Anshu Sood, MD
Dr. Hospitalist responds: If I understand you correctly, you are working 1,944 hours annually (18 shifts per month x 12 months x nine hours per shift). You did not tell me whether your compensation is based on the number of hours you work or whether you collect a salary regardless of the number of hours you work. If you collect a salary, sounds like you are scheduled to work fewer hours than expected.
That being said, I also don’t know the other details of your employment agreement. Does your employment agreement include paid vacation and sick time? Perhaps that might explain the difference. Another plausible explanation is that your compensation includes payment for sign-out and sign-in time at the beginning and end of each shift (18 shifts/month x 12 months x 9.25 hours/shift = 1,998 hours). Regardless of the explanation, your question made me wonder: Why are the details of your job description unclear to you, and why are you asking me rather than your employer for clarification? I urge all hospitalists to clearly understand their employment agreements before accepting any job offer. Any differences should be resolved before signing the contract. It is worth the time and money to seek the advice of an attorney familiar with physician employment contracts. The attorney’s job is to review your agreement and explain the terms of the contract, as well as point out what is missing. TH