I discuss and know what my other colleagues make and its definitely not what was in your link. 3/4ths of your class will be making between $85-90K starting and as 'Tippytoe' highilghted: That's
IF you are fortunate to land a normal Full time gig.
If I told you how many ODs I know with 2-3 PT gigs and no health insurance, you'd start to tear up. Yes, some of my friends have FT gigs but its not the majority. And they range between unhappy commercial slaves seeing 40-50+ undilated exams to docs working
for ophthalmologists. Amd when I say 'for' I mean refracting for them, scribing for them, billing for them, contact lens inventory & account books for them and getting lunch for the 'medical team'. No lie and no exaggeration. I can count on 1 hand how many people I graduated with that opened up cold or purchased a practice....
Need more proof? Make up a fake resume and apply for some positions. Then see if we're playing good old American policy scare tactics or not....
A bunch of anecdotes isn't proof. Salary is dependent on location, so I am not sure what you mean by 3/4ths of your class will be making xy amount.
So what if they have part-time gigs? You would still make the same amount, if not more as compared to a full-time gig. The taxes, health insurance etc. would all stay the same if you were to work LEGALLY, since you would still be an independent contractor in both situations.
I have shadowed and worked for a good amount of senior ODs and they would easily offer more than your quoted amount. Its always the ODs who are doing poor that decide to make a pretty penny by leeching off the associates salary. Its better to not work for these people.
Anyways, since you are so convinced that the majority of new grads would make <$100k due to a couple of your friends making that amount, I did a quick google search and found many full-time opportunities.
Date submitted: Wed Sep 8 15:50:20 2010 Type of position associateship
Compensation: $110K with bonus Date position open: January 2010 Type of practice: associateship Specialty area(s) of practice: primary care, contacts, peds, geriatrics, disease Additional information about position and/or practice: Seeking second OD for well established growing MD/OD practice with 2 locations on the southside of Atlanta. The ideal candidate will be driven and have a residency in Ocular Disease as well as be bilingual in English and Spanish. 2 years of experience is a plus. Generous Salary and benefit package. Please forward resume, salary history and 3 professional references to:
[email protected]
Age of practice: 7 Years at current location: 50+ Population of area: 6 million Description of area: big city setting Name of practice: Eye Specialists of Georgia Address: 777 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 616
Atlanta, GA 30315
USA Contact person: Dr. Ahmed Nassar E-mail address:
[email protected] Phone: 404-488-7244 Fax: 404-766-6260
Oh, that requires a residency and a couple years of experience? No problem, I'll just get another posting.
Date submitted: Mon Apr 25 10:24:23 2011 Type of position ,
Corporate Compensation: high daily guarantee plus bonus - total comp$120-150k Date position open: 5/1/2011 Type of practice: , corporate Specialty area(s) of practice: primary care, contacts Additional information about position and/or practice: Lucrative opportunity for an optometrist in our brand new Stanton Optical located in the Toledo,Ohio. Become an independent contractor for an organization established and well respected in the industry. Healthy daily guarantee plus production incentives. Full service lab on site and largest selection of frames in the city. Full and Part Time Opportunities available
Age of practice:
Years at current location:
Population of area:
Description of area:
Name of practice: Stanton Optical Address: 5701 Monroe Street
Toledo, OH 53704
Contact person: Kim Weiss E-mail address:
[email protected] Phone: 302-543-5780 Fax:
But, then you would say, "oh, but you're gonna be working for an Optician!" Ok. Let me find another posting.
Date submitted: Sat Mar 13 08:53:45 2010 Type of position employment, partnership, practice for sale, assoc leading to partnership Compensation:
As a associate these are some of the baseline benefits • Base pay $100,000/year • Health insurance and pension plan • Paid vacation • Bonuses based on office performance • Complimentary week stay / condo on Florida coast Date position open: 05/01/2010 Type of practice: private, partnership, associateship Specialty area(s) of practice: primary care, contacts, peds, geriatrics, disease Additional information about position and/or practice: My name is Dr. Timothy Kenkel, and I have been practicing in Cincinnati for twenty five years. I have a fantastic opportunity for an Optometrist to become an associate of my office, with the possibilities of the associate acquiring the practice in the future.
The office practices full-scope Optometry. The patient clientele ranges from toddlers to the elderly and we practice the medical model of optometry. We co-manage lasik and cataract surgery and treat anterior segment diseases. (i.e., glaucoma, uveitis, corneal ulcers). We have state-of-the-art in retinal equipment from a digital retinal camera to an Optos. Also, we have a corneal topographer to treat keratoconus and fit contact lenses. I am looking for an associate to take the practice to another level.
Age of practice: 20 Years at current location: 20 Population of area: Cincinnati - 800,000 Description of area: Cincinnati metropolitan area - suburb of Cincinnati Name of practice: Dr. Timothy P. Kenkel & Associates Address: 730 Cincinnati Mills
Cincinnnati, OH 45240
United States Contact person: Dr. Kenkel E-mail address:
[email protected] Phone: 513-607-4209 Fax:
My point was that most newly graduated ODs could end up making 85-90k, but there is opportunity if one chooses to pursue as per the listings above. Anyways, it isn't about the money - if you like what you do, than the average salary would be more than plentiful. Personally, I would like a salary that would allow me to pay back my student loans in a relatively short period of time.
