Upcoming Locum Assignment: The Cliff-notes Version
Me: Late
30's, academic physician, clean record
Time: 2 Week assignment March 2019, Mon-Fri, No Weekends
Location: North California - 1.5 hours outside of San Francisco
Model: Doing own cases - No Supervision
Compensation: $200/hour, guaranteed exactly 12 hours/day
Cases: Level 2 Trauma center, No Cards or Peds, Locums don't do OB
Included: Roundtrip Flight, Lodging, Transportation, All meals at hospital
Malpractice: Occurence 1/3 Mil
Charting: EMR + Paper Charting
Intangibles:
1) I specifically wanted to do my own cases since my primary job is care model and I rarely do own cases
2) I shopped around 2 weeks of coverage on gaswork and doccafe 6 months in advance and this best fit what I was seeking
3) Lots of board warriors on here demanding hourly compensation that is nowhere to be found. I had both the time, patience, and 4 state medical licenses to shop around - this was the best I found.
4) Goal was to supplement my primary income and take a break from care team model - expected take home before taxes = $24,000 and plan to visit friends in San Fran during weekend in between
Happy to answer questions and would appreciate feedback.
**Updates 4/28/19** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Assignment is over. Thoughts below:
1) 12 hours/day shifts are too long - 10 hour is more appropriate. After 5 days of 12 hours in a row, I was beat and could not find the time to work out and eat health like I would have liked.
2) Total hours worked across 2 weeks = 120 hours + 5 hours of overtime for total of ~$25,000 of 1099 income.
3) Would avoid extended stay type of hotel and opt for airbnb instead or someplace with access to a kitchen to allow for cooking
4) The flights cost the locum agency ~ $850
5) The hotel cost the locum agency ~ $2100
6) The car rental cost the locum agency ~ $750
7) I took home ~$25,000 and it cost the locum agency ~$3,000 for flight, hotel, and car rental + some amount for an occurence med mal polcy x2 weeks ... I wonder how much they took off the top before paying those expenses .... food for thought
8) There is a lot of need for locum coverage ... don't settle for crappy rates and unsafe coverage models
Happy to answer questions and would appreciate feedback.
**Updates 8/2/2020** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Completed a 2nd assignment at the same location in July. Here's the hard data.
1) 2 Week assignment. Fly in Sunday and leave 2 Sundays later. Mon-Fri x 10 hour shifts x 2 weeks + Sat x 12 hour shift x 2 Saturdays.
2) Total Hours worked 131.5 @ $215/hr = $28,272 of 1099 income.
3) Flight, extended stay hotel, and rental car cost the agency ~ $3500.
4) Med Mal was Occurence 1/3mil policy from The Medical Protective Company
5) Meals are free for physicians in the cafeteria so out of pocket food and intangible costs were ~$300
6) Given 1 N95 mask per day. Bread and butter cases.
7) Next 2 week assignment planned for October
**Updates 4/25/2021** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Completed a 3rd assignment at the same location in October, but forgot to post. Here's the hard data.
1) 2 Week assignment. Fly in Sunday and leave 2 Sundays later. Mon-Fri x 10-12 hour shifts x 2 weeks + Sat x 12 hour shift x 1 Saturday.
2) Total Hours worked 11 Shifts (126hrs) @ $3200/shift + 14 hrs overtime @ $300/hr = $39,400 of 1099 income.
3) Flight, extended stay hotel, and rental car cost the agency ~ $3500.
4) Med Mal was Occurence 1/3mil policy from The Medical Protective Company
5) Meals are free for physicians in the cafeteria so out of pocket food and intangible costs were ~$300
6) Given 1 N95 mask per day. Bread and butter cases.
7) Being offered to return at will to same location, but husband is nixing further trips for now.
Me: Late
30's, academic physician, clean recordTime: 2 Week assignment March 2019, Mon-Fri, No Weekends
Location: North California - 1.5 hours outside of San Francisco
Model: Doing own cases - No Supervision
Compensation: $200/hour, guaranteed exactly 12 hours/day
Cases: Level 2 Trauma center, No Cards or Peds, Locums don't do OB
Included: Roundtrip Flight, Lodging, Transportation, All meals at hospital
Malpractice: Occurence 1/3 Mil
Charting: EMR + Paper Charting
Intangibles:
1) I specifically wanted to do my own cases since my primary job is care model and I rarely do own cases
2) I shopped around 2 weeks of coverage on gaswork and doccafe 6 months in advance and this best fit what I was seeking
3) Lots of board warriors on here demanding hourly compensation that is nowhere to be found. I had both the time, patience, and 4 state medical licenses to shop around - this was the best I found.
4) Goal was to supplement my primary income and take a break from care team model - expected take home before taxes = $24,000 and plan to visit friends in San Fran during weekend in between
Happy to answer questions and would appreciate feedback.
**Updates 4/28/19** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Assignment is over. Thoughts below:
1) 12 hours/day shifts are too long - 10 hour is more appropriate. After 5 days of 12 hours in a row, I was beat and could not find the time to work out and eat health like I would have liked.
2) Total hours worked across 2 weeks = 120 hours + 5 hours of overtime for total of ~$25,000 of 1099 income.
3) Would avoid extended stay type of hotel and opt for airbnb instead or someplace with access to a kitchen to allow for cooking
4) The flights cost the locum agency ~ $850
5) The hotel cost the locum agency ~ $2100
6) The car rental cost the locum agency ~ $750
7) I took home ~$25,000 and it cost the locum agency ~$3,000 for flight, hotel, and car rental + some amount for an occurence med mal polcy x2 weeks ... I wonder how much they took off the top before paying those expenses .... food for thought
8) There is a lot of need for locum coverage ... don't settle for crappy rates and unsafe coverage models
Happy to answer questions and would appreciate feedback.
**Updates 8/2/2020** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Completed a 2nd assignment at the same location in July. Here's the hard data.
1) 2 Week assignment. Fly in Sunday and leave 2 Sundays later. Mon-Fri x 10 hour shifts x 2 weeks + Sat x 12 hour shift x 2 Saturdays.
2) Total Hours worked 131.5 @ $215/hr = $28,272 of 1099 income.
3) Flight, extended stay hotel, and rental car cost the agency ~ $3500.
4) Med Mal was Occurence 1/3mil policy from The Medical Protective Company
5) Meals are free for physicians in the cafeteria so out of pocket food and intangible costs were ~$300
6) Given 1 N95 mask per day. Bread and butter cases.
7) Next 2 week assignment planned for October
**Updates 4/25/2021** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Completed a 3rd assignment at the same location in October, but forgot to post. Here's the hard data.
1) 2 Week assignment. Fly in Sunday and leave 2 Sundays later. Mon-Fri x 10-12 hour shifts x 2 weeks + Sat x 12 hour shift x 1 Saturday.
2) Total Hours worked 11 Shifts (126hrs) @ $3200/shift + 14 hrs overtime @ $300/hr = $39,400 of 1099 income.
3) Flight, extended stay hotel, and rental car cost the agency ~ $3500.
4) Med Mal was Occurence 1/3mil policy from The Medical Protective Company
5) Meals are free for physicians in the cafeteria so out of pocket food and intangible costs were ~$300
6) Given 1 N95 mask per day. Bread and butter cases.
7) Being offered to return at will to same location, but husband is nixing further trips for now.
Last edited:
