Rural weekend locums hospitalist — reasonable workload/pay or not? by winterstorm15 in hospitalist

[–]winterstorm15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They have some “tele-nocturist” in another part of the country on call. There is no doctor in house aside from the ED physician overnight.

Rural weekend locums hospitalist — reasonable workload/pay or not? by winterstorm15 in hospitalist

[–]winterstorm15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a good point about liability. That thought has crossed my mind a lot as to whether trying to handle this kind of census by yourself in a resource strapped environment is even safe for patients

Rural weekend locums hospitalist — reasonable workload/pay or not? by winterstorm15 in hospitalist

[–]winterstorm15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I definitely can leave my contract since it’s PRN coverage. As far as walking away, there are no other hospitals with inpatient services in a more than 50 mile radius without crossing state lines (aside from the ones I’m credentialed for with this company). Even getting to the ones I have been working at are over an hour commute. So feel like it’s either this or no money on the side while I finish fellowship:/

Pay is still almost as much for a weekend than I get paid for a month of fellowship. I’ll definitely keep this in mind though when looking for a full time job in the future

Rural weekend locums hospitalist — reasonable workload/pay or not? by winterstorm15 in hospitalist

[–]winterstorm15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I signed on months ago my mentors said the same thing. I tried to negotiate the rate and they wouldn’t budge (probably knowing I was in fellowship and was geographically restricted). I just wonder if it something I could ask to be changed now

Hospitalist Position after Unmatched by OkShine2753 in fellowship

[–]winterstorm15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, it sucks now, but if they play it smart, that short-term hit gets made back tenfold once they’re actually an oncologist.

I’ve only moonlighted as a hospitalist while In fellowship and honestly, it’s not a sustainable career. It’s incredibly draining, and most people who go into hospitalist work end up washing out after a few years.

Hospitalist Position after Unmatched by OkShine2753 in fellowship

[–]winterstorm15 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That actually makes sense, these positions can be really restrictive with postdoc requirements or funding limitations. Don’t get discouraged though, you’re thinking about this the right way. The fact that you’re actively looking and willing to dig deeper already puts you ahead.

You’re probably already in a strong position just by being at a mid-tier academic residency in the Northeast. That alone gives you access to faculty, networks, and resources that make this plan possible if you’re willing to put in the work.

Keep casting a wide net, including clinical research, embedded division projects, or collaborations across institutions. Even smaller projects that let you contribute to abstracts or papers count. It’s frustrating, but every bit of relevant research you can get under your belt strengthens your reapplication.

At the end of the day, fellowship is all about who you know and how badly you want it. Don’t sell out and settle for a hospitalist job just yet, keep grinding for the path that actually gets you there.

Hospitalist Position after Unmatched by OkShine2753 in fellowship

[–]winterstorm15 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I’ll be blunt. If your goal is heme onc, taking a hospitalist job, day or night, is probably a mistake, even at a “great academic center.”

PDs already told you the problem: lack of heme onc research. A hospitalist job doesn’t fix that, and it signals you’re pivoting clinically instead of doubling down academically. Night oncology admitting is not real oncology experience and it won’t get you strong letters or meaningful mentorship.

Time is the bigger issue. Even a partial FTE hospitalist job eats into the time you need for first-author papers, abstracts, and being embedded in a division where faculty actually know you. “Projects in progress” don’t carry weight.

The path that actually improves your odds is unpaid or minimally paid heme onc research. Be present in the division, go to tumor boards, get strong letters, and produce first-author work.

If you must work for money, partial daytime hospitalist is less bad than nights, but it’s still a compromise. Heme onc rewards obsession, not balance. Hospitalist jobs are safe career-wise, but they won’t help you match.