r/neurology 4d ago

Clinical Offer Evaluation

Hi Everyone,

Just want to hear some thoughts on offer I've received

Midwest hospital, <50k pop town. Vascular/General Neurology. $345k base for ~6500 RVU's, 85k sign-on bonus and 65k student loan assistance that can be given upfront. Q4 call at $750/night. $53/RVU in bonus productivity. No inpatietn service but will have 4.5 days clinic with additional days of ER/Inpatient consults, with potential for Botox days as well. 35 PTO days. Non-negotiable noncompete.

- Just wondering if this is an achievable RVU goal at this base salary without having to work like a resident again, and if it is generally appropriate for the location without getting too specific. I feel it is on the higher end of required RVU's but could be wrong.

Any other insights is greatly appreciated!

27 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

22

u/LieutenantBrainz MD Neuro Attending 4d ago

~$53/RVU is low

12

u/MavsFanForLife MD Sports Neurologist 4d ago

Agreed. Especially for location. Would try and negotiate up to 63-65/RVU

3

u/LieutenantBrainz MD Neuro Attending 4d ago

Oh how cool. Didn't know there was such a thing as Sports Neurology. Is that essentially managing TBI's and EMGs?

5

u/MavsFanForLife MD Sports Neurologist 4d ago

All TBI’s plus sports related neurological issues like migraines, nerve entrapments, etc :) ends up being a lot of general within it

4

u/LieutenantBrainz MD Neuro Attending 4d ago

Neat!

I have a burning question. Would you let your kids play high school football?

7

u/MavsFanForLife MD Sports Neurologist 4d ago

Great question. For my kids, absolutely not. I do think they are trying to make the game safer but the risks don't outweigh the benefits (which probably makes me a hypocrite since I'm a huge fan of the sport).

outside of my potential future kids, though, I think there is a whole ethical perspective of it as well that a lot of us struggle with. IE if you have someone from an inner city who comes from an economic disadvantaged background and football is their one chance of making it big, who are we to say they shouldn't play? those are the ones where I honestly have a harder time giving advice

4

u/LieutenantBrainz MD Neuro Attending 4d ago

Great answer! Thank you

3

u/MavsFanForLife MD Sports Neurologist 4d ago

Thanks for asking :) always fun to discuss different neurology fields

2

u/JamalWBooth 4d ago

Still a mavs fan after the Luka trade?

2

u/MavsFanForLife MD Sports Neurologist 4d ago

lol yeah unfortunately. Growing up in Dallas, though, I’ve always been a bigger Stars fan so we got that going for us (plus Rangers at least look decent thus far)

16

u/Peyerpatch 4d ago

I think the base pay is somewhat on the lower side for the region but the benefits sound good and I’m sure the COL is low. I hate the restrictive covenant in a small town, basically insuring you’d have to leave but I understand it from their perspective. I’m not sure what a town with a population like those means for a clinic or inpatient census, the RVU goal seems higher but the best people to ask are the current neurologists in the practice and what would happen if you didn’t meet these goals.

13

u/notathrowaway1133 Epilepsy Attending 4d ago

Very low for Midwest, should expect at least $60/rvu, putting you at 400 k base. Negotiate this as your minimum.

10

u/blindminds MD, Neurology, Neurocritical Care 4d ago

Not the best source myself, but sounds pretty low and you’re probably worth at least 450 base. That’s a crazy sign on bonus but there are probably stipulations.

8

u/Recent_Grapefruit74 4d ago

Bad offer, wRVU rate is way too low. As others have mentioned, you want to shoot for a wRVU rate in the 60s.

Be prepared to walk away if they won't negotiate and find somewhere else that won't take advantage of you.

13

u/clinictalk01 4d ago edited 4d ago

I looked up the averages on Marit. The base and bonus numbers below are from Midwest. The rest of the numbers are US-wide

Offer vs. Marit Averages

  • Base: Offer: $345k | Marit: $374k
  • Avg Bonus + Other Income: Offer: ?? | Marit: $24.5k
  • Sign-on Bonus: Offer: $85k | Marit: $41k
  • Relocation Bonus: Offer: ?? | Marit: $10k
  • Loan Assistance: Offer: $65k | Marit: $20k
  • Nightly Call Rate: Offer: $750 | Marit: $762
  • RVU Threshold: Offer: 6,500 | Marit: 5,500
  • $/RVU: Offer: $53 | Marit: $55
  • PTO Days: Offer: 7 wks | Marit: 4.2 wks

Source: https://www.marithealth.com/o/-/neurologist/salary

I am curious what others think of the averages?

The RVU threshold feels much higher, so I'd check with others at the hospital on what they are able to achieve. The sign-on bonus solid, but I'd try to negotiate a higher base given that RVU target. Hope this helps!

6

u/Telamir 4d ago

Also for purely inpatient work unless you're super busy I think 6500 RVUs is probably going to be hard to hit unless you're reading EEGs and quite a few of them.

5

u/Interesting-Act-8282 4d ago

Also check conditions of student loan assistance. Sometimes that can require 5-8 years of continued service before totally forgiven

5

u/reddituser51715 MD Clinical Neurophysiology Attending 4d ago

This offer sucks. RVU goal is high and base salary is meh. The whole “additional days” of inpatient sounds potentially shitty as does the q4 call. Non negotiable non compete in a town of 50k means you have to move once you realize you are getting screwed. Is this the same deal the other three neurologists there are getting?

5

u/evtrneo 4d ago

MGMA median for neurology is 4839 wRVUs and $72.23, $900 on call daily rate. $59 is the 25th%tile for wRVU...