snowdrifter Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Hello, I don't know where to start. First off, I was offered a job as a hospitalist for only 70,000 a year. I did not start the day i was suppose to d/t an error made by hr even though the day is stated in my employment aggreement. This cost me 3 wks pay. I started in sept. I was expected to round independently and come up with plans/orders for the icu, floors and rehab pts. I am a new grad! Right now (2.5 months of experience) I see about 20 ppl per day for 5 days a week. I round for 8 hrs straight! I am expected to work one weekend a month so I sometimes work 10 days in a row til my next day off!!! My attending sees both hospitals and when the census is low I also see both! NO break at all on low census days. One time I saw 27 ppl. Is this normal to be burnt out already or feel this way as a new grad? I am ready to quit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ERCat Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 I am a new grad as well. I expect to be really burnt out from my first job. Any new grad is going to feel stressed and burned out and in over their head on their first job... That's inevitable. But it sounds like you have very little support and are expected to do things that are way beyond your experience level. As new grads it's essential we find a good SP willing to train and be there when we are in over our head - or at least be there to ask questions. If you don't have THAT I don't blame you for feeling overwhelmed. Plus, I feel like the pay is extremely low even for a new grad (the lowest I've heard of among my classmates for a new grad job is 85K but I know the AAPA salary report says new grads make in the high 70s and low 80s). It's extremely low considering your hours and level of responsibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandrew1 Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Sounds like you need to change jobs. That pay is certainly at the bottom of the scale for what you are doing, even with little experience. What state is this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 That job is absolutely ridiculous. I cannot begin to name the things wrong with that job. I would get the hell out ASAP. Pay and working environment are both horrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted November 16, 2015 Moderator Share Posted November 16, 2015 One hundred pt visits per week and you are earning 70,000 Wow they are making a killing off you while you try not to kill anyone. Immediately start a job search. Notifiy HR AFTER you have a signed offer, start date and ready to roll Normally i advocate for one year at first ob, but honestly that sounds unsafe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMD16 Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 15 pt's per shift is the norm for hospitalist PA. I agreed. It time you move on. In your shoes. I would cut back to part-time. Just to stay on. Instead of quitting. Learn as much as you can. Experience as a hospitalist PA would make you stand out. It would looks good on your CV. Ask for hourly rate. Seek full-time outpt medicine position. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 New grads please do your research before accepting new positions. This position obviously took advantage of the OP not knowing any better. For hospitalist PA a cap of 12-15 patients for an 8 hour day is reasonable. A 12 hour shift shouldn't be above 20. You may not get much direct supervision but you should expect someone to at the very least text and call with questions and they should see your sicker patients when you are new. An orientation period with a low census and someone at the very least chart reviewing all your patients is the norm. Hospitalist is an emerging field that is in fairly high demand for PAs in systems that know how to utilize us. Unless living in a city with low COL or high PA saturation the salary should be 6 figures or perhaps lower with great benefits, PTO etc. Starting later than expected is not unusual. That in itself is not such a big deal. Not getting a break ever is not the norm for hospitalist medicine however does happen some days. You at least should be able to go grab food and chart through your lunch. Unfortunately you may have avoided this if you did a little better research. However now that you are in this situation just focus on getting out. Normally I recommend for people to find a new job before quitting. In your case however it might be worth quitting first and working locum tenems until you find a new position for the sake of your sanity and career longevity. This is NOT what it means to be a PA. And I bet you anything if the docs have as awful schedule as you they are making WAAAY more than you. Unfortunately you are being paid well under the national average while being expected to see much more patients than average with below average training. Not a good situation but don't worry. Your hard work will well prepare you for future jobs although your QOL took a hit. The only time a job like this is acceptable is if you are well compensated which you are not. Get out now, do your research and find a better position. Do not worry. It WILL get MUCH better! Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bananapeppers Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 I work in the ED but picked up a new hospitalist job part time. I will be seeing about 8-10 ED admissions in an 8 hour period. My rate is $84.50/hr. Attendings willing to hold my hand and teach. You should have that as well. Get out of that job. They would never make me do rounds or work up on a patient if I didn't feel comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
