CNN article

By the time most here are practicing under Obamacare, most physicians, including specialists, will be making < $150,000.

rabidpanda13 said:

THIS QUOTE is absolutely ridiculous:

"A specialist can earn $500,000 or more a year and work 20 hours a week versus a family doctor who earns on average $120,000 a year and works more than 60 hours a week," said Weiner.

Half a million for 20 hours a week?! Sign me up.

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The quote contains truth my friend. I know a specialist who works only On Tue and Thurs and still makes 375,000. And that is exactly why I am going to choose some specialty over family practice.

Istarus said:

By the time most here are practicing under Obamacare, most physicians, including specialists, will be making < $150,000.

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Wait.. I don't get it? How? Elaborate plz.

Istarus said:

By the time most here are practicing under Obamacare, most physicians, including specialists, will be making < $150,000.

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$100,000-$150,000 is great -- if your total debt load for UG and med school is only 10k.

My question is this: why aren't we lobbying to do what Europe does to make it functional, that is, cap the amount schools can charge students?

Istarus said:

By the time most here are practicing under Obamacare, most physicians, including specialists, will be making < $150,000.

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Wow, I wasn't aware that Obama had released proposed salaries for the plan he hasn't created, as CONGRESS produces policy, not the president.

Seriously, learn to troll better or just stop.

Istarus said:

By the time most here are practicing under Obamacare, most physicians, including specialists, will be making < $150,000.

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Someone's been listening to Sean Hannity a bit too much.

Winter Lily said:

$100,000-$150,000 is great -- if your total debt load for UG and med school is only 10k.

My question is this: why aren't we lobbying to do what Europe does to make it functional, that is, cap the amount schools can charge students?

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capping amount schools can charge seems to me like capping the quality of education schools can give...

jhamaican said:

capping amount schools can charge seems to me like capping the quality of education schools can give...

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That's right. It's not a good idea and I do not recommend it.

How about the gov pays for medical education. I realize physician salaries would likely go down under obamacare, after-all the best way to reduce costs is to insure everyone under a plan that offers lower compensation /end sarcasm. I can just see specialties, esp those not covered under obamacare becoming even more competitive since having a majority of patients under obamacare and 300k in school debt isn't very attractive for 12+ years of school.

rabidpanda13 said:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/16/news/economy/healthcare_doctors_shortage/index.htm?cnn=yes

The article is pretty standard stuff about how there are no med students going into primary care but THIS QUOTE is absolutely ridiculous:

"A specialist can earn $500,000 or more a year and work 20 hours a week versus a family doctor who earns on average $120,000 a year and works more than 60 hours a week," said Weiner.

Half a million for 20 hours a week?! Sign me up.

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These are pretty extreme examples and give a distorted view of the salary situation between specialists and PC docs. It's much more statistically wise to look at averages, medians and IQR for specialties through various surveys. Although it's true that specialists generally make considerably more than PC docs, it's important to realize that you're not going to be guaranteed big bux just by avoiding PC.

jhamaican said:

capping amount schools can charge seems to me like capping the quality of education schools can give...

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Perhaps subsidize is the right word. Texas, for example, has one of the best medical school system and they pay like $7,000/year for tuition. The state subsidizes the tuition which allows them to retain and train a great number of students each year.

Obama can negotiate with private schools in different states to accept X% of their in-state residents and then cover part of the cost with federal and state funds. Example of this model is Baylor.

looks like after residency we'll all have to live in studio-apartments and eat sardines in order to pay off that loan in 2-3 years.

KingstonPre said:

looks like after residency we'll all have to live in studio-apartments and eat sardines in order to pay off that loan in 2-3 years.

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Hey! I think studio apartments are cool! (Mostly in NYC, though.)

I read the article today and was astounded by the $500,000 / 20 hours tidbit. Seems a bit sensationalistic...

family practice suckssss

SpaceDementia said:

I read the article today and was astounded by the $500,000 / 20 hours tidbit. Seems a bit sensationalistic...

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The numbers are correct if you only take the highest paid specialist in the nation and a poorly paid generalist.

Poor article. Completely useless journalism.

rabidpanda13 said:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/16/news/economy/healthcare_doctors_shortage/index.htm?cnn=yes

The article is pretty standard stuff about how there are no med students going into primary care but THIS QUOTE is absolutely ridiculous:

"A specialist can earn $500,000 or more a year and work 20 hours a week versus a family doctor who earns on average $120,000 a year and works more than 60 hours a week," said Weiner.

Half a million for 20 hours a week?! Sign me up.

Click to expand...

The data in the quote itself is not ridiculous, just its use. It's possible that the average family doctor makes that amount of money and works that amount of time (although the average specialist likely works a lot more hours). A specialist can also earn $ 500,000 or more and work 20 hours a week just like a family doctor CAN work 5 hours a week and make $3,000,000 a year. I like how the person making the statement compares an extreme to a norm.

The crisis in FP cannot be reduced to salary. If people chose specialties only based on salary then why do 15-20% of all graduates consistently chose pediatrics?

FP is a field that needs to redefine its training and its mission. I think that FP residencies are essentially training people to practice a form of primary care that is rapidly becoming impossible. Case in point: the obstetrical training in FP or even the gen surg training that alot of them still get. Skills that only the tiniest percentage of graduates will ever apply are still being taught and taking up valuable training time in a short residency.

Why are FP residencies not more like Med/Peds? In fact why is an FP even different from a Med/Peds doc nowadays? I think we just need a residency that is called Primary Care, is 4 years long, and looks almost exactly like Med/Peds residencies do now. That way students interested in primary care have a great training option and they have a world of fellowships available too them if they decide they really like nephrology, or critical care, or pediatric endocrinology.

/soapbox.

SpaceDementia said:

I read the article today and was astounded by the $500,000 / 20 hours tidbit. Seems a bit sensationalistic...

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<sarcasm>
Sensationalistic? The media? Nah. They only give us the facts and let us decide.
</sarcasm>

What ever happened to unbiased journalism? Oh yeah, they moved it to Comedy Central and it's called The Daily Show.

Flawless said:

The quote contains truth my friend. I know a specialist who works only On Tue and Thurs and still makes 375,000. And that is exactly why I am going to choose some specialty over family practice.

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Well I know a specialist that works on Wednesdays from 2pm-3:30pm and makes 435,000.

He sells drugs on the side though.

SpaceDementia said:

I read the article today and was astounded by the $500,000 / 20 hours tidbit. Seems a bit sensationalistic...

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The thing we have to remember is that the general public doesn't realize this is sensationalism. This is the reality that they believe and I've heard people repeat these sort of things to me.

YouNeverKnow22 said:

family practice suckssss

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Damnit, with the grades that I have and will be getting, FP is the only thing I can match into.