cwhorton Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Hey everyone, I recently graduated from PA school and was offered a job in the ED in Oklahoma. Here is a shortened version of the position: -compensation is $70/hr with a minumium of 144hr per month. (midlevels there are averaging 150-156hrs per month) -10 hr shifts -CME is not covered but is provided under the company that is contracting with the hospitals ED with online quizzes and such that can go towards CME. -Malpractice and license is covered -Benefit wise i am not 100% clear, awaiting them to get back to me with the details on what all I will have. -24 hr physician coverage -90 days written notice to leave the company These are some issues i am concerned with in the contract: - In the contract it states "if you are sick and it's not an "emergency" you have to find your own coverage for those "mutually agreeable shifts" -- im not sure what an "emergency" means in their eyes and how I would go about finding another provider to cover my shift. -Time off and vacation time is something that has not been specified as well... a fellow midlevel who has worked with this company told me this and makes me nervous because there was only 2 midlevels there.. so "When one took vacation, you had to frontload or back load all of your hours.....work almost everyday for 2 weeks before you left and then your colleague had to also work that many days in a row to cover while you were gone. Brutal!-- I am pretty sure there is only another midlevel there at this time so I could be in the same situation. If anyone has any helpful ways i can tactfully address these and any other issues you see with this basic contract I would be very appreciative! I am open to all suggestions because being a new grad and dealing with my first contract is super scary and appreciate any wisdom you guys have. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Is the $70/hr as an employee or contractor? If employee it is a good wage. If you are an independent contractor, not so good as you will have to pay all your own state, fed, ss taxes on a quarterly basis and you MUST be a good money manager to handle that type of contract. The CME sounds like free Medscape access or access to Uptodate or something like that. If benefits are unclear it might mean there are none and the way you describe time off for vacation is how I have seen other EM positions handled. It's not bad if there are four or more Advanced Practice Clinicians on the team. P.S. DO not refer to yourself as a mid-level. Now that you are a grad it is time to elevate the perception of your career and you are not mid-level. 90 day notice to leave company is reasonable but make sure there is not a "no-compete" clause in the contract that will prevent you from finding another job nearby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JMPA Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 you should always have a contract lawyer review the contract and explain it to you before accepting any job offer. It sounds like you are describing a per diem position. i certainely agree with Paula, you need to know what type of benefits you have, benefits can offbalance pay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyblu Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 The medical emergency part means, if you're in the OR having your appendix removed, they will deal without you. But if you have a cold and don't want to come in to work, it's your job to meal your coworkers and get one of them to cover your shift, otherwise you still need to show up. $70/hr is very generous, but if you don't get bennies or CME (these subscriptions to online things like Medscape where you can get the odd, single-credit CME do not count), it won't feel like that much money. My contract says 90 day notice too, otherwise there is a $5k penalty. I have a lower base hourly rate but get nighttime and weekend differentials that bring me to about $78/hr (on nights and weekend hours), full medical with the best plan in the state, $2,500 yearly CME that covers conferences, travel, technology devices, etc., a quarterly productivity bonus, profit sharing account, and a huge amount in reimbursement for uncovered medical expenses (like copays, dental stuff, etc). All my liability, short term, long term disability (specialty-specific, very important!), life insurance, etc. are also 100% covered. I work about 130-140 hours a month, 8, 10 and 12 hour shifts. Both urgent care and main. I had my lawyer review my contract, you should do the same. Hope this helps for comparison's sake because, again, 70/hr sounds great until you have to start paying your own benefits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetMeOuttaThisMess Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Paula asked the most important question. Contract or employee? If contract labor that $70/hr becomes $59/hr after just FICA (you now pay both halves of federal employment taxes). Contract translates into a Form 1099 reported income status, which means you can long form and deduct part of these self-employment taxes. Be aware that you don't have to pay these self-employment taxes quarterly. When I was a 1099 employee I paid mine monthly through EFPTS. Other expenses now become deductible as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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