We recently had a change in management in our EMS department. Our current manager was suspended and I was asked to take over. While talking to our medical director(physcian advisor) about changes he wants us to make he informs me that he needs to get more money from our department. The amount is 7 times what we are now paying him! So I was just curious how much other departments are paying their Dr.
What is your medical director worth?
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Basically, it is what he wants to be paid to be our medical director. We are going to make some changes, mainly to do with training, but he said that is what he is charging us reguardless. He said he raised the rate with all the departments he is director for.
That is what he is charging to just be our director. He is going to do some extra things with us as far as training goes, but he said he raised the rate for all the departments he is advisor for.
The question is not what everyone else's medical director is worth, the question is what is your current one worth to you?
Not all doctors are equal.
Most EMS medical directors I know in the states either get paid a ceremonial amount. (to say they are paid) or they recieve a salary so low they put as little time and effort into EMS as possible.
Some services employ a full time medical director. Since that is a full time doctor, I am sure it costs a lot.
How much are you paying now?
(no, I do not want the job)
Not all doctors are equal.
Most EMS medical directors I know in the states either get paid a ceremonial amount. (to say they are paid) or they recieve a salary so low they put as little time and effort into EMS as possible.
Some services employ a full time medical director. Since that is a full time doctor, I am sure it costs a lot.
How much are you paying now?
(no, I do not want the job)
He is worth what he is asking for. Right now we pay him $100 a year and he has requested $7000. I have no issue giving that amount, but I know our board is going to flip out. So thinking about how I can convince them to pass it, got me to wondering how much other departments pay.
$7K a year?
That wouldn't pay me for a month.
Definately find the money for him. Send him a holiday bonus and a card.
akflightmedic
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LOL!!!!
What size department are we talking and is this volunteer?
7000/year is a freaking steal even if he did nothing the entire year!!
What size department are we talking and is this volunteer?
7000/year is a freaking steal even if he did nothing the entire year!!
LOL I intend to find the money. Our board will be hard to deal with but I will do it. We run 300 calls a year, and 30% are refusals or mutual aid, so that is why he was only charging $1500 a year. But, our old manager really slacked off on training, and wouldn't communicate with the Dr at all. We turn our trip reports in to the Dr for Q&A, he makes notes, and sends them back, then manager is suppose to go over them with the crew at training. For the past 5 years this has NEVER been done. So I am sure that has something to do with raising the rates.
Our Office of Prehospital Care is operated by the local University Medical Center. They are also the Level I trauma center and tertiary care center for everything.
We have a group of 5 medical directors for the system, and each agency has one of them. All of them are Emergency Medicine physicians at the hospital (one does just Peds EM), and they have a contract between themselves and the hospital/university for a certain number of hours worked per year. Each agency then reaches an agreement for an average number of hours per week they want the medical directors time for, and pay the hospital/university for it. Those hours are then deducted from their annual hour requirement. The amount each agency pays for varies widely, as we have everything from small, rural BLS non-transporting agencies that run a couple hundred calls a year (but require a medical director of record), to a commercial agency that does about 100,000 911 jobs per year plus a ton of CC IFT, and every permutation in between.
The system medical director, at last count, was averaging about 26 hours a week in the ED to balance his FT commitment. That's not truly accurate, though, as he does a fair amount for the system uncompensated.
$7000 a year though? Unless you're BLS and running 150 calls a year, that's seriously being underpaid.
We have a group of 5 medical directors for the system, and each agency has one of them. All of them are Emergency Medicine physicians at the hospital (one does just Peds EM), and they have a contract between themselves and the hospital/university for a certain number of hours worked per year. Each agency then reaches an agreement for an average number of hours per week they want the medical directors time for, and pay the hospital/university for it. Those hours are then deducted from their annual hour requirement. The amount each agency pays for varies widely, as we have everything from small, rural BLS non-transporting agencies that run a couple hundred calls a year (but require a medical director of record), to a commercial agency that does about 100,000 911 jobs per year plus a ton of CC IFT, and every permutation in between.
The system medical director, at last count, was averaging about 26 hours a week in the ED to balance his FT commitment. That's not truly accurate, though, as he does a fair amount for the system uncompensated.
$7000 a year though? Unless you're BLS and running 150 calls a year, that's seriously being underpaid.
akflightmedic
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Well at 7K a year, you have a great deal on your hands.
For any involvement, QA and liability assumed....convince your people they are stupid to even argue.
For any involvement, QA and liability assumed....convince your people they are stupid to even argue.
lightsandsirens5
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Wow, offer him raise maybe? I have no idea what mine makes, but I assume it's got to be more than 7K a year.
And fyi, 7k is not 7 times what you pay now. It is 70 times. Lol! Just dont say that to the board in those terms.
The $100 a year was a typo, we paid him $1000 a year.
Our department along with our neighboring counties are paying a regional sum of $15,000 to a single Physician to act as our "regional" physicians advisor. Not too bad considering our PA visits each agency at least quarterly to personally review QA and talk with his agency personnel.
$7,000 happens to be my base monthly pay as a firefighter/medic. I'm sure our FT OMD makes much more than I do.
DesertMedic66
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Wanna trade? Mine is about $2,600 as an EMT/nothing else hahaha
Oh how I wish I could make anywhere close to that. My base pay to be divison manager, IF I run atleast 20 shifts a month as an Intermediate, is $1200! If I don't run 20 shifts, I get 900 to run the department. But we remain at home, with a pager until we get called. So I make $5 an hour while on the pager, and $16 an hour if I get a call, and most of our calls take 2 hours. With an average of 300 calls a year, I am certainly not getting rich. Oooops I got of topic for a minute
My base in NYC was around $20/hr, or $3400/month. Just apply for FDNY EMS, do a few years, and then you'll be good to go lol
To be fair, my department is fire based, so I made $53k/yr in training, $70k/yr as a graduated FF/medic nine months later, and now $84k/yr base four + years in with a promotion.
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Sounds like you need to do what many of us do in EMS, which is relocate for better pay. I can't be bothered with on-call unless it's overnight for a few hours when I'm sleeping at home otherwise. My hospital has 0000-0600 on call which isn't too bad.
I need to trade with you.