EM malpractice and future?

[windsurfr]

Very disturbing news about medical malpractice. Does anyone have any idea on the outlook of emergency medicine in the face of increasing insurance costs? Is there a possible bright future, or is at all grim? If I go into emergency medicine will I be paying so much in malpractice that it would have been more lucrative to go into ER nursing?!?!
Thanks

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[wandering_scholar]

If you work for the hospital, as many ER docs do, malpractice is paid for. If you work for a group, you pay your own. It's usually not unreasonable, from what I understand.

ERIC

 

[Freeeedom!]

windsurfer, not really sure where you are getting your info...but I guess that is why you are asking the question. EM docs make anywhere from 150k to >300k, so there is a big range depending on location and hours worked. I don't think I have ever heard the term "nursing" and "lucrative" put in the same sentence, but there are firsts for everything.

The future is extremely bright, and EM continues to grow by leaps and bounds. The insurance crisis is universal, but lobbyist groups and professional organizations are doing their best to reverse the trend. For additional info regarding EM join
AAEM or ACEP and they will send emails on a weekly basis. Also, join the AMA and get the weekly American Medical News to follow legislative efforts.

 

[Nutella]

Actually, I know many nurses making pretty good money at $32/hr, plus the regular option of doing double time. Then there are the travel nurses, who get housing paid for, plus monthly stipeds on top of all that. I know one pulling in over 100K this year. For the amount of education vs. money, it is possble, although not the rule, to be very lucrutive as a nurse.

 

[Voxel]

Let's talk lucrative... Over the long term if reimbursements stay at present levels, and ER physicians practice ~10 years at the median for income for ER physicians, they will make more if they continue to work.

However, this does not take away from the fact that there is a huge nursing shortage and that's why nursing salaries are being pushed up so high. If we could flood the market with nurses (4 years of college only required), their salaries would come back from their current stratospheric levels to around 30-35K for recent graduates and an upper limit of around 60-70K for more experienced nurses.

If you look at the cycle of supply and demand, I wonder why more women (or men) do not start going into nursing as the salaries for new grads now range 40-50K, as much as newly minted computer programmers/IT people. Also, some experienced nurses who do traveling nursing or temp nursing and work per diem can make 70-100K. And you can't beat the job stability of nursing (although this is debatable, since some LP are being used as RN extenders).

 

[Freeeedom!]

Once again, 100k is nice, but LUCRATIVE? RN's making that much are few and far between. I haven't met one yet and i have many friends that are nurses. Waxing and waning nursing shortages and need happen all the time...anyone remember about 10 years ago there was an OVERSUPPLY of nurses and many quit and were replaced with LPN's? Happens in most allied health fields (as it did in my previous PT career...I was a new grad years ago and I made 42k coming out. I spoke to a new grad in St. Louis LAST year and she made 35k starting. It is cyclical.)

Per diem work is nice when it is there... and I really don't think once can compare $35/hr to 110-130/hr.
Go into the field that supplies the most happiness. If your happiness depends on cash flow, then you will likely never be happy in any field...enough is never enough.

 

[NurseyK]

I agree with Freeeedom on this one.....it's all relative. As an ER nurse you still have to pay for malpractice, CME's, re-certs....it all comes out the same in the long run.

Kat

 

[ghostcow]

Here is link to how much U. of Colorado pays for malpractice for residents. I don't see EM though. Note the 400% increase in many areas. I don't know how the $amounts translate into private practice numbers but the relative ratio of the various specialties should be about right.
Peace.
<a href="http://www.uchsc.edu/sm/gme/malpract.htm" target="_blank">http://www.uchsc.edu/sm/gme/malpract.htm</a>

 

[wandering_scholar]

Can you say Non Sequitor?

I just want to point out that I have been a computer jock and I have seen how hard nurses work and I must say there is no comparison despite the same range of salary. Computer jobs are easy and laid back. You take a coffee break when you want to, you take a day or even a week off when you want to. Nurses wade through blood and ****, are treated like ****, and work their asses off. I don't blame young men and women for not wanting to enter the field, which is why we've got such a shortage now which is only getting worse.

ERIC

 

[Hopkins2010]

wandering scholar,

You are right about IT people vs nursing.

voxel,

Keep in mind that to go into IT there is really no formal education required. A lot of people get 4 year degrees in ISY or MIS, but really thats not necessary. If you study for the networking certifications and pass the exams, you dont even need to go to college at all to get into IT. You could study for it in high school, pass the certifications, and then start out making 50k per year right out of high school. Its not as lucrative lately in this economic downturn, but still overall I'd say IT is a much easier/more lucrative road than nursing.