Academic medicine

[DPPM]

I'm just wondering about some of the differences between academic medicine and private practice. From what I've heard, in academics, you get more variety since you teach and do research as well as practice, but you also work harder, doing longer hours for less money. Is this accurate?

I know there's some variability, but on average, how many more hours are worked per week by an academic physician (pediatrician) compared to one in private practice?

Is there more flexibility for scheduling in academics?

What is the average starting salary for a general pediatrician in academia?

Thanks in advance for any info.

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[14022]

I'm just wondering about some of the differences between academic medicine and private practice. From what I've heard, in academics, you get more variety since you teach and do research as well as practice, but you also work harder, doing longer hours for less money. Is this accurate?

I know there's some variability, but on average, how many more hours are worked per week by an academic physician (pediatrician) compared to one in private practice?

Is there more flexibility for scheduling in academics?

What is the average starting salary for a general pediatrician in academia?

Thanks in advance for any info.

In academic medicine, you have housestaff (ie, residents) to do a lot of your busy work. You do teach and do research, but there are a lot of programs in academic medicine that have clinical tracks, where research is not required (or lessof a requirement.) Your malpractice is included in your salary since the medical center pays for all of their employed physicians to be covered.

In private practice, you're sole responsibility is patient care and you see patients in the outpatient setting and may follow your patients when they are hospitalized (private physicians get admitting rights to certain hospitals) but some pediatricians defer the hospital care to the housestaff of the hospital.

Salary is highly variable in both settings. In academics, you have a set yearly salary but may be able to earn bonuses based on patient volume. Salary will vary depending on the region of the country and the quality of the hospital. In general, the more prestigious medical centers will pay less because the reputation of the program will open more doors down the road. The lesser known programs will pay more to recruit quality MD's from the more prestigious institutions. In private practice, your salary will vary depending on the volume of patients seen, the number of people in your practice, the efficiency of your billing system, etc. In general, private practice does pay more, but I wouldn't necessarily say they do not work as hard.

 

[14022]

I'm just wondering about some of the differences between academic medicine and private practice. From what I've heard, in academics, you get more variety since you teach and do research as well as practice, but you also work harder, doing longer hours for less money. Is this accurate?

I know there's some variability, but on average, how many more hours are worked per week by an academic physician (pediatrician) compared to one in private practice?

Is there more flexibility for scheduling in academics?

What is the average starting salary for a general pediatrician in academia?

Thanks in advance for any info.

In academic medicine, you have housestaff (ie, residents) to do a lot of your busy work. You do teach and do research, but there are a lot of programs in academic medicine that have clinical tracks, where research is not required (or lessof a requirement.) Your malpractice is included in your salary since the medical center pays for all of their employed physicians to be covered.

In private practice, you're sole responsibility is patient care and you see patients in the outpatient setting and may follow your patients when they are hospitalized (private physicians get admitting rights to certain hospitals) but some pediatricians defer the hospital care to the housestaff of the hospital.

Salary is highly variable in both settings. In academics, you have a set yearly salary but may be able to earn bonuses based on patient volume. Salary will vary depending on the region of the country and the quality of the hospital. In general, the more prestigious medical centers will pay less because the reputation of the program will open more doors down the road. The lesser known programs will pay more to recruit quality MD's from the more prestigious institutions. In private practice, your salary will vary depending on the volume of patients seen, the number of people in your practice, the efficiency of your billing system, etc. In general, private practice does pay more, but I wouldn't necessarily say they do not work as hard.

 

[vwhan]

My wife is considering doing a fellowship in academic medicine. Where can I find a list of programs that offer it as a fellowship? I tried Freida online, but came up empty.

TIA,
Hany