Cardiology New Grad Offer

[smh1091]

I wanted to get some opinions on this job offer. I am a new grad living in Florida where cost of living is quite high. This job is with a cardiologist doing rounds in 3 different hospitals that are each about 10-15 miles apart starting at about 6:00am. Each hospital has about 5-10 patients, so a total of about 20-30 patients in the hospital. Then around 11:00am go to the office and see patients in office until 3-3:30pm. No call. 1 weekend a month consisting of rounds and holidays doing rounds.

 

The offer is for $80,000, health and malpractice completely covered. 2 weeks vacation, 1 week CME with money for courses and travel expenses. AAPA, state licensing, hospital privilege fees covered.

 

I tried to negotiate more vacation time and salary and the doctor said he would consider looking at it in 1 year to give me 3 weeks vacation and possibly a raise.

 

Wanted to see what others thought about this. I think its a solid offer for a new grad with room to improve as I prove myself to be a hardworking and knowledgeable PA. Thank you for your thoughts. I appreciate it.

[chickitabanana]

Is 80K enough for your budget given the fact that it's an area with a high cost of living? I was offered 80K in NYC and after researching rent prices for a studio/1BR and speaking to friends who live there (and figuring out a budget) I realized it would've meant pretty much living paycheck to paycheck (something I wanted to avoid after being a "poor student" for years).

 

Regardless of your decision, if you decide to work for a private practice please pay $250-300 or whatever it costs down there to have a lawyer review your contract. First, three hospitals that are all 10-15 miles apart will matter a great deal if you're bound to a non-compete clause if and when you leave. That is a large area with three potential future employers that'll be off limits for 1-2 yrs after leaving (assuming you don't stay at this job forever). Also, find out at what point you're allowed to start using your vacation. A friend of mine did not have anyone read her contract and after 6 months of working she asked about vacation (she was told she'd get 3 weeks a year). The office manager informed her that she couldn't take any vacation until she had worked there for a year!! They were able to work it out and she was allowed to take one week this year and only two weeks next year (vs. none this year and 3 weeks next year), but still. You want to know what you're getting into so you're not surprised after you've already begun working.

 

Does the practice reimburse for gas/mileage between the hospitals? Seems like they should since it's a lot of driving for work. It's not like you're choosing to live 15-20 miles away from work. Also, have you talked to other people in the practice? Will you really only see patients until 3:30 every day? I worked as an MA in a cardiology and internal medicine office before PA school and often times patients were added on to the schedule for the end of the day.

 

Seems like a decent offer for a new grad, but I wouldn't say it's "solid." How long do you have to give them your offer? If possible, you should try to see what else is out there before potentially settling.

[smh1091]

Wow! Thank you. Those are things I honestly did not think about. The salary is good for me because my wife works as well. I had thought about asking for gas reimbursement, plus this actual practice is about 30 minutes from me, but that part would be my choice. The traveling to and from different hospitals is part of the job, so I think it is fair to ask for gas reimbursement. Thank you again for your response. Much appreciated.

[Just Steve]

Gas price is only one aspect of commuting.... average government rate for reimbursement is about .50 a mile. This will help cover the cost of tires/oil changes, that sort of thing as well. As a negotiation, I would go in asking for $.55 mile but secretly be willing to settle for gas money.

 

The timeline strikes me as tight. Three hospitals 10-15 miles apart is an hour of driving in itself. That leaves you four hours to see 20-30 patients...that is about 10 minutes a patient to talk to nurses, review chart, write new orders, talk to family, and figure out where your next patient is. If any of them are out for a procedure such as X-ray, that tacks on time. If you don't get to the office at 11, is that an issue? Is the office tied to productivity at all where showing up there late will have a direct impact on the patients seen that day, thus directly impacting your already skimpy paycheck?

 

What sort of supervision/mentorship are they offering? Will you be tossed out on your own to do rounds or will you be going with the doc? The pay is light, the conditions are not traditional, and the patients can be complex. What is the support from your potential SP like?

[smh1091]

I agree it does sound like the timeframe is rather tight to see that many patients. He had a PA who gave her notice because she lived almost an hour away from the job. However, she is still working for him until he finds somebody or until she finds a new job. Which tells me she at least has a good working relationship with the doctor if she can do that and feel comfortable with that.

 

From my understanding, the supervision doc sees every patient. I round for him and he would just follow behind me, see the patient and confirm and sign my note. The office would work the same way from what he tells me. No patients would be booked on my schedule to see me specifically. All patients see the doctor. I would go in first, take a history, do an exam and write the note. He would then come in and again confirm my findings and plan etc. So it sounds to me that his patients are not coming to see me specifically. He wants a PA so that HE can see more patients in his office. He has reiterated to me many of times that there is no beeper call, when I leave work he will not call me and that it is a 9 hour day with lunch.

 

He is actually looking for a part-time PA to help him in the evenings and I am assuming in order not to over work me as well. And for holiday coverage me and the part-time PA can work out who will cover which holidays. All counter offers I have made to him he seems to be fair about to me. For instance, I asked for 3 weeks vacation and he said after a year he will look at it as well as a raise. I am graduating in a month and although I don't want to jump into the first job, I feel that this is a pretty good offer with a good doctor compared to classmates offers that I have heard. Any other opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Just Steve]

he wants a glorified scribe.

 

I did a rotation at a very very very similarly ran clinic and the PA had NO autonomy. They can't keep their midlevel provider level fully staffed to save their lives. In just a month there I knew I would have to be awful hungry and about to be evicted before i worked for them.