DO HOSPITALISTS get a shift differential for working extra shifts and nights? According to data from our survey, just under half of hospitalists (44.6%) see shift differentials for working extra shifts, while 65% get extra pay for working nights. For extra shifts, adult hospitalists are averaging an additional $896. For nights, the average shift differential for adult hospitalists is $452.
For pediatric hospitalists, the shift differential (among the 58% who receive extra pay) is $1,061. For working nights, among the 69% of pediatric hospitalists who receive extra pay, it’s $336 per shift.
Here’s a look at how hospitalist shift differentials for extra shifts and nights varies across different types of groups.
Pay differentials for hospitalists by employer type
Pay differentials for working extra shifts are highest among hospitalists working in medical schools and universities, coming in at $1,338 per shift. Differentials for extra shifts are lowest for hospitalists in national hospitalist management companies, coming in at $588 per shift.
Differential for extra shifts by employer type
• University/med. school: $1,338
• Multispecialty/PCP group: $983
• Local hospitalist group: $881
• Hospital/hospital corp.: $872
• Nat. hosp. mgmt. comp.: $588
Differential for night shifts by employer type
• Local hosp. group: $722
• University/med. school: $566
• Multispecialty/PCP group: $434
• Hospital/hospital corp.: $411
• Nat. hosp. mgmt. comp.: $410
Pay differentials for hospitalists by geography
Shift differentials for hospitalists are all over the board when it comes to geography, with no clear trend. Hospitalists in the Mountain region, for example, receive the highest differential for working extra shifts ($1,257), but their differential for night shifts is among the lowest ($407.)
Differential for extra shifts by geography
• Mountain: $1,257
• Pacific: $1,014
• Northeast: $964
• Southwest: $863
• Midwest: $860
• South: $814
Differential for night shifts by geography
• Midwest: $539
• Southwest: $510
• Northeast: $470
• Pacific: $467
• Mountain: $407
• South: $369
Pay differentials for hospitalists by group/hospital size
Shift differentials spike up for hospitalists working at large groups (as measured by FTE hospitalists) and large hospitals (as measured by bed size.)
With extra shifts, for example, hospitalists working at hospitals with under 100 beds see a shift differential of $783. That figure jumps to $984 in hospitals with 250-500 beds, and it hits $1,016 in hospitals with more than 500 beds.
Shift differentials for working nights show a similar trend by hospital size. Hospitalists at hospitals with under 100 beds, for example, see a shift differential of $327 for working nights. That number rises to $458 at hospitals with 250-500 beds and $531 for hospitalists with more than 500 beds.
Differential for extra shifts by hospital bed count
• <100: $783
• 100-249: $730
• 250-500: $984
• >500: $1,016
Differential for night shifts by hospital bed count
• <100: $327
• 100-249: $426
• 250-500: $458
• >500: $531
Our data showed a similar trend for shift differentials based on group size, as measured by FTE hospitalists.
Differential for extra shifts by group size (FTE hospitalists)
• 1-9 $635
• 10-20 $949
• 21-30 $848
• 31-50 $973
• >50 $1,053
Differential for night shifts by group size (FTE hospitalists)
• 1-9: $324
• 10-20: $506
• 21-30: $354
• 31-50: $466
• >50: $551
VIEW DATA ON HOSPITALIST PAY from both the 2024 and the 2023 Today’s Hospitalist Compensation & Career Surveys. Our annual surveys examine how hospitalist compensation is affected by factors such as the type of patients hospitalists treat, the number of shifts they work, the number of patients they see per shift and more.
