Are people taking jobs for $200k these days?
Back in 2017, I started a bit above that number and was angry about it for the entire year. After six years of inflation, <$250k offers shouldn't attract candidates with any self-respect.
My guess is we'll see some compression of the income range between the exploitative partners and exploited junior pathologists, which is long overdue. I'm now a partner at a different group and earn multiples of my post-fellowship salary with a 2 weeks on/2 weeks off schedule. If we hired another pathologist, we'd split the income in proportion to the # of days they're on service/call and any risk they take in putting their name on the lab CLIA. 2-3 year partner tracks are somewhat reasonable as there is risk in accepting an unknown personality into your business ownership. But if a junior pathologist does the work, they should be entitled to 100% of their billing minus business expenses. Why do senior partners think it's acceptable to financially benefit from the work and professional liability of other (junior) pathologists?
It’s called capitalism, or making money off of the labor of others. A higher supply of pathologists than pathologist demand will allow employers to get pathologists on the cheap. Furthermore, in a capitalistic society, you are always making money for someone. Through the years, I’ve come to realize our field doesn’t protect junior pathologists.
The leaders of our field don’t protect our field like those in Dermatology. Dermatology can actually increase residency spots if they wanted to but they don’t because it will lead to the degradation of their field like what has happened to ours. They protect their field so well, that only the top best and brightest students apply.
Pathology on the other hand is a joke. We are predominantly filled with foreign grads that are looking for a job in the US. Some are hard working folks that actually love pathology and there are some lazy a$$ people as well. I’ve met people who got into pathology because they couldn’t get into internal medicine.
I was offered 180-200K starting salary years ago (pre-Covid). The previous moderators on this forum came to defend the field but too bad, the news was out. There were like 50 unmatched spots from what I remember that one year. Partnership was, at places, 5 years. I interviewed at a place that started me at 180 with incremental increases in salary each year and you became full partner in year 6-7. It was bad. I was happy I even got an interview.
Locums rates were deplorable but moderators were still defending the field. $700/day.
I know OLD pathologists who are still making money off of younger pathologists. They don’t do much except for collecting a paycheck every month off the work of junior pathologists, who are working hard, generating much more revenue than they are. If you own the hospital contracts, then you can pay whatever the hell you want as long as you can get someone to come work for you.
Current salaries in the 200-250 range in larger cities makes me think there isn’t a shortage. Practices still think they can hire a pathologist with that salary. On a national scale, yes there are more jobs to choose from with higher salaries far from large cities.
I’ve heard of some places where there are shortages of pathologists in the group but the group doesn’t fill because the senior partners aren’t willing to increase the salaries to attract candidates or even pay for locums. It’s greed and just being cheap.
There is no abundance of jobs in this field as compared to other fields. I talk with my rads and anesthesia friends who tell me there are plenty of jobs with high paying locums opportunities. In path, there are very few locums opportunities regionally (like less than 5 in my state) although there are more on a national scale if you are crazy enough to travel.
PathologicalLiar-your post reminds me of the following quote:
“Don't assume that people are operating in your interest rather than their own. A higher percentage of the population than you might imagine will cheat if given the opportunity. When offered the choice of being fair with you or taking more for themselves, most people will take more for themselves. Even a tiny amount of cheating is intolerable, so your happiness and success will depend on your controls. I have repeatedly learned this lesson the hard way.”
