Category: Physicians

Freebies, Discounts, & Perks for Healthcare’s Heroes

To recognize the heroic efforts of frontline medical staff, companies are offering promotions as a way of giving back. Here’s a giant list of them.

Last Updated: May 11th, 2020 at 8:50 AM ET. Please see individual websites for further details about offers, including whether or not they have expired.

No one has proven more essential through the COVID-19 crisis than the medical professionals who are working on the frontlines of the pandemic. To recognize your heroic efforts, scores of companies across the nation are offering promotions as a way of giving back.

To make it a bit easier to know what is being offered to you, we’ve compiled a list of some of the available free and discounted goods and services, as well as other perks, and have posted it below.

Please note, this list is by no means complete. However, it is extensive, and we will continue to update it, as we come across new promotions and as promotions expire or reach their limit. If you are aware of a promotion not listed below, or if you discover that a promotion listed has expired, please email us by clicking here.

If you have any questions about a specific promotion, please direct those questions to the company offering the promotion. Thank you.

PPE

Mask Match — Free Masks
If you are a healthcare worker in need of a mask, Mask Match will try to connect you with someone who has masks to donate. Fill out the “I Need Masks” form to get started.
Learn More →

Apparel, Goods, and Services

Adidas — 40% Off
Adidas offers 15% off year-round for first responders and nurses. However, they have increased that discount program to 40% off during the COVID-19 crisis.
Learn More →

Big Lots — 15% Off
Big Lots is offering a 15% discount off everything for medical professionals, first responders, and active military/veterans. Just show your badge or work/military ID or use code BIGHEROES online. This offer is good through May 31st.
Learn More →

BJ’s Wholesale Club — Priority Access
BJ’s Wholesale Club, at all of its locations, will have an Appreciation Hour from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Sundays for first responders and healthcare workers. During this designated time period, first responders and healthcare workers can shop in all of BJ’s locations without a membership.
Learn More →

Care.com — Free Premium Access
Care.com is providing one month of free, premium access to their site to support frontline medical workers who need help with finding care for their children, parents, and pets.
Learn More →

Clarks — 50% Off
Shoe manufacturer and retailer, Clarks, is offering a 50% discount for nurses and first responders. Limit one 50% off code per nurse or medical professional. Verify your ID through ID.me to receive the discount.
Learn More →

Costco — Priority Access
Costco is temporarily offering priority access to members who are healthcare workers and first responders, such as police officers, EMTs and firefighters. Just present your Costco membership card and official identification of your role to move to the front of the line.
Learn More →

Crocs — Free Crocs
Crocs is donating 10,000 shoes a day through their “Sharing a Pair for Healthcare” initiative. All you have to do is go to the Crocs website and get in line at 12:00 PM ET for each day’s giveaway.
Learn More →

Dearfoams — Free Slippers — Limit Reached/Giveaway Expired
Dearfoams is giving away free slippers to healthcare workers, and has also committed to donating 100,000 face masks to healthcare heroes.
Learn More →

Dollar General — In-Store Discount
Dollar General is offering an in-store discount of an unspecified amount to all medical personnel, first responders, and activated National Guardsmen. Just present your employer badge or ID. It was previously announced that the discount would be 10%, and may be more or less at this time.
Learn More →

Dr. Scholl’s — Free Insoles
Dr. Scholl’s is donating 100,000 pairs of Dr. Scholl’s Massaging Gel Work insoles to healthcare workers across the country, totaling a $1.3 million donation. Hospitals can email coronavirus.outreach@drscholls.com to submit a request for their medical staff.
Learn More →

Food Network — Free Access
Food Network is giving healthcare professionals 1 year of free access to their app, Food Network Kitchen, which offers step-by-step cooking tutorials, as well as commercial-free access to Food Network shows.
Learn More →

Home Shopping Network — 15% Off
Home Shopping Network is offering nurses 15% off any single item on HSN.com. Exclusions apply. Coupon valid through December 31st, 2020.
Learn More →

Jansport — 50% Off
Jansport, the maker of backpacks, bags, and accessories, is offering 50% for medical professionals and first responders. This offer is valid through June 30th, 2020.
Learn More →

Nike — 20% Off
For a limited time, Nike has increased their first responder and medical professional discount from 10% to 20%. Doctors, nurses, technicians, medical researchers, EMTs, firefighters, law enforcement, and more are eligible for the discount.
Learn More →

The North Face — 50% Off
From April 14, 2020 to December 31, 2020 The North Face will be giving a 50% discount to healthcare workers in the U.S. This discount can be used for the purchase of non-sale items on their website and at The North Face-owned retail stores in the United States.
Learn More →

