Rural EM salary

[winterallsummer]

Talking with a recruiter about a possible rural ER job. Patient volume sounds low. Posted salary was 85k and no bonus structure which seems low for ED. Would be my first job and wondering is this too low for rural em? Thanks all.

[EMEDPA]

yup, way too low. also , rural em probably not an ideal first job in em unless very experienced. rural= no backup for many specialties much of the time. you have to be willing and able to do a lot more than your counterparts at an academic medical ctr who can consult as much as desired.\

for example, at one of my rural em jobs there is no ortho so it's do it yourself in terms of reductions or a 3 hr drive by ambulance to the closest orthopedist.

[KMD16]

Agree w E. Would say if it's truly low vol and group are willing to train. It maybe doable and not the worst offer I've seen. Just out of curiosity, Any room for working OT? 7+ years ago, I started in the ED as a new grad at 32/h rural ED but w/ lots of OT. Just don't accept your initial offer. Negotiate.

[winterallsummer]

What would be a fair salary (what should I counter with)? Was told ed volume can be as low as 6 ppd but if I also saw pts at the clinic would obviously be higher. Talking with them tomorrow so will know more then regarding training etc. thanks all for the helpful input.

[EMEDPA]

6 per day is very low. I work at 2 rural depts. One has 12-14 ppd and the other around 40-60(double covered).

also, ask about acuity mix. do you get trauma, stemis, cvas, etc. If so, 90k to start + full bennies would be the least acceptable. if no trauma/cva/mi folks then it is basically walk in urgent care and 85k would be fine.

[winterallsummer]

Thanks a bunch. I am much better prepared for the phone interview tomorrow.

[primadonna22274]

I can't imagine 6 ppd. And I thought I worked in some rural EDs...but ours is always hoppin'.

If I remember correctly you are in SC--is that right? PM me and I'll be happy to give you some personal insight.

[EMEDPA]

Thanks a bunch. I am much better prepared for the phone interview tomorrow.

just as an aside. the going rate for PAs at the place that sees 12-14 pts/day is 70/hr, however ALL of the PAs there are very experienced em pas. most of us were medics, have passed the em caq + have > 20 years in em practice, etc.

[gbrothers98]

While I agree with all of the above, I think a new grad is not the person to be in a rural ED with low volume. A new grad needs some experience first, IMO, 3-5 years with significant volume. Low volume EDs have a lot of potential issues. Poor nursing staff, lack of consultation and back up, lack of appropriate EMS, lack of staffing. It can be a minefield and I dont think a new grad has the knowledge and wherewithal to navigate that. I would also be concerned about supervision. Who is going to do this and what is their experience and training? I am surprised that a rural low volume place is considering a new grad. Either the recruiter is playing a game with them or the facility has no clue what they are doing. With the salary that low, I would also take a look at the facility, I would be concerned about their financial health if they are lowballing salaries. And from your perspective, once you accept a low ball salary, always a low ball salary.

Good luck.

George Brothers PA-C

[winterallsummer]

Prima your PM box is full.

[primadonna22274]

Oopsie... Gimme a few to clean it out.

Ok, I think there's some room now...it's not a simple delete process in Tapatalk for iPhone. Hopefully I did it right.

FWIW I think what George said above is spot-on.

[winterallsummer]

Still full.

[primadonna22274]

Sorry. I'll have to sign on to the laptop I think to fix it. My email address is my username above @yahoo.com

[winterallsummer]

Thanks just sent it.