UC offer - input appreciated

[pa-jay]

I recently resigned from an UC position and relocated to a new area in FL for family reasons.  I have an offer and was wondering what other PAs think.

 

I’ve been a PA for six years, working in IM/EM/UC, the bulk of this working in EM.  I really enjoyed UC and would like to stick with that for now.  Working in EM/UC, I’ve always been a non-exempt hourly employee.  My previous rate was $58/h but with bonus and OT, my compensation was $120k last year.

 

This UC I’m looking at has a doctor who is going to cut back to ~2shifts/month and they originally were going to find another MD but now that FL will allow PAs to get a DEA to prescribe starting Jan 1st, they are hiring a PA with experience. They want a solo PA working alternating days between 2 clinics 30 min apart.  Hours will be 10A-8P M-F, 8A-8P S/Su.  Census reported to be on avg 4/hr but up to 8/hr.  

 

Benefits: 

life/dental/vision/health insurance

401k but no matching until after 1 year

$1500 CME but DEA/state licensing comes out of this pot.  

Claims made but no tail coverage provided. 

136 hrs PTO annually.

$2500 sign on bonus

Compensation is $102k/yr as an exempt employee.  They say that full time will be 36h/wk but any days/hours worked beyond this fall under salary and would not be compensated with OT.  I’d be working opposite days the MD requests, so they can’t guarantee how many hours I’d work per month other than it's FT.

 

I’m not financially strapped, so I’ still have plenty of time to search.  Do the benefits sound good or more on the weak side?  Is it becoming common for companies not to offer tail coverage for claims made ins? Lastly, at what time frame would a possible employer look at an unemployed PA as not desirable? I was thinking anything exceeding 6 months.

[AbeTheBabe]

I'd be very careful with this. They can very easily ask you to work 4-5 days/week without paying you more. I'd write in the contract that any hours worked over 40/week will be paid as bonus rate of $xx/hr. Also, only 102k when you were making 120? Seems like a low offer. Seeing 4PT/hr you will be bringing them a lot of money. I'd come back at them with a much higher offer.

[RuralER/Ortho]

Tail can be very pricey.... I imagine you'll get screwed as far as hours/schedule.... and 4/HR minimum. That's going to be painful. No thanks...even in FL I bet you can find a better offer

[Febrifuge]

Yeah, either they pay you hourly to work too quickly (4/hour is fine, if they're all sore throats and UTIs, but in real life it's never that easy), or they pay you salary and you get to be a professional and decide how many people you can see in an hour. The other thing is that either way, part of the time they're paying you for should be set aside for charting. When I was in UC, they expected 2.75 patients per hour, with documenting done. If I needed to stay another hour past closing to wrap everything up, they paid me for that hour. It was a good system, and coincidentally about $58.75 an hour.

[davidccs]

if you dont mind me asking, what was the previous area and what is the new area? It seems like a big change in pay structure

[pa-jay]

Thanks everyone for the input.  Kind of what I was thinking but needed to hear it from others.

 

davidccs: previous area was Daytona Beach and now, the Tampa Bay area.  According to some of the salary calculators I've used, income should increase for my by ~4%

[bob_inski]

Coming from 2 years of urgent care...not a good offer. 4 pts an hour sucks no matter what it is for 10-12 hours straight as a solo provider. O and then add in that lac that will take you 30-60 mins... salary should be closer to 130-150 if they are going to be paying you salary seeing 4 pts an hour. You would probably collect close to 400-500k/yr for the practice. I would counter with 85% of what the doc you are replacing was paid (standard medicare reimbursement) which they will likely not do considering your low ball offer. 

[pa-jay]

bob_inski, good points, thanks.  They wouldn't come up on the offer so I had to decline.