Home Career A look at hospitalist benefits

A look at hospitalist benefits

May 2010

Published in the May 2010 issue of Today’s Hospitalist

WHEN IT COMES TO BENEFITS, hospitalists may lag behind some of their colleagues in terms of paid time off, but they report receiving other work perks. In the 2009 Today’s Hospitalist Compensation & Career Survey, we asked hospitalists to report on a variety of benefits.

Here’s an overview of what you had to say.

How many days of paid time off do you receive?

The mean number is just under 12 days a year, but a whopping 45% of hospitalists say they receive no paid time off at all. Instead, they fit vacation or other down time into their scheduled days off.

There are some definite trends in paid time off. Hospitalists working at teaching hospitals, for example, receive slightly more paid time off (13.59 days) than their colleagues working at community-based hospitals (10.41 days). And pediatric hospitalists receive more time off (15.83 days) than adult hospitalists (11.04 days).

In terms of employment model, hospitalists who work at universities/ medical schools get the most time off (15.38 days), while physicians working at national hospitalist management companies get the least (5.38 days). And hospitalists working traditional 9-5 shifts with beeper call receive 15.92 days off, compared to 8.86 days off for hospitalists who work shifts only.

Finally, it seems that the longer you work as a hospitalist, the more paid time off you’ll receive.

How many paid days off do you receive a year?

None: 45%

One week: 5%

Two weeks: 12.5%

Three weeks: 13%

More: 24.5%

Mean: 11.67 days

Do you receive time off for CME?

Just under half (49%) of hospitalists responding to our survey said they do receive time off for CME activities. That figure was slightly higher for pediatric hospitalists (64%), for hospitalists employed by hospitals (59.6%), and for hospitalists in the Northeast (67%). It was lowest for physicians working in the South (30%) and for hospitalists working at national hospitalist management companies (13%).

Do you receive a stipend for CME expenses?

Most hospitalists (81%) said that they do receive some sort of stipend to help pay for their CME expenses. That number was higher for hospitalists who work at teaching hospitals (85%) than hospitalists who work at nonteaching hospitals (78%). It was highest for hospitalists employed by hospitals (95%), and lowest for hospitalists working for national hospitalist management companies (54%).

What other benefits do you receive?

The most common benefit is health insurance, with nearly 80% of hospitalists saying they receive medical coverage for themselves. Dental and disability insurance also topped the list of benefits hospitalists receive.

Want up-to-date data from our 2016 Compensation and Career Guide? Check out our 2016 survey results