hello! How early into practice after graduation can one start doing relief on the side and feel comfortable? Like 3 months in? 6 months in? What is the pay like?
Also what are some good telemedicine companies? Any experience with them like Vetster? Or others? Pay for that?
I currently do GP and am working my first full time job as a vet at a GP practice but looking to pick up extra shifts but unsure when I would feel comfortable doing so as I know I’ll likely be all on my own.
Thanks!
Whenever you're comfortable, and that will vary by person. I wouldn't recommend jumping into ER relief right out of school, although some do. Relief will expect you to hit the ground running - not knowing a new hospital/staff well is already a challenge, let alone not really being able to work efficiently/well in an ER setting. It's an entirely different style of medicine and not everyone will thrive in that environment. GP work is not great prep for ER work. In my previous ER job, we absolutely blacklisted relief vets for certain reasons and not being 'ER ready' was one of them, and GP vets trying to get extra money often were on that list for that reason unfortunately. GP relief/vaccine clinics/maybe urgent care would be more appropriate for a new grad but that is one person's opinion.
Pay will be dependent on your area and the local demand. Relief demand is overall decreasing as ER clinics are not on fire with their caseloads as frequently as they were even two years ago, but people are still making bank. I don't do GP relief so can't comment on that. I am in the midwest in a major Metro area and I am currently netting $1300+ for an
urgent care relief shift of ~10 hours before taxes (also remember that if you are sole proprietor relief, you have to do your own taxes quarterly!). Demand is moderate here. I stepped away from ER relief about a year ago because I don't like my local options right now, but was getting closer to $2k consistently for those. Some corps also offer bonuses for picking up certain shifts (ie overnights, holidays, weekends) that can sweeten the deal. My $1300+ is in addition to a temporary $700 pick up bonus, because this urgent care is new and they are trying to establish their relief force. My bids of $1500+ were not getting picked up at that clinic, except for my Labor Day bid of $2000 (plus a $500 bonus) for an 8-hour shift. So that kind of gives me an idea of what most people are bidding.
For relief, you are generally bidding for the shift and the clinic chooses the best bid. With demand decreasing, the crazy high bids of $2.5k+ aren't routinely getting picked right now in my area unless the clinic is desperate. I don't have personal experience with relief agencies like Roo, but that is a more controlled option that could be considered (I believe they do your taxes for you too, and offer benefits?). Evette will hound you but they are very passionately hated by the entire profession right now, so don't work with them (long story).
Make sure your state allows telemedicine, and understand the limitations the state puts on it. I have done Vetster, but didn't like the feeling of being 'on-call' all the time so it didn't last for me. Telemedicine is difficult honestly. Most of my appointments were people that absolutely needed to get their butts into an ER and just didn't want to. A lot of labored breathing, probable hemoabdomens, etc. For Vetster, you set your rate for the 'appointment' and people either requested an appointment with you or they didn't. Vetster took a cut (can't remember how much) and then sent you the remainder. IIRC, my rate for Ohio was $65/consult, which was usually <30min, and I did most nights and weekends. Couldn't prescribe anything, and had to write full records for each appointment. Was often scrambling to get out of my PJs and into something semi-presentable when someone requested me at 9pm. Just not my jam, although it would work well for someone who routinely works from home and could take short appointments like that during their normal working hours (you didn't hear that from me!).
As a side note, I would strongly recommend you obtain your own PLIT insurance if you do
any type of relief, even if your primary employer offers it as part of your benefits package. ER is chock full of malpractice claims and board complaints and you want to be well protected. I wouldn't rely on employer-provided coverage when I am working outside of that clinic.
ETA: Forgot to mention that I'm currently a JustAnswer vet. Mixed opinions. People are very much mislead when it comes to what we can actually do for them, but you have the freedom of picking up the questions you want and ignoring the rest. I'm at the point where I just ignore people asking for health certificates, prescriptions, free surgeries, etc. Some vets make a considerable amount of money on JustAnswer, but they are spending a lotttt of time doing it. You kind of have to camp on the website all day every day to make significant money on there....I camp on Saturdays when I'm bored at my real job and take home anywhere from $350-500/month (before taxes). Adds up, but may not be worth the time for many.