problem child Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Hello, I don't know where to start. First off, I was offered a job as a hospitalist for only 70,000 a year. I did not start the day i was suppose to d/t an error made by hr even though the day is stated in my employment aggreement. This cost me 3 wks pay. I started in sept. I was expected to round independently and come up with plans/orders for the icu, floors and rehab pts. I am a new grad! Right now (2.5 months of experience) I see about 20 ppl per day for 5 days a week. I round for 8 hrs straight! I am expected to work one weekend a month so I sometimes work 10 days in a row til my next day off!!! My attending sees both hospitals and when the census is low I also see both! NO break at all on low census days. One time I saw 27 ppl. Is this normal to be burnt out already or feel this way as a new grad? I am ready to quit. this is the face of medicine now. do it as cheap as possible (1 new grad PA, hello??), and if there's any holes in your schedule, forget about taking a break or even trying to catch up on documenting - they just fill the holes with more work. terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
problem child Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I work in the ED but picked up a new hospitalist job part time. I will be seeing about 8-10 ED admissions in an 8 hour period. My rate is $84.50/hr. Attendings willing to hold my hand and teach. You should have that as well. Get out of that job. They would never make me do rounds or work up on a patient if I didn't feel comfortable. where do you live that you are getting $84.50/hr? that's a great rate! is it benefitted as well, or hourly/per-diem? good for you for having such a good gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bananapeppers Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 where do you live that you are getting $84.50/hr? that's a great rate! is it benefitted as well, or hourly/per-diem? good for you for having such a good gig. I work in the rural area (it's about an hour away from my home in Ohio). The starting rate was $65 but I told them I wanted 30% since I was not getting benefits, they approved it. They cover my mileage and hotel. I have 0 experience with hospital medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
problem child Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I work in the rural area (it's about an hour away from my home in Ohio). The starting rate was $65 but I told them I wanted 30% since I was not getting benefits, they approved it. They cover my mileage and hotel. I have 0 experience with hospital medicine. oh, there you go. do they have you on payroll (take out taxes) or do they just pay you the full hourly wage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bananapeppers Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 oh, there you go. do they have you on payroll (take out taxes) or do they just pay you the full hourly wage? Yep, W-2. That's the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treejay Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I work in the rural area (it's about an hour away from my home in Ohio). The starting rate was $65 but I told them I wanted 30% since I was not getting benefits, they approved it. They cover my mileage and hotel. I have 0 experience with hospital medicine. Is a 30% increase the norm for any position that doesn't offer benefits? I'm considering cutting back to part time which may kill my benefits, and I"m wondering what a reasonable increase in pay is since they wouldn't be paying benefits. This is an outpatient IM clinic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
problem child Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Is a 30% increase the norm for any position that doesn't offer benefits? I'm considering cutting back to part time which may kill my benefits, and I"m wondering what a reasonable increase in pay is since they wouldn't be paying benefits. This is an outpatient IM clinic my experience is you can ask for a somewhat higher rate for positions w/out benefits (~10%) and 25-30% above rate for 1099 positions to cover your tax liability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bananapeppers Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Is a 30% increase the norm for any position that doesn't offer benefits? I'm considering cutting back to part time which may kill my benefits, and I"m wondering what a reasonable increase in pay is since they wouldn't be paying benefits. This is an outpatient IM clinic I've always read from this forum that if you are part time and NOT receiving benefits, you should ask for 30%. 30% makes up for the 401k, CME, Health insurance, dental, vision, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceBanner Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Agree with the others. This job you have is using you like a rented mule. 20+ PPD with weekends @ $70k?!? That is abusive and insulting. I also usually advocate 1 year @ your first job but this is a case where you just need to get out. Find an office-based practice or even an urgent care, get hired first, then put in 2 weeks tops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceBanner Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Also to add upon the 1099/W-2 discussion, many employers nowadays are moving towards hiring providers (especially new grads) as 1099's. That means you are responsible for all of your own benefits; you get a wage only and must pay your own taxes. This benefits them, obviously, because they don't have to pay employment taxes and SS on you, and can get away with paying you a "standard" wage like $45-50 an hour. In reality, this is like you making $30 an hour with nominal benefits. Doesn't sound so good once you do the math, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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