Hey guys, have a question I could not find on the internet anywhere so I figured Id ask, since theres no way im the first one to wonder this. Ive heard from former co-residents who came from overseas that US trained physicians can get paid a pretty large amount with perks (housing, car, kids education, etc) if you move to Dubai or Saudi. I have zero interest in actually living over there, however is it possible/legal to get employed by a group in Saudi/Dubai and work remotely from the USA? I know you have to be within the continental USA to read studies for a USA group, however I dont know anything about having to reside within those countries to read.
Thanks
I'm far from an expert on this, but I suppose that I'll chime in, considering that there haven't been any other responses.
I'm not sure where you got the idea that you have to be in the continental US to read for a group in the US. To the contrary, it's pretty common for people to read for east coast groups while living in Hawai'i. The elephant in the room is CMS, which says that the work must be done on US soil. So move to the USVI, Guam, American Samoa, wherever, if that's what floats your boat.
Personally, I think the logistical barriers to getting employed remotely by a hospital in the middle east are considerable. For one, radiology is practiced differently there. We function more as legitimate consultants as opposed to just burning through a list. Also, they're hiring your reputation as much as anything else. They want to be able to advertise that they have US-trained, UK-trained, [insert nation here]-trained physicians. The point is that you're not necessarily just a name on a report; your physical presence is a significant part of your appeal and purpose.
However, assuming for a moment that you can overcome those barriers, what's the benefit to you? They compensate Western-trained physicians in the manner they do largely for tax purposes. The US is one of the few nations on the planet that requires its citizens to pay income taxes on foreign wages irrespective of whether that money is also taxed locally. The UAE, for example, knows this, so they've structured their compensation plans accordingly. Not only are they not going to tax your income, but they're going to compensate as much as possible in ways that aren't considered wages, hence the housing, education, and vehicle allocations.
The only way I can see this making any sense is if your spouse and children lived there but--for whatever reason--you needed to stay in the US. That, of course, opens up a whole different can of problems, especially if you're male.
