Call is a normal part of physician life, but it isn’t treated the same in every specialty or even within a specific specialty. For many physicians, being on call is mandatory, while for others it is optional. Some institutions and practices pay physicians for their time on call, while others aren’t paid unless they come in, while still others don’t get paid anything extra for coming in. As a wide range of situations exist, call requirements and compensation are commonly negotiated parts of a physician employment contract. We started our on call information and negotiation database as a free resource for our physician members to help them understand what is common in their specialty and for their type of work. Below, we look at aggregate on call compensation stats from the database, as well stats on call requirement and related physician burnout, by specialty.Â
Disclaimers/Disclosures: This information is derived from our salary and compensation negotiation databases, but is subject to self-reporting errors and availability of relevant data points from our online communities. This information is provided for educational purposes only, and is aimed at advocating for individual physicians. It is not intended to be used for collective bargaining; please see additional disclosures and disclaimers on the physician salary data pages. Please also do your own research before making any decisions based on the information provided. We are not formal financial, legal, or tax professionals and do not provide individualized advice. You should consult these as appropriate. We highly recommend having your physician employment agreement reviewed by a physician contract review attorney to ensure you have the most up to date and relevant information for your specific situation. This page contains affiliate links from our sponsors, which support us monetarily at no cost to you.
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How On Call Compensation Aggregate Stats Were Determined
While we have a dedicated on call information and negotiation database, we also ask about on call compensation as part of our salary and compensation database. We have evaluated data from both sources to try to pull together a comprehensive analysis of on call compensation by specialty. We like to have a certain minimum number of data points available before drawing conclusions. As such, not all specialties are represented below. We will continue to update this page as additional information is received.
Many of our physician members contribute their anonymous data every year, and many have been at their jobs for several years. The averages below are aggregates across all current data submitted. As such, the data below may not be completely representative of going rates for this specific season.
We recommend you explore our latest physician compensation databases to explore the most accurate and up-to-date comparison to your specific situation. Additionally, a good physician contract review attorney can also help you assess current trends for your specialty and market.
Please contribute your anonymous physician on call information to the database if you haven’t already for this year to help yourself and your physician colleagues advocate for better compensation transparency.
Overall Stats on Call for Physicians
Before we dive into call by specialty, we wanted to overview a few stats from our on call database.
If you want to look at on-call information at a higher level, explore our article on statistics on on-call schedules and compensation for doctors.
As we dug further into the data for this article, we broke down the stats on if call was mandatory or optional by specialty.
How On Call Compensation Is Structured for Physicians
As we note in more detail by specialty below, physicians in our community reported several different call compensation structures. These included:
Pay only for shifts over the mandatory minimum for a month or year
A set shift rate for weekdays and a higher set shift rate for weekends
One rate for days versus another rate for nights
A set weekly rate
A set amount included in the base salary
No call pay but RVUs versus pay for call coverage plus RVUs
Hourly rate if called in versus flat rate per procedure if called in
Shifts were also set up on different structures, such as:
12-hour shifts versus 24-hour shifts
From home versus in-house
A set number of shifts per month or a rotation based on physicians in the pool
With all the different structures, it was difficult for many specialties to pull together one average for call pay. we tried to provide as much aggregate information as possible below, but we recommend you review the entire free on call information and negotiation database to review comparable data points to your specific situation.
Call Responsibilities and Physician Burnout
Below, we look at call compensation and call responsibilities by specialty. As we combed through the data, we noted that responses on call’s contribution to physician burnout varied significantly across specialties:
As we looked at the overall stats, we noted that specialties with a procedural component typically reported a higher instance of call being a major contributor to burnout versus non-procedural specialties, even though many of these specialties reported higher compensation for call coverage (if they were paid). We dig into this more below.
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On Call Compensation and Information By Specialty
On Call for Anesthesiologists
91%Â of anesthesiologists reported that call was mandatory for them, but only 64%Â received pay for being on call. 82%Â of anesthesiologists reported that call was a major contributor to burnout.
