What have other hospitals and hospital systems been doing in terms of redeployment of their fellows? We are currently being told that we will:
1. Be redeployed to the ICU in a resident role, under the supervision of an ICU attending
2. Be redeployed to the floor in a resident role, under the supervision of a hospitalist
We have been told we are not able to redeploy as hospitalists (despite our ABIM internal medicine certifications), because of "our status as trainees," although I know in the ACGME newsroom info about COVID, at least the ACGME has said that fellows can act as attendings in their core specialty up to 20% of their academic year. They do not address pay in that statement.
My belief is that our hospital system has made this up in order to not pay us what a hospitalist would get paid. We have been told our requests for hazard pay or appropriate compensation are not going to be honored, and that it is "beneath us" to ask these questions. I understand we are in a pandemic, I understand things are bad. I do not, however, think it's okay to abuse your fellows, which is how I see these actions. If you need us to redeploy, I am happy to do so, but I do think we deserve some say in this matter and some transparency in the matter. I have not even touched on the fact that (acknowledging this is a fluid situation), we have not been told throughout this process what each of our "surges" is equal to, what numbers we are dealing with, and what the specifics of our expected roles will be after potential redeployment.
Curious to hear how others are handling it.
1. Be redeployed to the ICU in a resident role, under the supervision of an ICU attending
2. Be redeployed to the floor in a resident role, under the supervision of a hospitalist
We have been told we are not able to redeploy as hospitalists (despite our ABIM internal medicine certifications), because of "our status as trainees," although I know in the ACGME newsroom info about COVID, at least the ACGME has said that fellows can act as attendings in their core specialty up to 20% of their academic year. They do not address pay in that statement.
My belief is that our hospital system has made this up in order to not pay us what a hospitalist would get paid. We have been told our requests for hazard pay or appropriate compensation are not going to be honored, and that it is "beneath us" to ask these questions. I understand we are in a pandemic, I understand things are bad. I do not, however, think it's okay to abuse your fellows, which is how I see these actions. If you need us to redeploy, I am happy to do so, but I do think we deserve some say in this matter and some transparency in the matter. I have not even touched on the fact that (acknowledging this is a fluid situation), we have not been told throughout this process what each of our "surges" is equal to, what numbers we are dealing with, and what the specifics of our expected roles will be after potential redeployment.
Curious to hear how others are handling it.