Publix — Priority Access
First responders and hospital staff will be permitted to shop in Publix and access in-store pharmacies an hour after closing to the general public on Thursday evenings, from 8:00 until 9:00 PM, and an hour before opening to the general public on Friday mornings, from 7:00 until 8:00 AM until further notice.
Learn More →

Reebok — 50% Off
Reebok has increased their longstanding company discount to first responders and educators to 50% off. All nurses, military members, educators and first responders can shop 50% off at Reebok.com with no exceptions during this time.
Learn More →

Sam’s Club — Priority Access
Beginning April 19th, Sam’s Club is offering priority access to members who are healthcare workers and first responders during their “Hero Hours,” which are special shopping hours on Sundays from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
Learn More →

Samsung — Up to 30% Off/Free Repairs
Samsung has extended their employee discount to all first responders and their families, which includes free repairs for Samsung phones, as well as up to 30% off products.
Learn More →

Tide — Free Laundry Services
Tide is offering free laundry services and dry cleaning to the families (defined as ‘next of kin’ e.g. same household/address) of frontline responders including nurses, doctors, paramedics, hospital/medical staff, medical researchers, police officers, and firefighters. The offer is good in participating cities through May 9.
Learn More →

Under Armour — 40% Off
Under Armour is recognizing those on the front lines by offering a 40% off discount for military members, first responders, health care workers and teachers. Just choose ‘Military and First Responder Discount’ at checkout to get your discount.
Learn More →

YETI — 20% Off
YETI, maker of coolers, drinkware, bags, and more, is offering a 20% discount to medical professionals and first responders. Verify your ID to receive the discount. Some restrictions apply.
Learn More →

Food & Beverages

Circle K — Free Coffee, Tea, or Fountain Drink — Limit Reached/Giveaway Expired
First responders and health care workers can get a free coffee, tea, or Polar Pop Fountain Drink when they show an ID through April 30.
Learn More →

DoorDash — Free or Discounted Delivery
DoorDash, the food delivery app, is actively partnering with hospitals in the U.S. and Canada to provide free access to Corporate DashPass. Every doctor, nurse, and hospital employee from partnering hospitals will receive at least 60 days of free DashPass, which eliminates or reduces delivery fees from local restaurants.
Learn More →

Dunkin’ — Free Coffee and Donut — Limit Reached/Giveaway Expired
On the first day of National Nurses Week, Wednesday, May 6, Dunkin’ is offering a free medium hot or iced coffee and a free donut to all healthcare workers who visit participating Dunkin’ restaurants nationwide, while supplies last. Not purchase necessary. Excludes Cold Brew and Nitro Cold Brew, Limit 1 per guest. Not valid on mobile orders.
Learn More →

Hooters — 20% Off
Hospital workers, first responders, and military personnel get 20% off at Hooters. Show your work ID for curbside pickup orders, or for online orders choose the “Pay at Store” option.
Learn More →

IHOP — 20% Off
Get 20% off your entire check if you’re a medical, law enforcement, military, and firefighter professional. All you need to do is mention the offer when you call in your order to IHOP. Then, show your official ID when you pick up your order.
Learn More →

Krispy Kreme — Free Dozen Donuts
Every Monday, Krispy Kreme is giving free dozens of their iconic Original Glazed® Doughnuts to healthcare workers. Just go to a Krispy Kreme drive-thru, tell them what you need, and show your employer badgeLimit five dozen per healthcare worker. Valid until May 12.
Learn More →

Little Caesars Pizza — Free Pizzas
Little Caesars Pizza will be donating and delivering a million pizzas to healthcare workers and first responders in the U.S. in the next few weeks. Starting April 13, customers can also “Pie it Forward” and donate a pizza to their local hospital, police station, or fire station via the Little Caesars app.
Learn More →

McDonald’s — Free Meal — Limit Reached/Giveaway Expired
Participating McDonald’s locations will provide the option of a free Thank You Meal to first responders and healthcare workers, valid all day and night between April 22nd and May 5th. Frontline workers, including healthcare professionals, can order these meals via the drive thru or the McDonald’s app and will be asked to show their ID badge during the pick-up process.
Learn More →

Nando’s PERi-PERi — Free Meals
The fast-casual chicken restaurant, which has locations in Illinois, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, is providing free meals to anyone with a valid hospital ID. Limited to one meal per day while supplies last. Valid through May 17th, 2020.
Learn More →

