Thoughts on moonlighting opportunity?

[Desired Member]

I'm a PGY4. This moonlighting job involves rounding on about 18 patients (20 bed capacity, supposedly typically only about 18 patients in reality), both Saturday and Sunday on a geri-psych unit. Supposedly there are not discharges on weekends typically. Also potentially seeing 1-2 consults each day on the medical floors of the hospital, where I just give recs and not doing any orders. They are offering $900 per day ($1800 for the weekend) which seems quite low to me. They state they will pay for malpractice insurance. Location is great and I am interested in working for this hospital system in future, but the salary just seems low?

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[surfguy84]

This is beyond low. Tell them to shove it. Also a PGY4. I'm getting 2200 per day to round on 12 over 10 hours (have to be there 10 hours).

 

[hamstergang]

Location does influence pay, but regardless that's quite low. How long do you think this work would take each day? How many admites would be expected over the weekend?

 

[Desired Member]

The person I talked to said it takes about 4 hours to complete the work, but this seems too low for that number of patients. I'm not sure about admits, they acted like there wasn't much activity on the weekend, but I forgot to specifically ask. I would like to counter-negotiate, but I'm not sure what a fair salary would be. If it helps, it's in a mid-sized suburb of a Midwestern city.

 

[michiganpsych08]

That’s low. I get paid by rvu so eat what you kill. However if I were to see 18 patients and take call that’s roughly 2500 per day. Consults would add a little more to that.

 

[forchinet121]

I'm a PGY4. This moonlighting job involves rounding on about 18 patients (20 bed capacity, supposedly typically only about 18 patients in reality), both Saturday and Sunday on a geri-psych unit. Supposedly there are not discharges on weekends typically. Also potentially seeing 1-2 consults each day on the medical floors of the hospital, where I just give recs and not doing any orders. They are offering $900 per day ($1800 for the weekend) which seems quite low to me. They state they will pay for malpractice insurance. Location is great and I am interested in working for this hospital system in future, but the salary just seems low?

Its so disheartening that people consider this kind of stuff, I’m glad you’re asking but I feel so bad for the thousands of docs who don’t ask and do this work for slave wages..18 Geri psych patients in addition to consults sounds like a nightmare for that kind of money..4 hours to do all of that? That would take a minimum of 8 hours possibly longer so that’s 900/8 which is 112/hr to work on the weekends….

 

[Merovinge]

I'm a PGY4. This moonlighting job involves rounding on about 18 patients (20 bed capacity, supposedly typically only about 18 patients in reality), both Saturday and Sunday on a geri-psych unit. Supposedly there are not discharges on weekends typically. Also potentially seeing 1-2 consults each day on the medical floors of the hospital, where I just give recs and not doing any orders. They are offering $900 per day ($1800 for the weekend) which seems quite low to me. They state they will pay for malpractice insurance. Location is great and I am interested in working for this hospital system in future, but the salary just seems low?

Just be an NP if you want to work for those kind of wages. Under $50/pt including highly complex consults and a more medically compromised set of patients to look after (geri) is a joke. May as well just write a check to their CEO to fund their next yacht purchase.

 

[littlefred]

I think photographers make more than that per hour. No offense against photographers, but you've spent at minimum 8 years in post graduate studies.

 

[mistafab]

As the above have stated - this is terrible. Add in these consults and you are looking at literal garbage.

 

[clozareal]

I think photographers make more than that per hour. No offense against photographers, but you've spent at minimum 8 years in post graduate studies.

It's common for barbers and nail salons in my area that charge more than that per hour. But they require more hours for their license than NPs.

I wonder if the resident can bill for services on the weekend or if it is rather for continuity of patient care. The hospital may be taking a financial loss by paying the resident.

 

[Ironspy]

It's common for barbers and nail salons in my area that charge more than that per hour. But they require more hours for their license than NPs.

I wonder if the resident can bill for services on the weekend or if it is rather for continuity of patient care. The hospital may be taking a financial loss by paying the resident.

No. Even if they can’t bill for the residents services it’s not a financial loss if the moonlighter allows the unit to continue existing. That’s like saying hiring nurses is a financial loss.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

It's common for barbers and nail salons in my area that charge more than that per hour. But they require more hours for their license than NPs.

I wonder if the resident can bill for services on the weekend or if it is rather for continuity of patient care. The hospital may be taking a financial loss by paying the resident.

In addition to the comment above (that the unit needs to exist somehow), they can almost certainly bill for the resident's services anyway if they have a full medical license in that state.

 

[clozareal]

No. Even if they can’t bill for the residents services it’s not a financial loss if the moonlighter allows the unit to continue existing. That’s like saying hiring nurses is a financial loss.

What I mean is that the patients just don't get seen over the weekend or get seen one day rather than two. I've seen some units where patients don't get seen by the psychiatrist all weekend or just one of those days on the weekend, but I'm not sure how legal that is. Unit still continues existing.

 

[Desired Member]

What I mean is that the patients just don't get seen over the weekend or get seen one day rather than two. I've seen some units where patients don't get seen by the psychiatrist all weekend or just one of those days on the weekend, but I'm not sure how legal that is. Unit still continues existing.

I’ve never seen this in my state, unless there is another provider who is primarily caring for the patient and writing progress notes each day (eg fam or internal med is the primary team and psych is consulting)

And yes i need to be fully licensed for the job

Idk how competent the weekday provider(s) is/are, which to my mind is very important as to how difficult weekends would be

 

[hallowmann]

I’ve never seen this in my state, unless there is another provider who is primarily caring for the patient and writing progress notes each day (eg fam or internal med is the primary team and psych is consulting)

And yes i need to be fully licensed for the job

Idk how competent the weekday provider(s) is/are, which to my mind is very important as to how difficult weekends would be

This is very low. The people I knew moonlighting in similar positions as PGY4s were making that much a day. Even the people moonlighting outpatient were making ~$150/hr to see 2 patients, and this is much more work.

 

[TexasPhysician]

If this is one of very few moonlighting opportunities available, I’d point out that $900/day is fine to round on follow-ups, but every eval/consult is an additional $100-150. Weekend rounding isn’t rocket science. Evals/consults can vary widely and are time consuming. I’d expect to get paid for those.