https://mereresidency.com Forum for Residents for Life Beyond Residency - Learn, Share, and Grow Wed, 22 Jul 2015 05:48:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.8 Comment on Paravertebral Block Explained in 10 Minutes by James Tan https://mereresidency.com/2015/07/21/paravertebral-block-explained-in-10-minutes/#comment-56 Wed, 22 Jul 2015 05:48:18 +0000 https://mereresidency.com/?p=598#comment-56 Awesome! Thanks Dr. Leng. Very informative and easy to follow. ]]> Comment on Show Me the Money – How Do You Get Paid as a Private Practice Anesthesiologist? by Editor https://mereresidency.com/2015/01/15/show-me-the-money-how-do-you-get-paid-as-a-private-practice-anesthesiologist/#comment-35 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 14:27:54 +0000 https://mereresidency.com/?p=399#comment-35 Thanks for your comment. I’ll soon write an article about the private practice interview process in which I’ll try to share my experience. It seems like you have been doing your due diligence when you say you have been looking at groups’ stability, their contracts with hospitals, work environment, etc. Those are all important factors to consider when choosing a group. As for when to ask about questions related to money or call schedule, I think you should ask them sooner than later. If an interviewee had asked me about questions related to income when I was in private practice, I would not have thought him/her money-hungry, but rather smart and savvy. Physicians in private practice know how important money is in running a business, so they will not think you a reincarnation of Ebenezer Scrooge if you asked them questions about money. It’s funny: not too many lawyers or MBAs would have the same qualms. As Michael says in the Godfather, it’s not personal, but strictly business. ]]> Comment on Show Me the Money – How Do You Get Paid as a Private Practice Anesthesiologist? by Tap Block https://mereresidency.com/2015/01/15/show-me-the-money-how-do-you-get-paid-as-a-private-practice-anesthesiologist/#comment-33 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 01:00:27 +0000 https://mereresidency.com/?p=399#comment-33 Thanks for the article! Very informative about the different types of groups that are out there. In my experience many groups seem to be leaning toward the pooled unit as a way to promote equality.
Could you comment in a future article about the PP interviewing process? I’ve been on a few PP interviews now, and do my research on the groups prior to meeting with them – but am still unclear about when is appropriate to really ask the nitty gritty questions. For example, the primary interview is a good place to talk about group stability, hospital contracts, collegiality among staff, types of cases one will do, and partnership track. But when is a good time to discuss that groups RVU’s (if it is a pooled unit – which so far every place I’ve interviewed at has utilized), how many RVU’s one can expect to make a month, call schedule and work hours, vacation schedule, schedule flexibility, and the other “personal” questions. I don’t want to come across as money hungry or overly worried about call to early in the interview process – but these are important factors in choosing the right practice. Thanks! ]]> Comment on Disability Insurance – What Do You Look For? by Editor https://mereresidency.com/2014/11/12/disability-insurance-what-to-look-for/#comment-29 Sun, 18 Jan 2015 00:57:46 +0000 https://mereresidency.com/?p=29#comment-29 Most physicians, once they decide they want disability insurance, buy on their own. My jobs in private practice did not offer any disability insurance, only malpractice and health. Most private groups operate this way. One thing to be aware of: if you buy a group policy through an employer, it’s usually not portable, meaning that the benefits end if you switch jobs and that’s not a good thing. And yes, by a “group policy,” I mean a policy offered by an employer at your work place – much like the one you have through Stanford as a resident. Please let me know if this answers your question. ]]> Comment on Disability Insurance – What Do You Look For? by Lindsay Borg https://mereresidency.com/2014/11/12/disability-insurance-what-to-look-for/#comment-28 Sun, 18 Jan 2015 00:09:05 +0000 https://mereresidency.com/?p=29#comment-28 Just saw the list of providers in the other disability insurance post- thanks! ]]> Comment on Disability Insurance – What Do You Look For? by Lindsay Borg https://mereresidency.com/2014/11/12/disability-insurance-what-to-look-for/#comment-27 Sun, 18 Jan 2015 00:04:12 +0000 https://mereresidency.com/?p=29#comment-27 Great tips. I have been meaning to look into this for months and never got around to it. Without asking you to “plug” any particular insurance company, what are some good sources? Do people typically buy it on their own or through their first job? When you refer to “group policies,” do you mean those offered as benefits through employers?

Thanks for posting this!

]]> Comment on Supraclavicular block – a 6-Minute Video Review by Editor https://mereresidency.com/2015/01/06/supraclavicular-block-6-minute-review/#comment-17 Tue, 06 Jan 2015 02:17:39 +0000 https://mereresidency.com/?p=282#comment-17 Hi Jody. That was a concise, yet instructive video; I learned a lot. Thanks. ]]> Comment on Disability Insurance – What Does It Mean for You as a Resident? by Editor https://mereresidency.com/2014/11/23/what-does-disability-insurance-mean-for-you-as-a-resident/#comment-8 Thu, 25 Dec 2014 19:53:28 +0000 https://mereresidency.com/?p=36#comment-8 Hi Lauren. I think the thing that might be confusing is that unlike health insurance, you can purchase several different disability insurance policies as time goes on; it’s not a one-time purchase. You can purchase one plan towards the end of residency with an FIO. This won’t have that much benefit because you’re not making that much as a resident, but the FIO option is good. Then when you become an attending, you can buy more policies. For example, I bought my first policy towards the end of my residency; the benefit amount was $1000/month. I got it because it had an FIO which allowed me to buy more policies down the road without another physical exam. Then I just added to my coverage as time went on until I felt like I had enough coverage. I have five policies total. Hope this helps. ]]> Comment on Disability Insurance – What Does It Mean for You as a Resident? by editor https://mereresidency.com/2014/11/23/what-does-disability-insurance-mean-for-you-as-a-resident/#comment-3 Sun, 14 Dec 2014 00:14:40 +0000 https://mereresidency.com/?p=36#comment-3 Thank you for your question, Lauren. I don’t know if there is a need to buy disability insurance before your residency ends, per se. The advantage, if you do, would be that the sooner you buy, the less likely it is that you will have some sort of a medical condition which will not be covered under the disability insurance (insurance companies call this a rider). You won’t be able to get that much benefit coverage if you buy as a resident because the insurance company will only cover you up to about 50 – 60% of your income, which will end up being around $1000/month, and this will cost you about $50/month in premiums. If you do decide to get the insurance during residency, make sure you get one with a future increase option (FIO) which will allow you to increase your benefit amount at a future date without another physical exam. Then once you become an attending, you can buy more policies so that the benefit amount adds up to what you feel comfortable with. Hope this answers your question. ]]> Comment on Disability Insurance – What Does It Mean for You as a Resident? by Lauren Steffel https://mereresidency.com/2014/11/23/what-does-disability-insurance-mean-for-you-as-a-resident/#comment-2 Fri, 12 Dec 2014 06:53:42 +0000 https://mereresidency.com/?p=36#comment-2 When I graduated from medical school, I underwent a mandatory exit interview with a financial consultant who highly recommended purchasing disability insurance before starting residency (I elected not to do this). His rationale was that my comorbidities now were the lowest they would ever be, and buying insurance now would assure a low-risk rate, which may not be the case if I were to become ill for whatever reason during residency (he specifically cited the high use of antidepressants used by surgeons and anesthesiologists). Would you ever recommend buying disability insurance before the end of residency? ]]>