What was your first year salary after residency?

[Steveington]

We've had a lot of discussion about low wages and salaries, especially right out of residency. I wanted to poll and ask these three questions.
1. What was your first year salary?
2. What is your current salary?
3. How many years out of residency are you?

I wish I could combine these questions in one poll here on SDN.
The results of the poll don't show user names.
Please be honest with your responses.
Thanks

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[air bud]

1. 200k
2. 285k (not the same job)
3. 6 years out.

Didn't bonus first year, expect to bonus significantly in first year of new job.

Edit - current is no state income tax

All jobs (4) salary 200, 214, no base salary, 285.

 

[CaptainCool]

1) 70k (associate)
2) 210k (clearly not the same job)
3) 4 years

 

[Feli]

1- I was 80k base first year out. That was the lowest base but also probably the year I learned by FAR the most about coding, billing, how an office runs, etc. I was also funneled a lot of cases since the owner didn't do RRA or much surgery at all. I should update my CV to call that a fellowship of some sort; I hear that's the new thing? Oh, wait... I did a good residency.

2 - I won't say what I have for contract now since we have dozens of DPMs and I'm sure all don't have the exact same base or %. I have had anywhere from that 80k-200k base in various setups PP pod and MSG and govt hospital and back to PP, but % and having the tools to generate gross is what matters in PP of any kind (pod, MSG, ortho, etc). An exp PP doc should only make base for the first few months and then be bonusing so effectively on %.

3 - I am whatever years out it says in my sig... decade on the dot, yeah.
Getting too old to do math anymore. I will count attending time in decades from now on... and try to retire at two, maybe really work into my golden years and grind out 2.5 or three decades if I don't save enough or break up with my partner or something. In my 5th decade out, maybe I will pretend to know what it's like for new grads and post LinkedIn trashing whatever SDN is and then puff my chest? Nah, I will be on a trail or a beach.

 

[newfeet]

1. 150k
2. 230k (not the same job). I took a pay cut with this new job. My job after the 150k job was 243k
3. 8 years out.

 

[Shiyuan]

1. 245k
2. 260k after bonuses (same job)
3. 4

 

[malleolusman]

1. 180 Base. Bonused first year at approx 30-40K.

2. 60K. - I left a lucrative hospital gig where I was well established and moved back closer to my older folks and extended fam is. Now in solo private practice and doing nursing homes to keep afloat. Time will tell if this was a worthwhile decision. As of now, it has only confirmed deeply what so many of the other colleagues have posted about this profession.

3. 7 years

 

[CutsWithFury]

1) 240K base (not including bonuses). Third and last contract before I left was 290K base salary (not including bonuses)

2) 275K (not including bonuses) *new job*

3) 5 years

 

[AttackNME]

1 - 165k hospital based, had bonuses but didn’t make much from bonus
2 - private practice, made partner so it’s straight collections not salary, taking home around 300-380k before tax and buy in costs
3 - 7 years

 

[Pronation]

1) 100k private practice garbage associate job

2) upper 300s, obviously not garbage associate private practice.

3) 4 years

 

[wakaflocka88]

1. ~70k ish. Learned a lot

2. 320k, before any bonus. Pension plan. 10% 401k gift on top of my own contribution. Not rural.

3. 3 years. No fellowship.

 

[PeaJay]

***

 

[PatchAdamsFan]

1. 80k base, ~106k with bonus, private practice. Actually wasn't a bad environment, learned billing, but god awful pay.
2. 200-300k+ depending in production and vacation that year, medical group. Great area, by the beach. Declined a much larger offer in the middle of nowhere.
3. 3 years.

 

[hockeyfan5110786]

1. 80k base, ~106k with bonus, private practice. Actually wasn't a bad environment, learned billing, but god awful pay.
2. 200-300k+ depending in production and vacation that year, medical group. Great area, by the beach. Declined a much larger offer in the middle of nowhere.
3. 3 years.

for the 200-300k how many patients a day are you seeing? surgeries a month? insurance types are you seeing?
thanks!!

 

[air bud]

for the 200-300k how many patients a day are you seeing? surgeries a month? insurance types are you seeing?
thanks!!

Not the point of this thread let's keep on topic for once. And if in a medical group (not PP) it doesn't matter that is baseline and impossible not to do.

