pay

[aallaei]

why is it that people say that doctors don't get paid much??

is 130-250 not enough?!!

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[DrMom]

Conisdering the extra 7 years of education, not earning an income during your 20s (when your college classmates in other fields are), the big student loans to pay back, high malpractice rates, long hours, and responsibility of life-and-death decision-making: I'd say that Drs have earned a high income.

That said, I think that a desire for money is a bad reason to go into medicine. You have to really like what you're doing.

 

[gwyn779]

When the average US icome is around 25k, I don't think we have anything to complain about, even with malpractice, etc. And as for time commitment, well, don't we want to be doctors to practice medicine? I do think doctors deserve to be highly compensated, but you're right, making 4 to 10 times the average salary is nothing to complain about.

 

[edfig99]

the problem is that the pay you guys are quoting is not probably not take home pay. also pay varies significantly be region and by insurer.

unless you are a salaried physician, which most aren't, you need to work REALLY hard in this day and age to make that much. you have to do procedures as well.

but you also have to take into account things such as
--cost of a practice (most docs in small practices are paying their own rent)
--utilities
--supplies -- those tubs of 4x4's we're quick to grab off the shelf on surgery -- those things are pricey!
--staff
--computer expenses
--immunizations (these earn doctors very little money for the unit price they have to pay)
--insurances: malpractice, life, health (for self and for employees)

after all those things are taken care of, then they gotta focus on home payments and all that jazz. practices don't start making money until they're a few years old, so even out of residency a doctor is still losing money.

do we make a lot of money? yeah.. are we worth it? hell ya. every worker should get what he deserves, and given the level of training required of us, the commitment, and all the other stuff we go through, it's lucky we're not charging more.

$150,000 a year breaks down to $50/hour (60 hr work week to be conservative)
ask some lawyers what they charge.

 

[Newdoc2002]

aallaei - Your post stinketh of the boy who throws rocks at the hornets nest but I decided to answer you anyway.

So tell me who should have the higher salary? Why is it a crime to work your tail off and get some compensation for it? What other profession trains as long and as hard as doctors? None that come to mind.

You can certainly find those who work as hard and those who have as much responsibility and those who have years and years of education but they all don't have the combination of factors like physicians do.

A recent salary survey I found on a popular web site showed computer network administrators clearing 110,000 on average and chemical engineers averaging 70-90,000 per year. They don't worry about peoples lives like doctors do and they didn't go to college and beyond for eight years and they don't worry about being sued if grandma dies because she smoked herself to death and you were delayed in diagnosing her lung cancer.

It's a free country and no one forces us to be physicians but to imply that we don't deserve a good paycheck is ridiculous.

 

[aallaei]

I'm not saying that physicians don't deserve a good paycheck nor am I saying that their job isn't challenging, I'm simply trying to get a perspective.

Yes it is true that a lot of people don't have the combined factors that doctors have to deal with, but many people (especially outside of US) work VERY hard and hardly get a paycheck.
That is my perspective, I hope that is okay.

 

[cet]

okay, you start out earliest at the age 21 in med school. most of your other friends jump into work. you go to med school, graduate when you are 25, intern and residency years until 28-30 depending on fellowship or not. so you are 9 years behind the curve of your friends. then aside from undergrad loans, you have substanital debt of (if you are like me) 200K in principle.

so 125K a year.
after taxes, 70K. that is ~5500 a month.
2500 in student loan payments and that is 3000 a month, for rext/mortgage and all the other nonesense.
so basically 36000 a year after taxes. the same amount my friends that didnt go to medical school are making.

nice isnt it? you have to love it.

 

[oldandtired]

Try radiology. Outstanding income. Minimal patient and office hassles. Relatively predictable lifestyle.

Can have patient interaction if you wish- IR, mammography, ultrasound, GI/GU procedures. Often make the biggest impact in a patient's care by providing the correct diagnosis and in some cases treatment.

Attendings and even residents some of the happiest people in the hospital (I can attest to this).