Call compensation in anesthesiology came in several different structures, such as:
A set hourly rate, typically ranging between $200/hr to $300/hr
Set rate per day on call (rates were sometimes different for weekdays versus weekends); these ranged anywhere from $350 - $4,500, depending on the situation and length of the shift
Many anesthesiologists reported one rate for being on call, and another if they were actually called in. Rates also varied depending on the type of call/why they were called in.
Learn more about the average anesthesiologist salary and compensation package.
Anesthesiologists were on call for an average of 58 days a year.
On Call for Cardiologists
91% of cardiologists reported that call was mandatory for them, but only 36% received pay for being on call. As such, we don’t have many current data points on call compensation for cardiologists. Rates for call shifts ranged from $750 - $1,200.
Learn more about the average cardiologist salary and compensation package.
56%Â of cardiologists reported that call was a major contributor to burnout.
Cardiologists were on call for an average of 89 days a year.
On Call for Family Medicine Physicians
91%Â of family medicine doctors reported that call was mandatory for them. Only 26%Â of family medicine physicians, however, received pay for being on call. 41%Â of family medicine physicians reported that call was a major contributor to burnout.
Shift rates for being on call ranged anywhere from $100 - $600, depending on the length of the shift and day of the week. Some family medicine physicians received an annual stipend instead, and others received additional pay via RVUs.
Learn more about:
Family medicine physicians were on call for an average of 93 days a year. Several of our family medicine doctors are in private practice and noted that they are always on call, likely because they run a solo private practice. Removing these data points, the average drops to 60 days a year.
On Call for Gastroenterologists
82% of gastroenterologists reported that call was mandatory for them, yet only 45%Â reported being paid for being on call. 44%Â of gastroenterologists reported that call was a major contributor to burnout.Â
Shift rates for being on call ranged anywhere from $350 - $2,000 depending on the type of call, with the highest reported rates coming from partners/owners in a private practice. The average daily call rate for physicians who weren’t partners was around $700/shift. Some gastroenterologists noted that they received a higher daily rate after a certain number of call days in a given month.
Learn more about the average gastroenterologist salary and compensation package.
Gastroenterologists were on call for an average 55 days a year.
On Call for General Surgeons
76% of general surgeons reported that call was mandatory, but only 48% reported that they were paid for call. 84%Â reported that call was a major contributor to burnout.
Of the general surgeons who reported not being paid for call, some did note that after a set number of calls in a month (typically 10 days), they were then compensated for any additional call days.
Compensation for call coverage for general surgeons ranged anywhere from $400 to $2,000 per shift, depending on different factors such as the type of call (in-house call versus back-up call). The average overall call rate per shift was around $950/hour.
Learn more about the average general surgeon salary and compensation package.
General surgeons were on call for an average 93 days a year.
On Call for Internal Medicine Physicians
74% of internal medicine doctors reported that call was mandatory, but only 15%Â of internal medicine doctors reported getting paid for being on call. 47%Â reported that call was a major contributor to burnout.
Compensation for call ranged anywhere from $400 - $1,500Â a shift. Internal medicine physicians also reported call pay structures based on an hourly rate or a weekly stipend.
Learn more about the average internal medicine physician salary and compensation package.
Internal medicine doctors were on call for an average of 89 days a year, though we would like to note that IM physicians at veterans affairs and FQHC locations reported always being on call, which can skew the small dataset. Removing these data points, the average drops to 40 days a year.
On Call for Neurologists
89% of neurologists reported that call was mandatory, while only 33% reported being paid for being on call. 75% of neurologists reported that call was a major contributor to physician burnout.
Both 12-hour and 24-hour call shifts were commonly reported for neurologists, so it’s difficult to determine one specific average per shift as many contributions didn’t specify the shift length with the reported rate. $400 - $600 was commonly reported for 12 hour shifts, while $1,000 anywhere up to $2,500 was reported for longer shifts.
Learn more about the average neurologist salary and compensation package.
Neurologists were on call for an average 126 days a year, all of which was reported as call from home. The vast majority of neurologists reported never or almost never having to go in for call.
On Call for OB/GYNs
83%Â of OBGYNs reported that call was mandatory. Only 39%Â of OB/GYNs received pay for being on call. 76%Â of OBGYNs reported that call was a major contributor to physician burnout.