Racetrac — Free Small Coffee or Fountain Drink — Limit Reached/Giveaway Expired
Racetrac is offering all essential workers, who are either wearing their uniform and/or have valid ID, a free small coffee or small fountain drink now through April 30. Limit one per person per day.
Learn More →

Starbucks — Free Hot or Cold Tall Brewed Coffee — Limit Reached/Giveaway Expired
Starbucks has announced that “any customer who identifies as a first responder or front-line worker supporting our healthcare system” can get a free hot or cold tall brewed coffee on each visit through May 3.
Learn More →

Thistle — 10% Off
Thistle, a ready-to-eat, food delivery service, is offering 10% off all deliveries to healthcare workers through May. Use code HOSPITALHEROES at checkout or reach out to hello@thistle.co for more details.
Learn More →

Tropical Smoothie Cafe — Free Smoothies
Medical professionals and first responders can contact their local Tropical Smoothie shop to have free smoothies delivered to your team.
Learn More →

Wawa — Free Coffee
Wawa, which has locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Florida, and Washington D.C., is offering free coffee to healthcare workers and first responders for the length of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Learn More →

White Castle — Free Castle Combo or Breakfast Combo — Limit Reached/Giveaway Expired
White Castle is offering a free Castle Combo or breakfast combo to healthcare workers and EMTs, valid through the end of April. This is good for drive-thru only and you must show ID to receive the offer.
Learn More →

Health & Wellness

Down Dog — Free Access
Down Dog is offering all of its apps, including Down Dog, Yoga for Beginners, HIIT, Barre, and 7 Minute Workout, completely free for nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals through July 1.
Learn More →

Headspace — Free Access
Headspace is offering free access to its meditation app through 2020 for anyone working in a public health setting.
Learn More →

Neurocore Counseling — Free Telehealth Counseling
Neurocore Counseling is offering free telehealth counseling to medical personnel and first responders through May 1 or longer.
Learn More →

Training Mate — Free Streaming Workouts
The LA-based gym is offering a free month of streaming workouts for frontline healthcare professionals.
Learn More →

Lodging, Travel, Transportation

Airbnb — No Fees
Find a frontline stay specially prepared for first responders through Airbnb, with the company waiving fees for the first 100k stays booked through their COVID-19 relief program.
Learn More →

BP/Amoco — $.50 Off Per Gallon of Gasoline
The gas station chain is offering a discount of 50 cents off per gallon for first responders and health care workers the next time they fill up at BP or Amoco gas stations in the US.
Learn More →

Choice Hotels — Discounted Hotel Rates
Choice Hotels is offering a “Choice Cares” special rate for nurses, doctors, paramedics, firefighters, food/agriculture workers, transit employees, and others outlined by CISA guidelines. Up to 9 nights can be booked with the special rate.
Learn More →

Hilton Hotels — Free and Discounted Hotel Rates
Hilton Hotels, in partnership with American Express, will donate up to 1 million hotel room nights across the United States to frontline medical professionals leading the fight against COVID-19. They will make rooms available without charge to doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics and other frontline medical staff who need a place to sleep, recharge, or isolate from their families through the end of May.
Learn More →

Honda Motor Company — $500 Off
Honda is offering nurses and other healthcare professionals $500 savings toward any 2019 or newer model year Honda when they finance or lease with Honda Financial Services®. Available until July 6, 2020.
Learn More →

Marriott Bonvoy — Free and Discounted Hotel Rates
Marriott Bonvoy, in collaboration with American Express and JPMorgan Chase, has started a new initiative called Rooms for Responders which will provide $10 million in hotel stays for doctors and nurses leading the fight against COVID-19. They also offer their Community Caregiver Program, which provides significantly discounted rates for first responders and healthcare professionals who want to book rooms at hotels near the hospitals where they work.
Learn More →

Red Roof Inn — 15-20% Off
Travel nurses with valid ID can get 20% off their stay at Red Roof Inn when they book online or call 1-800-733-7663. Discounts are also available to members of Advantage RN (20% off) and Emergency Nurses Association (15% off).
Learn More →

Sixt Rent a Car — 5% Off
Sixt Rent a Car is offering a 5% discount on car rentals to doctors and other medical staff. Bring valid ID when you pick up your vehicle.
Learn More →

Uber — Free Transportation
Uber Health is providing free transportation for frontline healthcare workers, helping them get to and from patients’ homes, as well as between healthcare facilities. They are also providing free meals on Uber Eats to first responders and healthcare workers in US and Canada, in coordination with local, state, and provincial governments.
Learn More →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Join the Fight Against COVID-19

We encourage all healthcare professionals who are able to join the fight against COVID-19 to register with us and label themselves as #covid19 ready.

