Annoying Med Student Questions Again

[deleted795531]

Hey guys and gals. I'm a med student and have wanted gas for several years. I want to help patients. money isn't a primary concern of mine. blah blah blah. let's talk business. Chronic pain reimbursements are down. Do you have any reason to believe they'll swing back up (or stay down or drop further)? How will more of an emphasis on perioperative medicine affect anesthesiologist salaries generally? Is the PSH bad for the anesthesiologists' bottom line? In general, how much exactly do you expect anesthesiology salaries to drop? Thanks for supporting my procrastination.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[BLADEMDA]

Hey guys and gals. I'm a med student and have wanted gas for several years. I want to help patients. money isn't a primary concern of mine. blah blah blah. let's talk business. Chronic pain reimbursements are down. Do you have any reason to believe they'll swing back up (or stay down or drop further)? How will more of an emphasis on perioperative medicine affect anesthesiologist salaries generally? Is the PSH bad for the anesthesiologists' bottom line? In general, how much exactly do you expect anesthesiology salaries to drop? Thanks for supporting my procrastination.

"Money isn't a primary concern of mine." So, why the focus on asking about salaries? 2 posts and 1 is about money.

Salaries aren't headed back up unless you find a place without Medicare/Medicaid or just take cash/credit cards.

Chronic Pain attendings won't starve anytime soon. A General attending in the O.R, should continue to earn $250-$300k provided he/she takes call and is working full time.

If you can find a lucrative private practice in Pain or General Anesthesia then expect to earn double the number mentioned in this thread.

 

[risnwb]

Money does in fact seem to be your primary concern. That, however, is not a bad thing. But maybe you should just accept it and you will be happier in the long run. If I had accepted the fact that my primary concern was not taking frequent overnight call, I would have done something completely different and would not be as tired as I am today


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[deleted795531]

Money does in fact seem to be your primary concern. That, however, is not a bad thing. But maybe you should just accept it and you will be happier in the long run. If I had accepted the fact that my primary concern was not taking frequent overnight call, I would have done something completely different and would not be as tired as I am today


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

if money were my primary concern i'd be killing it in manhattan like my friends, not building up a half a mil debt until i'm too old to even enjoy a high salary properly.

 

[Consigliere]

if money were my primary concern i'd be killing it in manhattan like my friends, not building up a half a mil debt until i'm too old to even enjoy a high salary properly.

Pick another speciality dude. Believe me, you'll thank me later.

 

[Consigliere]

.

 

[yanks26dmb]

if money were my primary concern i'd be killing it in manhattan like my friends, not building up a half a mil debt until i'm too old to even enjoy a high salary properly.

Ah, Manhattan... where the roads are paved with gold.

So what do you do... 1. show up 2. kill it 3. profit?

So easy!

 

[misteratoz]

I don't care about money guys but let's talk money for a sec

 

[GigiBuffon]

if money were my primary concern i'd be killing it in manhattan like my friends, not building up a half a mil debt until i'm too old to even enjoy a high salary properly.

BS. You wouldn't be killing anything, thats why you went to Med Skool. And if money isn't a primary concern of yours, then thats a BIG problem considering the debt you are racking up and the steadily worsening outlook in anesthesia.

 

[BLADEMDA]

Hey guys and gals. I'm a med student and have wanted gas for several years. I want to help patients. money isn't a primary concern of mine. blah blah blah. let's talk business. Chronic pain reimbursements are down. Do you have any reason to believe they'll swing back up (or stay down or drop further)? How will more of an emphasis on perioperative medicine affect anesthesiologist salaries generally? Is the PSH bad for the anesthesiologists' bottom line? In general, how much exactly do you expect anesthesiology salaries to drop? Thanks for supporting my procrastination.

I expect salaries to erode over time due to inflation. The gap will widen between those who can raise insurance rates and hence earn more money vs those stuck in an employment model where they are lucky to get COLA each year.

So, in the short run things look stable but over a longer time period
Iike 20 years I see salary erosion.

 

[tracheatoedoc]

I tell every med student to either do a surgery subspecialty or an IM subspecialty

 

[Aether2000]

Chronic pain is a low hanging fruit for significant further cuts, so I would anticipate this within 5 years. But money should not be the determining factor in selecting between anesthesiology or pain medicine. The practices are so vastly different that there is really very little relationship. The procedures are different, physician and patient goals are different, location of practice (in hospital vs private office), and the whining factor are all factors that determine the flavor of the profession.

 

[surfguy84]

Chronic pain is a low hanging fruit for significant further cuts, so I would anticipate this within 5 years. But money should not be the determining factor in selecting between anesthesiology or pain medicine. The practices are so vastly different that there is really very little relationship. The procedures are different, physician and patient goals are different, location of practice (in hospital vs private office), and the whining factor are all factors that determine the flavor of the profession.

Is there possibility to do a bit of both?

 

[Ronin2258]

Is there possibility to do a bit of both?

It depends strongly on the practice you are with, and your patient population.

I trained where chronic pain anesthesiologists did both pain clinic and OR time. The 4-5 pain docs were busy in clinic, and did OR time and pulled OR call. They still had time for residents to actually do chronic pain procedures (though I would not do a cervical epidural even at gunpoint without a fellowship under my belt.) Not bad for a good sized New England city.

The current group I'm with, only one of the three chronic pain anesthesiologists get OR time, and then only 1-2 days a week max. The patient load for chronic pain where I am now swamps the chronic pain group.