Tayce Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I have been working family practice with combined er for about 9 years. With the recent healthcare changes and increasing hours I have considered switching to locums ER or Urgent care work. My husband is self employed so his schedule is very flexible to assist with our children. I'm just wondering what experience people have with Locums work, benefits, downfalls, appx salaries, etc. Thank you in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMD16 Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 If your spouse is well off then you should be fine. Otherwise, expect significant, I mean significant pay cut with the ability to support your family. Just my 02c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gleannfia Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Well, I can only provide my perspective. I have been doing locums on and off for 20 years, mostly when I get sick of the politics and crap at a permanent job. I am currently in a locum contract with a VA, but am hoping to get a perm job with the VA. You cannot simply look at the hourly rate. There are many tax free additives. For example, I only make $40/hour. However, my company (CompHealth) also pays my 1K rent per month, my car rental ($500/month), and cable TV. Additionally, they will pay travel, licensing, DEA, etc. I find I do better with locums than in a perm job. Now, most companies will not give you sick or vacation pay, but I believe they are re-thinking this, particularly for good travelers who complete long-term assignments. I have certainly given them my feedback on this. However, the flexibility is a tremendous bonus. I love going new places and meeting new people. I am a single woman, no kids, and love the freedom to go where I want. I never feel lonely. However, not everyone is like me. But you are married with a family, so you will not be alone. You can work as much or as little as you want. I get emails and calls every single day with work offers. If you create a good reputation, as I have, you will never want for work. And I do mostly government work. You will earn around $50/hour for non-government work. There are a jillion companies these days that are doing locums, but I recommend CompHealth. They are not perfect, but they are ethical and have the biggest share of the locums market. The also will have you as a W-2 employee, while many will have you as a 1099 contractor. Me, personally, I prefer to be W-2 and get health care, 401 K, have my taxes taken out, etc. I am not a good enough bookkeeper to be 1099. Also, they will pay you higher, like $55/hour, but remember, out of that, you must pay fed income tax, SS, your health insurance, as well as set aside money for retirement. Feel free to PM me. I have lots of experience with locum tenens. It is not for everyone, but for some people with the right personality and mindset, it is great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatswain2PA Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Doing Locums doesn't always mean long term contracts or long distance (interstate) travel. I am doing more and more locums gigs in very rural parts of my state. 3-4 hours of driving, a 24-48 (sometimes 60) hour shift doing clinic followed by covering slow EDs, then 3-4 hours driving home. Pay is from $45/hr (very slow EDs with no clinic) to $70/hr (moderate ED coverage + clinic). There are also significant tax benefits. Turn an area of your house into your "office" and you can deduct a percentage of your mortgage interest and utilities. Buy a small fuel-efficient car because you can write off $0.55 for every mile you drive (I actually make money when I drive my Hyundai Accent that gets about 40 mpg). Take your spouse/kids with you as you turn your CME travel (don't forget the mileage) into a family vacation. Downsides: 1. Uncle Sam takes a much larger cut, so try to put HALF of your paycheck into savings....and a majority of that will go to the IRS quarterly. 2. No benefits (retirement, medical, malpractice, CME, PTO). That's no big deal for me because I'm already retired once, am working on my 3rd career (real estate tycoon! lol), and I have medical coverage from retirement. Also PTO is not a big deal if you're only working 2 days a week and you have control of your schedule. 3. Malpractice is expensive (I hate lawyers......)I also work PRN at an UC clinic. It's privately owned and the pay actually sucks in comparison to what I make doing locums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tayce Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 I have spoken with NMR about a job not far from where I live. I am unsure if they are w2 or 1099 but will definitely do some research. I appreciate the feedback more than you know and can't wait to continue to read people's reviews of locums work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatswain2PA Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Just picked up another locums job today. 5 weeks of Tuesday morning-Thursday morning ER only. I get 5 days off each of those weeks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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