Our nation is facing an incredibly trying time due to COVID-19, and it is being felt the deepest on healthcare’s front lines. As a leading healthcare job board, we feel it is our responsibility to assist hospitals and health systems across the U.S. to be properly staffed during the COVID-19 crisis, not only to better serve their communities, but to help alleviate the enormous strain placed on healthcare professionals due to staffing shortages and increased patient volume.

We encourage all healthcare professionals who are ready, willing, and able to join the fight against COVID-19 to register with us and label themselves as #covid19 ready.

To do so, please take the following steps:

  • Create or update a profile on HealthJobsNationwide.com by clicking here.
  • Fill in all required information, and along with your current specialty, be sure to select the temporary specialty “#covid19” in the Specialty dropdown. This will allow hospitals and healthcare facilities to easily find and contact you.
  • Then, if and when you are ready, search COVID-19 related jobs on our site by clicking here.

Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do through this crisis. We are with you.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

How to Care for Yourself While Treating COVID-19 Patients

People who work in healthcare are being stretched beyond their limits due to COVID-19. Here are tips to take care of yourself while caring for others.

Right now, people who work in healthcare across the United States are being stretched beyond their limits due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Working in an industry that normally experiences a rampant burnout problem, it is important to take extra care of yourself during this especially trying time, not only so you can continue to be effective in your role, but to stay as mentally and physically healthy as possible. Here are some tips, based on recommendations made by the CDC, on how to properly care for yourself while treating patients of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Make a Plan

  • Try to learn as much as possible about what role you will play in responding to the outbreak, so you are able to plan, both for work and your home life.
  • Speak with your supervisor about any concerns you have and any questions you need answered regarding your role in response to COVID-19, as well as day-to-day operations.
  • If you will be working abnormally long hours, explain this to your loved ones and set boundaries, particularly for communication. Your work will be demanding and you will not be able to respond to every call, text, or email in real time, and this needs to be expressed to people who may not understand the pressure you will be under.

Understand & Identify Burnout & Secondary Traumatic Stress

  • Anyone and everyone can be susceptible to burning out or experiencing Secondary Traumatic Stress when dealing with a crisis such as COVID-19.
  • Knowing the difference between the two is important. Burnout is defined as feelings of extreme exhaustion and being overwhelmed, while Secondary Traumatic Stress is categorized by experiencing stress reactions and symptoms resulting from exposure to another individual’s traumatic experiences, rather than from exposure directly to a traumatic event.
  • Symptoms of burnout include: experiencing sadness, depression, or apathy; feeling easily frustrated or irritable; lacking feelings, or feeling indifferent; disconnection from others; poor self-care and hygiene; feeling tired, exhausted or overwhelmed.
  • Symptoms of Secondary Traumatic Stress include: excessively worrying or fearing about something bad happening; being easily startled, or feeling like you must be “on guard” all of the time; physical signs of stress, such as a rapid heartbeat; experiencing nightmares or recurrent thoughts about the traumatic situation; feeling that others’ trauma is yours.
  • Coping techniques such as taking breaks, eating healthy foods, exercising, routinely sleeping, and using the buddy system can help prevent and reduce burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress.

Get Support

  • You are not alone in what you are experiencing. Enact a buddy system, in which you and another person who is responding to the COVID-19 crisis partner together to support each other, as well as monitor each other’s stress, workload, and safety.
  • Check in with each other on a daily basis to offer support, be that in the form of listening or sharing.
  • Help each other with basic needs, such as sharing supplies or transportation.
  • Encourage each other to take breaks, and share opportunities for stress relief, such as exercise or meditation.

Practice Self Care

  • Caring for yourself may be the last thing on your mind when treating patients impacted by the virus, but it is the most important thing you can do.
  • Given the contagious nature of COVID-19, having your immune system in top shape is imperative. Beyond that, stress prevention and management is critical so you can stay well and continue to help in the situation.
  • Effective self care techniques for healthcare workers include:
    • If at all possible, limit workdays to 12 hours or less.
    • Work in teams as much as possible and limit the time you spend working alone.
    • Talk to family, friends, supervisors, teammates, or mental health professionals about your feelings and experiences.
    • Journal your thoughts on a regular basis.
    • Practice breathing and relaxation techniques.
    • Maintain a healthy diet and get adequate sleep and exercise.
    • Avoid or limit consumption of caffeine and alcohol.
  • Know that it is healthy to draw boundaries and to say “no.”
  • It is important to remind yourself that it is not selfish to take breaks when you need them, and that asking for help is okay.
  • The needs of your patients are important, but they are not more important than your well-being. There are others who can help, when you need to help yourself.

