MiamiPA87 Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 hey guys, I'm a new grad, and I've been offered two positions in FL. First position which i wont go into much detail bc it's not my preferred specialty, is urology at a major academic university in south florida. salary is 83k base, with standard full bennies (i say standard bc i'll be a hospital employee working for a group, so I'd have 100% med/dental, malpractice covered, ~ 2 weeks PTO, CME allowance but dont know days or $, etc.) Offer was verbal, but i asked for a few days to think about it so that I could attend my second round of interviews with a derm group on Florida's west coast. So here it is... base salary is 79 (after negotiating up from 72) production bonus which begins my first year is 15% of collections above 350k medical insurance covered 100% but no dental/vision, begins after 90 days life ins/short term/long term disability covered (i dont know the details on this) malpractice insurance covered including tail 23 PTO days (6 holidays, 17 vacation/sick/cme) for first year, goes up yearly 401k matching at 4% 3500 CME allowance to cover licensing, conferences, professional memberships etc. i inquired about relocation assistance since i live 2 1/2 hrs from this practice, doc said she will get back to me on that tonight when she emails me the preliminary contract My main concern is the productivity bonus structure. I asked the doc if it was attainable my first year and she confirmed that it wasn't, but reassured me that it would be attainable after 1 year, since my training process would be complete by then and i'd be producing more. She expects training to take about 4 months, and my salary would remain the same (not lowered) during this time. Her goal for me is to run a new clinic that she opened 30 minutes from the clinic where i'll be doing my training, of course this would be after we're both comfortable with where I'm at (training wise). That said, Ive been so eager to break into derm, and as a new grad with only rotation experience in derm, I don't want to seem too demanding in terms of salary and bonus structure during my first year (i don't think i have much leverage) but does this sound like a fair offer? also worth mentioning, when i asked for 79 instead of 72, reasoning that my other offer is 83, she was open to the negotiation. However, the productivity threshold was initially at 15% of 325k, but she raised it to 350k when i asked for 79k base. Is that a fair trade off? if youve read this far, THANK YOU! ETA: I asked a current PA at the practice if the productivity bonus was attainable, and she told me she was afraid it wouldnt be either, when she started a little over a year ago. But she assured me that she has met her goal, and is doing very well for herlsef, and expects to do even better this year. Lastly, the doc mentioned that her veteran PA (who has been with the practice for 10 years) makes 3x her base salary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiamiPA87 Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 also i think it's worth mentioning that i will be assigned an MA, who sets up every procedure, assists, and even scribes every pt encounter. I would simply review charts weekly. I did a shadow interview today and followed the veteran PA for a few hours, and i noticed just how much more efficient she can be when there's an MA in the room who helps her tremendously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiamiPA87 Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 another edit: doc just called me, saying that she will be emailing contract tonight, but wanted to mention that, for purposes of contract continuity, the base will be at 72k, but i will have a sign on bonus of 8k to be paid within first 2 months of employment, and an additional 2k in relocation assistance to be paid 2 weeks after signing contract. this will all be written in contract. she seems really eager and happy about me joining her practice, and I am too, but is the bonus structure reasonable? should i not focus on it too much and focus on the fact that i'm breaking into my desired field, and having someone to really invest in my training? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted April 21, 2015 Moderator Share Posted April 21, 2015 derm job sounds like a good entry level position if that is your specialty of choice. sounds like lots of good training, which compensates somewhat for the low initial salary. think of it as a residency...if after the first few years you are not making > 100k you should be able to find a job that will pay you that due to the experience you will attain during that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitaliyjdt Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 For recent grad, I think it's okay, but for fully professional PA in Derm in CA, you should be making 120k easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyM2 Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 It can be difficult to get into derm and, while the salary is low, that is typical of Florida. I agree with EMEDPA. Since the other PAs are happy and the upside is substantial, take a shot at it. If it doesn't work out the way you had hoped, the experience and training will be very marketable. Sent from my KFAPWI using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSUnoles Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Florida is garbage for pay across the board. period. You might find outliers but in general its hard to find over 100k starting in any specialty. If you are being started that high here you need to be careful how they are billing your visits (especially if physician is not in the building. practices here are notorious for billing 100% to keep you generating income) If you can relocate. Derm here is especially bad because they all pay nothing. My friend is making 115k with 1 year experience in Derm That said the southwest offer is decent but again you will start more and have more income potential if you can relocate. The culture in derm here is rough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrsmurf Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I would take the derm offer, spend a couple years, then move to another state. Derm PA's can really make big bucks (if that's what you're after) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I normally would say absolutely not to such a low salary but it sounds like a good position to grow from and you can always take a year or two of experience somewhere else if it doesn't work out. Derm is a tough field to break into so this could be a worthwhile investment. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiamiPA87 Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 yes, i agree with FL being terrible with low ball offers! But i guess I'll bite the bullet for now, while I train and learn the ropes of Derm. Thank you all for your feedback and advice, I sign the contract tomorrow and start working next month! Hope this is a worthwhile investment :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyM2 Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Good choice, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsPA2u Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 yes, i agree with FL being terrible with low ball offers! But i guess I'll bite the bullet for now, while I train and learn the ropes of Derm. Thank you all for your feedback and advice, I sign the contract tomorrow and start working next month! Hope this is a worthwhile investment :D Hello, just curious but are you still working at that Derm position? And are you happy with your decision? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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