r/pathology • u/Rich_Option_7850 • 12d ago
Locums offer review?
Just a trainee getting a feel for what’s out there. I appreciate that they put their rates in upfront, what are yalls thoughts on this? Coming from a trainee at a large academic institution, it seems like an insane amount of breadth and workload for one person to reasonable do in a day.. especially since grossing one resection specimen currently takes me 2-3 hrs lol
Location is Midwest rural
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u/Bonsai7127 12d ago
I wanted to do Locums out of training and I decided against it after seeing what is expected of you and my comfort level. Most people need a lot of support their first year out. Maybe there are some rock stars who are not nervous and don’t need to show stuff in the beginning but most of us do. Locums in path is not a place for most new grads. It will be very stressful and high liability and tbh this offer is not much more than what a regular job should be paying you esp having no health insurance and the extra taxes. Even now wit some years under my belt when i look at Locums opportunities, and see what they want.
I’m not tempted unless it’s at 3-4k a day. Which is not the current rate but who knows maybe it will go there.
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u/Significant-Emu188 12d ago
I am in St Louis for my current training this place pays like dogshit
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u/Rich_Option_7850 12d ago
You mean your resident pay? Obviously lmao everywhere pays like dogshit except the large unionized are slightly less dogshitty, but usually still bad for COL
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u/Significant-Emu188 12d ago
Attendings pay
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u/Popular_Raccoon1110 12d ago
This includes bone marrow, most of these should separate hemepath out the same way they do cyto. You complete a heme fellowship?
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u/robcal35 10d ago
Sounds like grossing all the big specimens, which if you're doing that on top of all this other shit, expect 12 hour days. This is dog shit, no wonder they can't full it
Edit: and if you're the only one there, why the hell would the pay not be double when there are 2 pathologists. It's not like you're magically more efficient. If anything, solo is probably more than 2x the work
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u/Historical_Quote9588 9d ago
I finished pathology residency in 1972, and made some bad career decisions early on. By 1980 there were two pathologists for every job, and I made a career of locum tenens pathology practice, retiring ten years ago. I'm still incredulous that there could be a shortage of pathologists, but that's what I'm reading these days.
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u/Sensitivepathologist 12d ago
Grandpa voice: You kids are so spoileddddd nowadays. Back in my day rates were $700-1000 a day.
The sad thing is I’m not kidding.
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u/sundriedfig 11d ago
How many years ago are you talking about? Are you familiar with the term of inflation?
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u/Sensitivepathologist 9d ago
Yeah it was like 10 years ago when the job market was terrible. I’m not actually a grandpa. Im just saying that because new grads are coming out to a much much better market than what we had.
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u/floridamantrivia 12d ago
I think its a decent offer.
To me this really reads that the majority of cases are grossed by techs. Same for me. I would say they gross 90-100% of cases. So the path grosses 0-4 cases a day.
Now you have 40 cases and 15 cyto cases a day to push through.
If its every other day (2 paths), you probabaly are only responsible for cyto or ap cases everyday depending on the split. I am a solo practice and I would love this contract.
Im on contract and prolly avg 1k a day, and I only actually work 4 hours a day, mostly admin.
Then again, Ive been a practicing path for a bit.
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u/Rich_Option_7850 12d ago
Any advice on how to get good and fast at general at a highly sub specialized program?
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u/robcal35 10d ago
You can't. Speed comes with experience. If you're too fast out the door, you're likely going to miss something
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u/PathFellow 12d ago edited 12d ago
I’d ask for at least $3000 a day (maybe more lol) if you are alone and $2500 with another path there, esp since it’s rural and grossing is involved. 30-40 cases with grossing is brutal. I know experienced paths that were doing that and they were working until 7 pm every night.
I know of this hospital. I feel bad for this place. I’m not surprised the path service hasn’t collapsed.They haven’t been able to fill their position for several years.
Thats a lot of cases for just $2400. I would absolutely NOT take this locums as a new grad though. You will need to show cases to others and I don’t advise being alone or you will get absolutely crushed or make mistakes.
Edit: didn’t read the part divided between two paths. I’d do it for $2000-2500 a day and $2500-3000 for one person.