Get Help If & When You Need It

You are not alone. You are just a call or text away from reaching professionals who can help you to process what you are experiencing. Reach out to them, if you need support at:

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Disaster Distress Hotline: Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746.
  • The Crisis Text Line: Text TALK to 741741.
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-TALK.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

How to Prepare to Negotiate Your Salary

Being an in-demand provider doesn’t mean you’ll automatically be paid well. Here are a few tips to prepare you for when it’s time to negotiate your salary.

Being an in-demand healthcare provider—a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, registered nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, or myriad other titles—does not mean you will automatically be a well-paid one, as well. However, being in-demand does often mean that you are in a unique position in terms of bargaining power, and can negotiate for what you want and so rightly deserve. Here are a few tips to follow to be prepared when the time comes to negotiate.

1. Know Your Worth

When it comes to negotiating your salary, it is absolutely critical that you know your worth, both personally, based on your experience and specialized skill set, and in terms of your market value.

Use your current and former salaries, salary reports that are available online, or even buck the taboo and talk to your peers about what they are earning, and create a salary range for yourself. The low end should be the absolute minimum you would seriously consider and the high end should represent what you would accept without any further negotiations needed.

By basing your salary range on comparable salaries, instead of plucking numbers out of thin air, there is a greater chance that any counter offer you may need to make be seriously considered. Know that if you are preparing, they are, as well, and it’s more than likely the hiring company has also done their research and has a range of their own to consider, too.

2. Consider the Benefits

Money isn’t the only thing on the table when it comes to negotiating, and there are plenty of benefits that can provide quite a bit of value, while not moving the needle on your salary.

If the proposed salary is on the low end and the hiring company won’t budge, try negotiating for better benefits. Some benefits to attempt to fold into negotiations can include: signing bonus, education/CME allowance, flexible work schedule, PTO, insurance, retirement plans, and more.

Not everything valuable to you will have a dollar sign in front of it, so make sure you weigh every option available to you when negotiating.

3. Know You May Not Get What You Want and That’s Okay

It is one thing to know your worth and it is another, entirely, to respect it. Know that if you are going to negotiate your salary, there is a chance that negotiations may fail, and you may see just how undervalued someone in your position is to those on the other side of the table.

Know that it is okay—more than okay—to walk away from negotiations, if you are being greatly devalued and even your most basic salary needs cannot be met.

Part of being in-demand means that you have options. Make sure you explore all of them and choose the best fit for you, not just what you will settle for. You should respect yourself and your expertise enough to do that, and the right employer will respect that, as well.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The 3 States with the Most Physician Jobs

Hiring in healthcare is off to a strong start in 2020, adding more than 35,000 jobs in January alone. See where the most physician jobs are right now.

In terms of hiring, the healthcare sector is off to a strong start in 2020, adding more than 35,000 jobs in January alone, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. So, where are the jobs? We analyzed data on our site and came up with the top three states with the most available openings for physicians right now, as well as a selection of noteworthy positions in each state.

1. California

Average Annual Physician Salary in California: $197,860

Noteworthy Openings in California:

Click Here to Search Physician Jobs in California →

2. Pennsylvania

Average Annual Physician Salary in Pennsylvania: $208,470

Noteworthy Openings in Pennsylvania:

Click Here to Search Physician Jobs in Pennsylvania →

3. New York

Average Annual Physician Salary in New York: $192,900

Noteworthy Openings in New York:

Click Here to Search Physician Jobs in New York →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Male Docs Earn Higher Patient Ratings

On average, male providers received higher star ratings in online reviews than their female contemporaries, according to a new report.

The newly released findings of the 2020 Patient Sentiment Report—published by Healthgrades and the Medical Group Management Association—offer insight into how patients perceive their care, and their providers, and it seems as though male providers and the care they provide are, on average, seen in a more favorable light.

The report, which analyzed the more than 8.4 million star ratings completed by patients on Healthgrades as of December 1, 2019, found that patients more commonly rate male doctors higher than female doctors, giving them an average star rating of 4.3—.2 stars more than the 4.1 earned by female providers. It was also found that when reviewing male doctors, patients were more likely to mention skill and quality of care, as well as the office staff, than they did in reviews of female doctors.

Female physicians received high marks of their own, though. When evaluating female providers, patients positively mentioned themes of bedside manner, communication, wait times, and visit times more than they did for male physicians.

