babetruth Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Hi there, I would like to know if this is a fair offer for a new grad... It is a Neurosurgery position with a young private practice - the surgeon is willing to train and Neurosurgery is definitely the direction I would like to go in my career Salary: 75K Vacation: 2 wks/yr Sick days: 5 days/yr Malpractice: rider on physician's policy 401K: 4% matching Health Insurance: 75% reimbursement for individual policy They have not specified what they are going to offer for CME, PA dues and recert fees, journals, etc. This is their first time hiring a PA. Schedule: 40-50 hrs/wk Call: 1 week a month (this is pending but the hope is that once I'm up to speed, I will be able to take some of the ER consults) Also, the rep who provides the practice with supplies (cages, screws, etc) wants me to be the surgeons rep so that I would then provide all the equipment for the cases. The surgeon also likes this for the fact that I will be scrubbed in and can assist them with the instruments as we do the operation. I am also able to show the scrub nurses which instruments will be used and so forth.... The rep company is offering me $300 per case - a flat fee. However, I heard that most reps ask for a percentage of each case instead of a flat fee. This 2nd job would require me to ensure that each set is stocked and ready to go prior to each case. So basically, I feel like I have 2 offers for 1 job.... what do you think? Should I counter for $$ per hour instead of salary? For instance, I was offered $46/hr for Family Practice but that is not where my heart is at.. Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated.... thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babetruth Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 Hi there, I would like to know if this is a fair offer for a new grad... It is a Neurosurgery position with a young private practice - the surgeon is willing to train and Neurosurgery is definitely the direction I would like to go in my career Salary: 75K Vacation: 2 wks/yr Sick days: 5 days/yr Malpractice: rider on physician's policy 401K: 4% matching Health Insurance: 75% reimbursement for individual policy They have not specified what they are going to offer for CME, PA dues and recert fees, journals, etc. This is their first time hiring a PA. Schedule: 40-50 hrs/wk Call: 1 week a month (this is pending but the hope is that once I'm up to speed, I will be able to take some of the ER consults) Also, the rep who provides the practice with supplies (cages, screws, etc) wants me to be the surgeons rep so that I would then provide all the equipment for the cases. The surgeon also likes this for the fact that I will be scrubbed in and can assist them with the instruments as we do the operation. I am also able to show the scrub nurses which instruments will be used and so forth.... The rep company is offering me $300 per case - a flat fee. However, I heard that most reps ask for a percentage of each case instead of a flat fee. This 2nd job would require me to ensure that each set is stocked and ready to go prior to each case. So basically, I feel like I have 2 offers for 1 job.... what do you think? Should I counter for $$ per hour instead of salary? For instance, I was offered $46/hr for Family Practice but that is not where my heart is at.. Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated.... thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acozadd Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 While the offer is somewhat weak imo, the $300 per case would make it stellar once you got up to snuff from the product rep side of things. If you did even 5 surgeries per week that is an extra 6K a month, basically doubling your salary. Im not sure what volume of surgeries you would be involved in but that side of things could be quite lucrative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acozadd Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 While the offer is somewhat weak imo, the $300 per case would make it stellar once you got up to snuff from the product rep side of things. If you did even 5 surgeries per week that is an extra 6K a month, basically doubling your salary. Im not sure what volume of surgeries you would be involved in but that side of things could be quite lucrative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 27, 2012 Moderator Share Posted March 27, 2012 weak offer. should be at least 10k/yr higher...and the 300/case only applies if they ever actually let you in the o.r....if they pull a bait and switch and you end up never going to the o.r.(it happens) then you are hosed with a lower salary than folks were making 10 yrs ago....and minimal benefits with crappy retirement....some jobs promise x dollars/case but then use you only for clinic work and non-operative duties(h+p's, d/c summaries, etc). get it all in writing. pa will scrub on all cases or x cases/week, etc ps health insurance should also be 100% for you and all dependents. I would never take a job that wasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 27, 2012 Moderator Share Posted March 27, 2012 weak offer. should be at least 10k/yr higher...and the 300/case only applies if they ever actually let you in the o.r....if they pull a bait and switch and you end up never going to the o.r.(it happens) then you are hosed with a lower salary than folks were making 10 yrs ago....and minimal benefits with crappy retirement....some jobs promise x dollars/case but then use you only for clinic work and non-operative duties(h+p's, d/c summaries, etc). get it all in writing. pa will scrub on all cases or x cases/week, etc ps health insurance should also be 100% for you and all dependents. I would never take a job that wasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlst2 Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Just an FYI - most reps make 12.5% of all sales. If you are doing all the ground work, you might want to do the math and figure out what that number is for your doc. For instance, I've seen a 1 level posterior interbody fusion (PLIF) (which includes 4 vertebral body screws, 2 rods and 2 spacers) bill out $12,000 or $1,500 to the rep. The total you would be payed ($300) is a measly 2%. Food for thought...but you might want to negotiate a better number. Also, I'd double-check the legality of being a PA-rep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlst2 Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Just an FYI - most reps make 12.5% of all sales. If you are doing all the ground work, you might want to do the math and figure out what that number is for your doc. For instance, I've seen a 1 level posterior interbody fusion (PLIF) (which includes 4 vertebral body screws, 2 rods and 2 spacers) bill out $12,000 or $1,500 to the rep. The total you would be payed ($300) is a measly 2%. Food for thought...but you might want to negotiate a better number. Also, I'd double-check the legality of being a PA-rep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMD16 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 My 2c recom: You need the AAPA salary survey. I'd ask for 85-90k/yr range. A rider on SP malpractice policy? Bad idea! You need your own policy. Stay clear of the PA-rep part of your job description. You're a PA and as such your role in the OR should be the surgeon first assistant and focusing on perfecting your surgical skills. The fact that you're the group first PA, I see that to be a problem. You can turn the table around with supporting data to argue your worth. Excise great caution, else you'll be miserable/taken advantage of to say the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMD16 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 My 2c recom: You need the AAPA salary survey. I'd ask for 85-90k/yr range. A rider on SP malpractice policy? Bad idea! You need your own policy. Stay clear of the PA-rep part of your job description. You're a PA and as such your role in the OR should be the surgeon first assistant and focusing on perfecting your surgical skills. The fact that you're the group first PA, I see that to be a problem. You can turn the table around with supporting data to argue your worth. Excise great caution, else you'll be miserable/taken advantage of to say the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssiegelpa Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I am also entertaining a Neurosurgery offer and I was wondering about Productivity Bonus Structure. I have only ever working in FP and Neurology, never surgery or a surgical specialty. I was wondering if anyone could enlighten me on how Productivity Bonus Structures could work in a surgical subspecialty. Especially with biling being different and all. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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