I was wondering if you can just have a regular office practice and still make a living. I have a few PCPs at our medical school that says it is really really hard to make a living by just being a PCP. Is that true or is that bunch of bull. Thank you.

I was wondering if you can just have a regular office practice and still make a living. I have a few PCPs at our medical school that says it is really really hard to make a living by just being a PCP. Is that true or is that bunch of bull. Thank you.

That may be the case in Hawaii and California but in most parts of the country, I would say an internist could do quite well if he or she joined a great group practice or started his or her own.

I was talking to a friend who just finished his med/peds residency. He joined a large group. He is starting 190K. If he makes partner in 3-4 years, he will be earning 400-500K. Granted, he is in a very nice group of around 20 physicians that have multiple offices but as you can see, you can do quite well.

How much you make depends on where you want to live. I agree with the above poster Cali and Hawaii are expensive. I'm from Texas and PCP's rule the roost in my town.

wow i didnt know they had partnerships for IM, is that a common thing? Becuase every survey I have ever seen says IM is around 160k

wow i didnt know they had partnerships for IM, is that a common thing? Becuase every survey I have ever seen says IM is around 160k
Go to physicianrecruiting.com and sometimes it will state that you will make partner and will list the partner salary around 300k. But, you have to realize that's probably not in a major city. I know primary care docs banking, but I live in a town of 30k.

Go to physicianrecruiting.com and sometimes it will state that you will make partner and will list the partner salary around 300k. But, you have to realize that's probably not in a major city. I know primary care docs banking, but I live in a town of 30k.
Why is Ca bad? According to the AMA CA is one of the best places to practice med.

Go to physicianrecruiting.com and sometimes it will state that you will make partner and will list the partner salary around 300k. But, you have to realize that's probably not in a major city. I know primary care docs banking, but I live in a town of 30k.

That's not true at all. The person I was talking to lives in a major city. You don't have large groups of internists in small towns. In small towns of 30K, usually the internist is in solo practice with a couple of PA's. Or they might be in a small group of 4 or 5 partners. However in large cities, internists form groups of 20-40 physicians to share expenses and call. Internists who become partners in large groups earn a lot because their firm owns their equipment such as the lab, X-ray and treadmills etc. That's where they make their money on. Large groups of 20-30 people can afford this overhead so it is an income generating machine. Let me also add that these internists practice in large cities and are not taking away duties that subspecialists perform. For example, these internists are not doing scopes etc.

wow i didnt know they had partnerships for IM, is that a common thing? Becuase every survey I have ever seen says IM is around 160k

Surveys are misleading. For one thing, physicians are inclined to underreport their salary because they want to keep attorneys off their back. If it is known how much certain groups of physicians earn, that only motivates attorneys and others to start circling like vultures. This applies to other health fields too such as dentistry etc. Other surveys account for resident salaries too which is 30-40K so you can see that it can drop the salary quite a bit. Some salary figures are based on W2's and we all know how physicians and others can report their income levels on W2's to avoid paying higher taxes. Good accountants can legally manipulate certain loopholes and tax shelters to minimize net income. Finally, these surveys often don't break people into their respective years of experience. A physician who has been in practice for 10 years is going to earn a considerable amount more than one who just graduated from residency. Unfortunately, these physicians are often lumped together.

I was wondering if you can just have a regular office practice and still make a living. I have a few PCPs at our medical school that says it is really really hard to make a living by just being a PCP. Is that true or is that bunch of bull. Thank you.

It's DEFINITELY possible! But if you're an idiot when it comes to business, you're going to have a tough time doing it on your own. However, if you have a knack for business, opening your own practice can actually be very lucritive. For example, you can have your own lab on site, so as to allow for "one stop shopping." You can rent out space to therapists, you can do diasbility physicals for the state, or you could even work out deals with local companies to do employment physicals. These tactics can help you bring in more revenue and thereby spend more time with your patients, or take more time off per week, or make lots more than your average PCP for working the same amount of hours. The problem is, most physicians aren't trained in business, and many never seem to figure out how to run an efficient and profitable practice without running themselves ragged. You have to know when to outsource, and be clever about ways to subsidize your income. If not, you need to find a good group to join, so you won't be forced to be a businessman too.

That may be the case in Hawaii and California but in most parts of the country, I would say an internist could do quite well if he or she joined a great group practice or started his or her own.

I was talking to a friend who just finished his med/peds residency. He joined a large group. He is starting 190K. If he makes partner in 3-4 years, he will be earning 400-500K. Granted, he is in a very nice group of around 20 physicians that have multiple offices but as you can see, you can do quite well.

I have never heard of an internist, even a partnered one, earning 400-500K. Most internists start at at 140-150K mark. If they make partner, they earning 250-300K. I think your numbers are off

I have never heard of an internist, even a partnered one, earning 400-500K. Most internists start at at 140-150K mark. If they make partner, they earning 250-300K. I think your numbers are off

What do you base your knowledge on? I know people in my program who are inerviewing at groups and they told at large groups, the parternship salary was between 400-500K. I doubt they were lying.

I am an internist (resident). I don't know what the national average is, but I can say why is generally thrown around my program is around 150K starting. Closer to 200K after a few years. Its not ortho, but I think you can live on it.

I am an internist (resident). I don't know what the national average is, but I can say why is generally thrown around my program is around 150K starting. Closer to 200K after a few years. Its not ortho, but I think you can live on it.

That 200K is about right if you are talking about someone who hasn't made partner or chosen to buy in after a few years. With bonuses and raises, 200K sounds about right. However, partners earn significantly more particularly if the group is large and owns their lab and other equipment.