There appears, however, to be one area physicians of all genders are equal. The report also found that both male and female physicians have a negative average rating when it comes to wait times.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The Healthy & Unhealthy Ways Physicians Cope with Burnout

Nearly half of physicians are now using positive coping mechanisms to deal with burnout, as opposed to turning to more unhealthy, self-destructive options.

Nearly half of physicians are now using positive coping mechanisms to deal with burnout, as opposed to turning to more unhealthy, self-destructive options, according to the 2020 National Physician Burnout & Suicide Report by Medscape.

The results, which came from asking more than 15,000 physicians in over 29 specialties to select all coping mechanisms they use, show that self-isolation and exercise are the methods most commonly used by physicians, with both accounting for 45% of responses and tying for the top spot. Talking with family members and close friends was the third most widely used method, with 42% of respondents identifying this as a chosen coping mechanism, and sleeping ranking as the fourth most popular method, with 40% selecting this option.

The full list was not made up of entirely healthy methods, however. Other highly ranked ways physicians deal with burnout included eating junk food (33%), drinking alcohol (24%), and binge eating (20%).

The full list included:

  • Isolate myself from others – 45%
  • Exercise – 45%
  • Talk with family members/close friends – 42%
  • Sleep – 40%
  • Eat junk food – 33%
  • Play or listen to music – 32%
  • Drink alcohol – 24%
  • Binge eat – 20%
  • Smoke cigarettes/use products containing nicotine – 3%
  • Use prescription drugs – 2%
  • Smoke marijuana/consume marijuana products – 1%
  • Other – 12%
  • None of the above – 3%

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Gender Pay Gap Tops $36K for New Physicians

A new study has found that male physicians earn more than their female counterparts, even at the onset of their career.

A new study, which was released ahead of print by Health Affairs, shows a growing disparity in pay between new male and female physicians.

For the study, researchers collected data between 1999 and 2017 from graduating residents from the New York Survey of Residents Completing Training from the Center for Health Workforce Studies of the University of Albany, State University. Using that data, the researchers found that, over that time period, the average starting compensation for men was $235,044 and $198,426 for women, a difference of more than $36,000. They also discovered that the gap widened over time, increasing from $7,700 in 1999.

While part of the pay gap could be explained due to analyzed variables—chosen specialty (40-55%), number of job offers (2-9%), hours worked (up to 7%), and work-life balance preferences (less than 1%)—researchers could not entirely explain the disparity.

“While it is apparent that women say they place a greater premium on control over work-life balance factors, this difference does not appear to explain the observed starting salary difference, conditional on other factors,” the researchers wrote. “There may nevertheless exist workplace biases, whether intentional or unintentional, that differentially affect women irrespective of their individual stated preferences for work-life balance.”

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The Highest Paying U.S. Metro Areas for Physicians

Want to earn more than the average annual physician salary of $208,000? You might want to look for a job in these metro locations offering top pay.

Physician salaries are typically considered some of the highest across the United States, with average annual salaries ranking at or above $208,000. However, pay can vary quite a bit in different cities across the country, due to cost of living and other factors, including specialty.

If your 2020 job search has you considering a change in location, be it across the state or across the country, knowing which areas offer the highest pay can help you decide your next move.

Take a look at the top ten metro areas offering the highest average annual salaries for Family and General Practitioners, Internists, Pediatricians, and Surgeons as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

Family and General Practitioners

  1. Sheboygan, WI – $288,770
  2. Appleton, WI – $287,050
  3. Lafayette, LA – $285,350
  4. Jacksonville, NC – $282,770
  5. Rockford, IL – $281,470
  6. Portsmouth, NH-ME – $280,310
  7. Mobile, AL – $279,310
  8. Knoxville, TN – $278,300
  9. Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC – $277,290
  10. Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS – $275,660

Internists

  1. Sioux Falls, SD – $291,360
  2. Tulsa, OK – $286,500
  3. Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC – $276,410
  4. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL – $273,690
  5. Richmond, VA – $269,200
  6. Albuquerque, NM – $262,050
  7. Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA – $261,990
  8. New Haven, CT – $257,100
  9. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY – $256,900
  10. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV – $256,490

Pediatricians

  1. Montgomery, AL – $285,070
  2. Jackson, MS – $283,960
  3. Killeen-Temple, TX – $275,000
  4. Madison, WI – $274,720
  5. St. Louis, MO-IL – $271,230
  6. Eugene, OR – $267,860
  7. Salt Lake City, UT – $265,080
  8. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI – $264,320
  9. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV – $261,890
  10. Anchorage, AK – $258,830

Surgeons

  1. Greenville, NC – $289,460
  2. Winchester, VA-WV – $287,960
  3. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN – $287,850
  4. Champaign-Urbana, IL – $287,630
  5. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA – $287,390
  6. Bowling Green, KY – $286,530
  7. Bloomington, IL – $286,270
  8. New Orleans-Metairie, LA – $286,090
  9. Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA – $285,890
  10. Grand Junction, CO – $285,760

Ready to start your search for a higher paying job? Click here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Behind the 8-Ball

Due, in part, to their compassionate nature and dedication to their patients, MDs, NPs, and other overworked healthcare professionals have found themselves in an impossible position, with few options for relief.