 

[newfeet]

for the 200-300k how many patients a day are you seeing? surgeries a month? insurance types are you seeing?
thanks!!

My current role is at a state university. The max my current schedule allows is 18. My salary isn’t tied to production for now.

 

[Feeter]

First job at a hospital was 240ish with bonus and was production based
My current (second) job is 325k with admin duties and not production base.
Not rural.

Limb salvage focus with general podiatry practice.

I like this initiative

 

[Scrantonicity]

1. 60K
2. 200K
3. 10 years

 

[DYK343]

1. MSG. 240k with bonus/benefits/4 weeks vacation. wRVU after 1 year. $49-51

2. Hospital. 300k with bonus/benefits/2 weeks vacation. wRVU after 1 year $50-52 and 4 weeks vacation. (ill be taking a significant paycut initially - worth it to shake the clipboard nurses and unsustainable ER call/poorly managed OR).

3. 5 years.

 

[msuDPM]

1. MSG. 240k with bonus/benefits/4 weeks vacation. wRVU after 1 year. $49-51

2. Hospital. 300k with bonus/benefits/2 weeks vacation. wRVU after 1 year $50-52 and 4 weeks vacation. (ill be taking a significant paycut initially - worth it to shake the clipboard nurses and unsustainable ER call/poorly managed OR).

3. 5 years.

Are you, me?

 

[619]

This thread has been up for almost a week and all we see are the success stories of folks who started out making around $100k base and now make 3x their income 3-4 years later (after switching jobs) or those who started from day 1 after residency making over $200k and the rest is history.

Where are the ones who started out making $80k-$100K and 5 years later making $120k-$140k at the same job? They obviously don't exists here on sdn. OR where are the success stories of a podiatry associate in PP who started out making $100k base, worked his/her ass off and now making $300k in the same associate job 3-5 years later?

Truth is, over half of pod associates are still stuck in their same associate jobs with no way out. The PP owners are not even worried that their associate is making less than a CRNA or traveling nurse because they can easily hire a new associate from their binders full of resumes gathering dust on the shelf. As I said previously, every year most practice owners get tons of unsolicited resumes from current residents looking for Jobs.

I also notice 100% of everyone that responded are not in their first job anymore even with the ones that started out making over $200k from the start. However the reality is most pod associates are still stuck at their first job.


Edit: Only @MusicManMike is at the same Job.

 

[Shiyuan]

I also notice 100% of everyone that responded are not in their first job anymore even with the ones that started out making over $200k from the start. However the reality is most pod associates are still stuck at their first job.

Great post. But i’m still in same job 💪🏻

 

[CutsWithFury]

Great post. But i’m still in same job 💪🏻

well loddy freakin da

 

[newfeet]

This thread has been up for almost a week and all we see are the success stories of folks who started out making around $100k base and now make 3x their income 3-4 years later (after switching jobs) or those who started from day 1 after residency making over $200k and the rest is history.

Where are the ones who started out making $80k-$100K and 5 years later making $120k-$140k at the same job? They obviously don't exists here on sdn. OR where are the success stories of a podiatry associate in PP who started out making $100k base, worked his/her ass off and now making $300k in the same associate job 3-5 years later?

Truth is, over half of pod associates are still stuck in their same associate jobs with no way out. The PP owners are not even worried that their associate is making less than a CRNA or traveling nurse because they can easily hire a new associate from their binders full of resumes gathering dust on the shelf. As I said previously, every year most practice owners get tons of unsolicited resumes from current residents looking for Jobs.

I also notice 100% of everyone that responded are not in their first job anymore even with the ones that started out making over $200k from the start. However the reality is most pod associates are still stuck at their first job.


Edit: Only @MusicManMike is at the same Job.