Many OBGYNs reported being paid by hour for call. Hourly rates ranged from $50/hour - $210/hour with an average hourly call rate of around $125/hour, though some noted they were only paid above a certain mandatory minimum shifts a month or for in-house call.Â
Shift rates also ranged greatly with reported values anywhere from $300 - $2,000Â depending on the type of call (in-house vs. at home) and if it was above their mandatory minimum for the month.
Learn more about the average OB-GYN salary and compensation package.
OB-GYNs were on call for an average of 60 days a year.
On Call for Orthopedic Surgeons
73%Â of orthopedic surgeons reported that call was mandatory, yet only 55%Â reported receiving pay for being on call. 50%Â of orthopedic surgeons reported that call was a major contributor to physician burnout.
Orthopedic surgeons typically reported 24-hour call shifts, with pay ranging $500 - $2,500 per day. The average on call shift rate for orthopedic surgeons was around $1,275.
Learn more about the average orthopedic surgeon salary and compensation package.
Orthopedic surgeons were on call for an average 63 days a year.
On Call for Pediatricians
81%Â of pediatricians reported that call was mandatory, but only 24%Â reported getting paid for being on call. 64%Â of pediatricians said that call was a major contributor to physician burnout.
Shift rates for pedestrian call compensation ranged from $100 - $600, with an average of around $250 per call shift. Rates varied depending on if it was phone only from home or if they had to go in. Some pediatricians reported being paid by week versus shift while others noted that they only got paid after their mandatory minimum shifts.
Learn more about the average pediatrician salary and compensation package.
Pediatricians were on call for an average 88 days a year.
On Call for Radiologists
100%Â of our contributing radiologists reported that call was mandatory, but only 45%Â were paid for being on call. 33%Â of radiologists said that call was a major contributor to physician burnout.
Call compensation ranged greatly for radiologists, both in structure and amounts. Hourly rates reported were around $200-$350/hour. Shifts ranged anywhere from $200 - $2,600Â depending on if they were covering for day versus night, weekday versus weekend, and other factors.
Learn more about the average radiologist salary and compensation package.
Radiologists were on call for an average 45 days a year.
On Call for Urologists
100% of our contributing urologists reported that call was mandatory. 70% of urologists reported getting paid for call. Even with a higher paid call rate than we’ve seen across other specialties featured about, 100% of urologists reported that call was a major factor in physician burnout.
While many urologists reported some compensation for call responsibilities, many noted that they only got paid after their mandatory minimum shifts a month or year. Call rates varied greatly, anywhere from $150 to $1,600 per shift. Rates varied depending on the practice environment, the shift length, and type of shift (day versus night, weekday versus weekend, etc.)
Learn more about the average urologist salary and compensation package.
Urologists were on call for an average 80 days a year.
Conclusion
Call compensation and schedules vary highly even within specialties. This is one of the reasons we recommend working with a physician contract review attorney as you negotiate a new employment agreement or as you renegotiate with a current employer. It’s no surprise that being on call for a higher percentage of the year, especially without pay, can be a leading cause for physician burnout. We hope with increased transparency in physician compensation, more and more physicians will advocate for their worth and their time and that we can advocate for better terms when it comes to call schedules and related compensation.
We would love to continue to build out this article and provide relevant information to all our physician members. If you haven’t already for this year, please consider taking a few minutes to contribute your anonymous physician call information and negotiation data to help us update and dig deeper into on call statistics for the specialties featured above and those we haven’t been able to cover yet. The data provided is used only for the purpose of our database to help physicians like yourself negotiate better compensation by helping provide salary transparency with relevant data. The data is only available to members of our Physician Side Gigs Facebook group. Contribution links can be found on our compensation data for physicians page.
Additional Salary and Career Resources for Doctors
Explore our related articles and resources on doctor compensation and salaries:Â
If you need guidance on negotiating your next contract for the best possible deal, check out:
If you need help dealing with burnout, check out our physician mental health, wellness, burnout, and support resources. You can also reach out within our online physician community for support from other physicians.