Sorry my comment was misinterpreted. I can see why though. I just meant nice find for getting useful data to look at. In the context of what else I said I see how it appears as if I'm satisfied with negative news.
That wasn't my intention. I meant- "nice find! I wish more concrete data was available for us students to determine the future outlook of medicine." Not, nice find, screw rads.
I stand by my other statements though. While its true radiology is needed- so is pathology- and yet their income stream is significantly lower. They're work is just as important- but they make less if only because the gross cost of equipment is lower (collectively it is higher because of the many parts involved). I dont understand though why radiology should be so competitive- when path isn't. And why rads should make more money when path doesn't. That was what I was referring to.
One could say the same about the need for pathology to dx dz- the same statement you make applies to them as well. That dichotomy is what I do not like. While I can argue that path should make more than they do now (and I think they should considering the importance of early detection)- I think rads makes too much. I simply do not understand how 9-5 jobs should be paid 400k when stress etc is not involved.
I'm not saying any field should have cuts. I'm saying certain fields should and have it redistributed to other areas- surgery/IV cards/etc.
Just saw your great post.
About me: I am an attending radiologist with MSK subspecialty. My girlfriend is a cardiologist, finishing her training this year. We live in a very desirable location with a very competitive market. Though I am lucky to have a nice job, we have a hard time to find a reasonable job for her here. Still don't know what to do, esp giving the fact that I am a partner now and radiologist job market is as bad or worst that cardiology.
Now about your post: It is just a comment and I am sure that I can not change your biased opinion. But a few points:
1- Radiology is not a 9-5 job at all, at least in the last 8 years. FYI, I was on call last night from 9pm to 7am. I read about 140 studies including 60 CTs and MRs. From trauma to stroke to appy to PE. And again FYI, our IR people are on call 1/4 or 1:5. I work about 4 weeks night shifts a year and work almost full the every third to fourth weekend. Also there are many so called evening shift which means I work till 10 PM. There are still 9-5 radiology jobs but in the boonies with lower pay and they are rapidly taken over by hospital system. I never ever say that the lifestyle is as harsh as IC, but really not better than non-invasive cards. AND I'd rather have a lighter schedule (call me lazy), but no jobs available with that schedule. Groups are trying to keep salaries up by not hiring and increasing hours of work.
With all my respects for my pathology friends, show me a pathologsit who worked last night non stop the whole night and I will pay you one grand. If I don't answer the non stop phone calls from ED, my pager starts to ring nonstop because they page me. Close the pathology department and nobody will not notice for 3 days. Anyway, I strongly believe that they are underpaid.
2- Income across medical specialties is a relatively random process. Why an orthopod makes twice an OB-Gyn? Why a general surgeon makes less than a GI? Why a pediatrician makes less than an IM? Why a spine surgeon makes two times of what an IR or IC makes? While you can give reasons for all of this, all of them will be just Justification. There is not a really good answer to them.
But one thing is obvious: New procedures pay better, no matter what it is. It can be Nuclear stress test or can be liver MRI. It can be Transchatheter chemoembolization of liver mass or can be transcatheter replacement of aortic valve.
3-As a reminder, most of a revenue in cardiology and obviously in radiology comes from IMAGING. This is why you get paid more than a neurologist or an ICU physician. If you have any objection that why imaging pays better than office visit, you are free to do that. But YOU ARE SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE FOOT. I get paid 40 buck to read a brain CT and if I am not wrong you get paid 50-60 bucks to get paid to read an echo. Now you can object that I am overpaid. They will decrease my 40 bucks to 20 bucks. Then next year they will think that how come CT pays 20 bucks and echo pays 60 bucks. And .....
4- I personally always believe that physicians in any field should be paid well. Calling another field overpaid is neither professional nor useful. In fact it will come back to you.
This is what exactly happened in one of the hospitals that we cover. It may help you in the future:
It was last year when we were in a hospital meeting and there were all groups of physicians. The hospital is busy center with a relatively busy call for both diagnostics and interventional. After fighting back and forth the hospital decided that they are not going to pay the IR on call person for being on call. I can exactly remember that even a trauma surgeon said that you get paid for the procedure itself. Why do you complain?
Anyway, a few months later the hospital stopped paying for STEMI call and for trauma surgery on call. They hospital clearly stated that none of the other physicians are get paid to be on call.
5- I hate all the cuttings to our reimbursements year after year to the point that the market has become so tight that my girlfriend and I, after doing 14-15 years of education each, can not find jobs in the same area.
Good Luck..