Only in a new job because I’m trying to have work life balance. I probably would be at the first job if I wasn’t married. Same for my second job. All my previous job were great for me but the locations suck for my family. This new job seems to be the best fit. We are talking about building a house in the next few years. I got to start saving. 😒

 

[dtrack22]

1. $100k (two different podiatry practices in the first 2 years)
2. $380k
3. 5

 

[Redsting]

1. 240k plus some loan repayment (no bonus)
2. 250k plus wRVU bonus- Same hospital job- I tried to take a lower base and more $ per wRVU but it was a no go.
3. 4

@619
I think the reason you read on SDN that people are doing well is cause people who aren't just don't post/share those details. They read of these and don't want to get flamed or they read this and stop checking the site cause they are stuck. I've posted (I think) elsewhere on here that I have a couple friends stuck in the less than 75k base with poor practice support but aren't willing to move. A couple others that just go through the motions, show up, go home. Associate, 120kish, but don't really care.

 

[CutsWithFury]

1. $100k (two different podiatry practices in the first 2 years)
2. $380k
3. 5

You don’t make a 380k base salary.

 

[Pronation]

You don’t make a 380k base salary.

The wording of this thread isn't great. Should've been first year income vs current income. The base salary in the hospital RVU setting is kinda irrelevant, unless you're rural and have a low patient volume.

 

[Redsting]

You don’t make a 380k base salary.

I say in January you make a new post for people to post their final 2022 paystub

 

[dtrack22]

You don’t make a 380k base salary.

I’m not salaried. The $100k I made per year working for podiatrists was total pay as well.

 

[air bud]

Yeah why can't people read. I took it as base salary. Not bonuses. Obviously that isn't a great way of stating it....

 

[dtrack22]

Yeah why can't people read. I took it as base salary. Not bonuses. Obviously that isn't a great way of stating it....

Base salary is a meaningless metric that certain people…obsess over, even when they are essentially production based. I’ll update mine to make it more accurate for everyone who doesn’t care about how much you actually got paid and are only interested in base salary…

1) $100k
2) $0
3) 5 years

 

[air bud]

poorly worded

Base salary is a meaningless metric that certain people…obsess over, even when they are essentially production based. I’ll update mine to make it more accurate for everyone who doesn’t care about how much you actually got paid and are only interested in base salary…

1) $100k
2) $0
3) 5 years

yes it is. i was just doing what the question asked. as were many other people on here. w2 or 1099 income would be better.

 

[Steveington]

For my question with salaries, I initially had 3 polls up asking the three questions above. The other two were deleted by the mods as it was taking up too much space? (I'm not exactly sure)
With some of these comments, I'm happy to see how many people have really done much better after their first jobs and gotten better jobs. Things are better than the doom and gloom we hear so much about.
I also agree that if someone has a bad job and are multiple years out of residency, they won't want to post, so we are getting skewed results here.

 

[icebreaker32]

The job market sucks and most associate jobs suck. Compare this to many other professions that are being recruited by multiple employers with signing bonuses, great benefits, loan repayment etc.....that is what many perceive as doom and gloom. It is real.

Can you do very well in podiatry eventually? Many do and many do not. For many that do well eventually, it was also not an easy and low stress path.

The most common way to do better than the first associate job for most is still to open one's own practice. There are more good jobs than many years ago outside PP, but not even close to enough for all.

One really needs to consider they may have to open their own office. If a good job does work out, it might be one's only chance at a better financial situation. If one is not up for all the tasks like social media marketing, hiring and firing employees, billing and the great financial risk of opening an office then podiatry may not be the right choice.

 

[Shiyuan]

Personally, I would take a VA gig any day. The quality of life / work/life balance most important for me. Although I would take a hefty pay cut getting in the system, I would. VA has the great benefits overall as well.

 

[Pronation]

Personally, I would take a VA gig any day. The quality of life / work/life balance most important for me. Although I would take a hefty pay cut getting in the system, I would. VA has the great benefits overall as well.

Yes, and also don’t forget that you could be in the OR at 2am with a septic patient saving lives, which is very fulfilling. Retire a millionaire even.

 

[619]

I think the reason you read on SDN that people are doing well is cause people who aren't just don't post/share those details. They read of these and don't want to get flamed or they read this and stop checking the site cause they are stuck. I've posted (I think) elsewhere on here that I have a couple friends stuck in the less than 75k base with poor practice support but aren't willing to move. A couple others that just go through the motions, show up, go home. Associate, 120kish, but don't really care.

I agree and it sucks. You can't call yourself a doctor or *cough* *cough* a foot and ankle rear foot & front foot reconstructive/plastic flap surgeon and be earning less than a CRNA or OR scrub nurse.