From Nurse Keith’s Digital Doorway

On June 8, 2019, an excellent article was published in the New York Times that clearly stated something I’ve been thinking about for quite some time. The article was titled, “The Business of Health Care Depends on Exploiting Doctors and Nurses“, and the subtitle was “One resource seems infinite and free: the professionalism of caregivers“. It was written by Dr. Danielle Ofri, a physician at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.

The article outlines the ways in which healthcare providers are exploited for their compassion and dedication to patients in terms of being asked to see more patients and do more work than is humanly possible without any additional remuneration or compensation. While the writer focused on MDs and NPs, in my opinion this is an across-the-board cancer eating away at the quality of our healthcare system and the mental health and well-being of our providers.

This disturbing trend is apparent in the lives of so many nurse practitioners I’ve encountered, including dear friends, colleagues, and career coaching clients, and is especially apparent in those who work in primary care. The complaints I hear often concern NPs being forced to see dozens of complicated patients per day with only 15 minutes allotted per visit. With sicker patients, complex comorbities, and other factors that make care more time-consuming and complicated, our frontline medical providers are put in an impossible situation with only one certain outcome: provider burnout and the compromising of patient care.

Ethics, Practice, and the Hard Reality

The aforementioned New York Times article begins thus:

You are at your daughter’s recital and you get a call that your elderly patient’s son needs to talk to you urgently. A colleague has a family emergency and the hospital needs you to work a double shift. Your patient’s M.R.I. isn’t covered and the only option is for you to call the insurance company and argue it out. You’re only allotted 15 minutes for a visit, but your patient’s medical needs require 45.

These quandaries are standard issue for doctors and nurses. Luckily, the response is usually standard issue as well: An overwhelming majority do the right thing for their patients, even at a high personal cost.

We healthcare providers are ethical creatures by dint of our education and perhaps our human nature as individuals given to caregiving. The medical or nursing oaths we take are to do harm and provide the best possible care for those patients in our charge; so, in the words of Dr. Ofri:

If doctors and nurses clocked out when their paid hours were finished, the effect on patients would be calamitous. Doctors and nurses know this, which is why they don’t shirk. The system knows it, too, and takes advantage.

The reality of medical and nursing care is far beyond what the corporate bean counters will acknowledge. When healthcare is corporatized to such an egregious level based on nothing but the financial bottom line, productivity becomes the keystone of every aspect of patient care, not to mention so-called “patient satisfaction”.

But what happens when providers are so burned out that they cannot provide the care they’re ethically bound to deliver? What about provider satisfaction? Do those watching the flow of money care that approximately 400 American physicians commit suicide per year? We don’t have accurate data on the number of nurse suicides, but we readily assume that this is an issue facing nurses and APRNs as well. How far does this calculation need to go before we notice and actually do something about it?

As Dr. Ofri points out, the EMR has revolutionized healthcare and few of us would voluntarily choose to revert to paper charts. However, the dark side of the EMR is that we can be forced to work from home because we now have 24/7 access to patient records.

In fact, per a recent article in the Annals of Family Medicine, for every hour of direct physician-based patient care (or APRN-driven care, I may add), two hours are needed for accurate documentations in an EMR. So where do those 15 minutes figure in this dastardly and cynical calculation of how long it takes to perform and document high-quality patient care? In fact, those 15 minutes mean nothing in the scheme of things because precious few visits actually take only that amount of time.

Stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue in medical providers and nurses inevitably leads to stress-related illness, provider attrition, suicide, and other negative outcomes. With a shortage of primary care physicians and nurses in many areas of the country — especially where vulnerable populations are concerned — we cannot afford such a hemorrhage of talent and skill. In fact, it’s killing us.

Would Other Professionals Put Up With It?

If construction workers (who, by the way, experience far fewer on-the-job injuries than nurses due to strictly held safety standards) were asked to work three hours of unpaid overtime a night in order to document their work, what would they say and do? They’d probably tell you to stick your documentation where the sun doesn’t shine and then go on strike against their employer for unfair labor practices.

