Transitioning to Derm

[jtn]

Hi everyone,

 

Just a quick run down. I'm currently working at an urgent care for the past 9 months in Southern California (straight out of school). I'm thinking about transitioning into dermatology. Got in interview this morning and it seems like they would want me to be part time at their derm office. I am not familiar with derm and % collected revenue/incentive bonus but at this place they will be just paying me hourly and NO % collected revenue. Any thoughts on this? Is it worth it to step foot into the door?

 

Also dumb me when the SP asked me how much I'm getting paid at UC and I said 50 hourly, he said he would start me at that as well and go from there. I am also new to the derm speciality so I'm not sure what the starting pay would be for derm.

 

Thank you in advance!

[IADERMPA]

I am 3 years into my first job in dermatology (I was lucky to get in right out of PA school). My practice does not pay any % of collections or revenue, straight salary. I didn't think anything of it until a year or so in and after attending SDPA conferences and speaking with other Derm PAs/NPs that straight salary is NOT the norm (although my current practice has tried telling me it is when I brought it up). Part of what makes dermatology a great specialty, besides the fairly normal 8-5 no weekend hours, is the earning potential with bonus incentives and earning a % of collections.

 

I am about to leave my current position and join a practice where I will earn a base salary + a % of collections, in addition to other benefits. If you really want to get into derm and think you will enjoy working at this practice, it may be worth it to get your foot in the door. Maybe you would eventually be able to negotiate earning a portion of your collections, that is something you could ask them about in the future. You could propose that after 6 months, once you start getting your own patient flow. If you're going to do that though, make sure you will be able to SEE your collections monthly, as I have heard of many practices not being super transparent with this.

 

Good luck to you!

[jtn]

I am 3 years into my first job in dermatology (I was lucky to get in right out of PA school). My practice does not pay any % of collections or revenue, straight salary. I didn't think anything of it until a year or so in and after attending SDPA conferences and speaking with other Derm PAs/NPs that straight salary is NOT the norm (although my current practice has tried telling me it is when I brought it up). Part of what makes dermatology a great specialty, besides the fairly normal 8-5 no weekend hours, is the earning potential with bonus incentives and earning a % of collections.

 

I am about to leave my current position and join a practice where I will earn a base salary + a % of collections, in addition to other benefits. If you really want to get into derm and think you will enjoy working at this practice, it may be worth it to get your foot in the door. Maybe you would eventually be able to negotiate earning a portion of your collections, that is something you could ask them about in the future. You could propose that after 6 months, once you start getting your own patient flow. If you're going to do that though, make sure you will be able to SEE your collections monthly, as I have heard of many practices not being super transparent with this.

 

Good luck to you!

Thank you for your response! I have one more question, did you do a lot of cosmetics at your job? The position I'm offered, only the SP does cosmetics. I'd be doing mostly skin biopsies, etc. I also have another interview for a derm job as well but it is strictly cosmetics. Thank you again!

[thepaplatform]

At my practice we do mostly medical derm with some cosmetics, and honestly I don't know that I would/could do an all-cosmetic position.  It can be a difficult patient population so having the medical side too helps to break it up. 

 

Also, for my two cents, when it comes to derm jobs I think it's worth it to take an offer that may not be ideal, get some training, and then see how productive you are.  See if you can put it in your contract that you revisit negotiations in 6-12 months, and once you've shown your worth, you have a lot more negotiating power. My practice told me initially that I may not bonus for the first 1-2 years, but within 6 months of being on my own and seeing how efficient I was, I had no problem bonusing my first year. 

[IADERMPA]

At my practice we do mostly medical derm with some cosmetics, and honestly I don't know that I would/could do an all-cosmetic position.  It can be a difficult patient population so having the medical side too helps to break it up. 

 

Also, for my two cents, when it comes to derm jobs I think it's worth it to take an offer that may not be ideal, get some training, and then see how productive you are.  See if you can put it in your contract that you revisit negotiations in 6-12 months, and once you've shown your worth, you have a lot more negotiating power. My practice told me initially that I may not bonus for the first 1-2 years, but within 6 months of being on my own and seeing how efficient I was, I had no problem bonusing my first year. 

 

I completely agree with the above. I don't do any cosmetics currently. I have some interest, but as mentioned, it can be a difficult population to work with (many have unrealistic and un-obtainable expectations). From my understanding, there are pros and cons to reimbursement as well -- straight cash pay, which is guaranteed collections, however more overhead with lasers, fillers, etc.