)
If group billing what is the split?
If flat rate, what is it?
Guaranteed minimum?
On Call supplements?
Travel/moving paid for?
Any overhead split?
How are out-of-province, out of country, and uninsured patients handled.

Equipment Questions
What anesthesia machines do you have?
Who is responsible for maintaining the machines?
Where is difficult airway cart?
What is in difficult airway cart?
What airway adjuvants do you have? Glide scope? FOB – adult/ped?
Where is the MH kit, dantrolene?
Where are relevant paperwork kept – PCA, Epidural forms, anesthetic records, ect.
If have question in middle of night who do I call?
Where are narcotics kept?
Is there a special narcotic tracking system?
Where is the pharmacy and do I have access to it in the middle of the night?
What drugs are stocked in the anesthesia carts? Emerg drugs, antihypertensives, pressors, ect.
Is there an accessible anesthesia library?
Epidural/PCA pumps and infusions?
Dirty LMA’s/masks/circuits?

Permanent/long term specific Questions
Health, Life, and Disability Insurance
Malpractice Insurance
Vacation
CME
Sick leave
Paternity/maternity leave
Other sources of income? Private clinics, ect?
Termination clause?
Non-compete clause?
Partnership? How long? How is practice valued? What buy in? What buy out?
What types of benefits are offered (401K, pension plan, profit-sharing)?
When are evaluations performed?
Educational duties? Resident training, courses, ect? Are these remunerated?
Are there any bonus plans or productivity incentives?
What type of peer-review analysis assurance processes does the practice use?
What is the average physician age in the practice?
What is the average payor age and mix?
What is the payor mix (Medicare / HMO / Private Insurance)?
Does the practice have problems with collecting on overdue accounts?
How many people have completed the partnership track and what percent were made partners?
Ask about the sites and number of locations. How much time running from one site to another if they do more than one site?
Is partnership equal footing?

 

[IMGASMD]

This popped up in my unread list. Let me do a 15 year bump.

 

[D P356]

This popped up in my unread list. Let me do a 15 year bump.

Swinging for the fence.