The New York Times article illustrates it thus:

In a factory, if 30 percent more items were suddenly dropped onto an assembly line, the process would grind to a halt. Imagine a plumber or a lawyer doing 30 percent more work without billing for it. But in health care there is a wondrous elasticity — you can keep adding work and magically it all somehow gets done. The nurse won’t take a lunch break if the ward is short of staff members. The doctor will “squeeze in” the extra patients.

For doctors, nurse practitioners, midwives, nurses, and others in the healthcare ecosystem, we continually show up, do our best, work hours after we’re no longer paid, and otherwise sacrifice ourselves on the altar of patient care because patient abandonment is serious and we would never put our patients at risk because we feel overworked, even though the reality is that our patients are indeed at risk exactly because of the workloads we silently accept.

How many other professions do something similar? Perhaps teachers, who spend enormous amounts of their own money (despite comparatively low pay) on classroom supplies since school systems in the U.S. provide precious little for them to work with in order to provide high-quality educational experiences for the students who they’re ethically bound to educate.

Medical providers save lives, keep patients on track, treat both acute and chronic diseases, perform surgeries, and contribute enormously to the greater public good. While pop stars and sports figures earn multi-million dollar salaries for entertaining us (an important societal role, of course), those who put their own mental and physical health on the line to save and heal others are expected to do the impossible day in and day out for comparatively little compensation. In my book, the musicians and athletes should trade salaries with medical providers, but we know that will never happen. And when an athlete has to play an extra game or match without compensation, we’d see how long that would last before a revolution took place.

Solutions Must Exist

At face value, this situation seems untenable and intractable. The corporatization of healthcare will continue apace, more and more will be demanded of our NPs, RNs, and MDs, and we’ll continue to lose good people.

The notion of the “triple bottom line” is one concept that more healthcare institutions could adopt, and that means taking into consideration people, planet, and profits. While this may be anathema to those who watch the healthcare money flow, this is one way to humanize the way we deal with such a highly valuable workforce.

And while hospitals focus so terribly much on patient satisfaction scores in order to secure Medicare reimbursement, whatever happened to provider and employee satisfaction? Doesn’t the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) understand that burned-out nurses, NPs, surgeons, and physicians actually contribute to worse patient satisfaction? And what if employee satisfaction scores impacted Medicare reimbursement? How the accountants and executives might scramble to keep those providers happy.

This overly corporatized healthcare infrastructure is strangling the system and hobbling good clinicians who can’t take the strain. Yes, we can bill, bill, bill for those reimbursements, but when that final “bill” arrives and we realize that outcomes are plummeting and our employees are being driven away, perhaps then we’ll see the light and begin to brainstorm solutions.

The New York Times article concludes:

The health care system needs to be restructured to reflect the realities of patient care. From 1975 to 2010, the number of health care administrators increased 3,200 percent. There are now roughly 10 administrators for every doctor. If we converted even half of those salary lines to additional nurses and doctors, we might have enough clinical staff members to handle the work. Health care is about taking care of patients, not paperwork.

Those at the top need to think about the ramifications of their decisions. Counting on nurses and doctors to suck it up because you know they won’t walk away from their patients is not just bad strategy. It’s bad medicine.

Keith Carlson, RN, BSN, NC-BC, is the Board Certified Nurse Coach behind NurseKeith.com and the well-known nursing blog, Digital Doorway. Please visit his online platforms and reach out for his support when you need it most.

Keith is the host of The Nurse Keith Show, his solo podcast focused on career advice and inspiration for nurses. From 2012 until its sunset in 2017, Keith co-hosted RNFMRadio, a groundbreaking nursing podcast.

A widely published nurse writer, Keith is the author of Savvy Networking For Nurses: Getting Connected and Staying Connected in the 21st Century and Aspire to be Inspired: Creating a Nursing Career That Matters. He has contributed chapters to a number of books related to the nursing profession. Keith has written for Nurse.com, Nurse.org, MultiBriefs News Service, LPNtoBSNOnline, StaffGarden, AUSMed, American Sentinel University, Black Doctor, Diabetes Lifestyle, the ANA blog, NursingCE.com, American Nurse Today, Working Nurse Magazine, and other online and print publications.

Mr. Carlson brings a plethora of experience as a nurse thought leader, keynote speaker, online nurse personality, social media influencer, podcaster, holistic career coach, writer, and well-known nurse entrepreneur. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his lovely and talented wife, Mary Rives, and his adorable and remarkably intelligent cat, George.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.