Best & Worst States to Practice In (2019)

[Wjldenver]

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...Just so you know. I'm surprised Colorado is only ranked #14 since magic mushrooms are now legal here in addition to marijuana. We're becoming the Amsterdam of the United States!

Best & Worst Places to Practice 2019: Where Physicians Can Thrive

Medscape rated states and cities on the basis of a variety of livability factors, as well as financial factors that could affect physicians.

www.medscape.com

 

[Sardonix]

*Laughs in Midwestern... which means you won't see us laugh, but despite our stunted emotions we promise we're delighted and judging everyone else.

 

[nimbus]

12 Reasons California Is a Terrible Place for Doctors to Build Wealth | White Coat Investor

Just how difficult is it for a physician to build wealth while living in California? Here are 12 reasons the economic costs may be too high to call it home.

www.whitecoatinvestor.com

 

[LebronManning]

I heard New Jersey is ****ing terrible. New york doesn't seem so bad though

 

[Chibucks15]

Shhhh don’t let the upper Midwest get popular for at least another 3 years plz

 

[anon6134]

Shhhh don’t let the upper Midwest get popular for at least another 3 years plz

I don't think you have to worry about that...

 

[Osminog]

I'm surprised Colorado is only ranked #14 since magic mushrooms are now legal here in addition to marijuana. We're becoming the Amsterdam of the United States!

Yeah, that's really surprising. For most physicians, the legality of hallucinogenic drugs is a key factor for quality of life.

 

[Chibucks15]

I don't think you have to worry about that...

Oh so you’re one of those NYC/LA or bust types huh?

 

[DO2015CA]

Ya when I saw CA anything other than 50/50, I knew I could trust the list. You choose California because you want to be in California. Not because they are good to their physicians. Because they aren’t. They are ruthless

 

[holdthemayo]

Oh so you’re one of those NYC/LA or bust types huh?

It's a big country. Much of it is more desirable to live in (for some of us) than the upper midwest or NYC/LA.

 

[Wjldenver]

Yeah, that's really surprising. For most physicians, the legality of hallucinogenic drugs is a key factor for quality of life.

Repeat after me...”Sarcasm”. Now look up the definition.

 

[Osminog]

Repeat after me...”Sarcasm”. Now look up the definition.

I'll check my dictionary as soon as I get home. Will get back to you about what I find. Thanks.

 

[Chibucks15]

It's a big country. Much of it is more desirable to live in (for some of us) than the upper midwest or NYC/LA.

K

 

[SLC]

Utah!

No idea where we land in the article. But we get decent pay combined with low cost of living, educated and generally health conscious patients with a culture of being non-litigious, and proximity to immense outdoor beauty and recreational opportunities.

I love practice here

 

[Osminog]

isnt the state 99.9% Mormon?

That's a plus in my book. They have some odd beliefs, but the ones I've met have been super friendly and hardworking.

 

[gyngyn]

Ya when I saw CA anything other than 50/50, I knew I could trust the list. You choose California because you want to be in California. Not because they are good to their physicians. Because they aren’t. They are ruthless

At least we have MICRA.

 

[Ho0v-man]

Utah!

No idea where we land in the article. But we get decent pay combined with low cost of living, educated and generally health conscious patients with a culture of being non-litigious, and proximity to immense outdoor beauty and recreational opportunities.

I love practice here

One would assume you make less overall though. The patient encounters are really drawn out bc the patient needs to tell you about how they went BYU.

 

[Roxas]

isnt the state 99.9% Mormon?

Yep, you nailed it. Just like Minnesota is 99% bear-wresling Canadians and Texas is 99% gun-slinging cowboys.

Broad brushes are fun.

 

[smukke]

Not saying it one way or the other. As a non-white non-Mormon, it’s a huge turn off. YMMV 🙂

As long as you stay downtown or around the university it's surprisingly non-white and non-Mormon, and actually quite liberal. The suburbs are a different story though.

 

[Roxas]

Not saying it one way or the other. As a non-white non-Mormon, it’s a huge turn off. YMMV 🙂

Out of curiosity, would you be just as cool with someone saying a predominantly Jewish area was a "huge turn off?" Or a predominantly black area?

 

[SLC]

isnt the state 99.9% Mormon?

Yeah, but I’m like 97.4% Mormon so...

In all seriousness, Mormons are good people, kind, hard working, easy to take care of, and they don’t sue.

And it’s close to 50:50 Mormon and non. There’s a decently sized Hispanic population, a large LGBTQ community on the wasatch front, and plenty of Polynesians too.

It’s not Harlem, but it’s not 99.9% white Mormon folks either. Think Portland Oregon (I lived there too); but with less patchouli oil.

And most importantly, Utah is like a wonderland for outdoorsy folks like me.

 

[SLC]

One would assume you make less overall though. The patient encounters are really drawn out bc the patient needs to tell you about how they went BYU.

As soon as someone brings up being a BYU alum, or even a fan, they get a middle finger and a dismissal letter.

Kidding...sorta.

 

[Roxas]

As soon as someone brings up being a BYU alum, or even a fan, they get a middle finger and a dismissal letter.

Kidding...sorta.

I thought I recalled you being a U of U guy. I went further south, and used to be pretty indifferent in the holy war... until I got to med school and saw how obnoxious BYU fandom was lol.

 

[Osminog]

Out of curiosity, would you be just as cool with someone saying a predominantly Jewish area was a "huge turn off?" Or a predominantly black area?

"Isn't Detroit 99% black? As a white person, that's a huge turn-off. YMMV."

After being accused of racism:

"Yes. I like diversity... that is all I meant... has nothing to do with blacks in and of themselves. Solid job assuming, though."

Our culture has some very interesting double standards, eh?

 

[Roxas]

? Yes. I like diversity... that is all I meant.. has nothing to do with Mormons in and of themselves. I have literally nothing against Mormons. Solid job assuming, and making something out of nothing. SMH

All I did was pose a pretty obviously valid question.

 

[IMGASMD]

For those consider MN. Just read this from Anestheia forum.

https://www.mnmed.org/news-and-publications/News/MN-Supreme-Court-Rules-Physician-Patient-Relations

 

[AMEHigh]

Out of curiosity, would you be just as cool with someone saying a predominantly Jewish area was a "huge turn off?" Or a predominantly black area?

In most situations I assume people don’t want to be an “other." So if someone said that they’re white and don’t want to live in an all-black area then I wouldn’t necessarily side eye them. Now if they said they didn’t want to live in an all-black area because black people are dumb and dirty and white people are better, then yes that would be racist.

As a black person who grew up for many years in mostly white areas, I can confidently say that I would prefer not to go through that again. My work place is a monolith enough that I enjoy that in my neighborhood I’m not othered or harassed.

 

[Roxas]

I like diversity... that is all I meant.. has nothing to do with Mormons in and of themselves. I have literally nothing against Mormons. Solid job assuming, and making something out of nothing. SMH

Also, you’re comparing different races with a religion? GTFO. Not even remotely comparable. Mind as make the next illogical point and ask about clothes or hair color. Ridiculous

You were the first one to mention race in any capacity, but I'm happy to hear that it's a non-issue for you. To me that seems silly as well because where I'm from in Utah exists a relatively large Hispanic and Native community. I think I may have been perceived as more argumentative initially than I intended. My goal was to point out a possible double-standard in the way your comment was presented, and nothing more.

What are you talking about? The state is literally 99% one religion (right, hence my question)... that isn’t a subjective statement, i was asking if it’s an objective fact. You know a question. My goodness, millennials and their judgments without actually asking what’s going on. The ability to actually understand words in this thread is incredible. The irony in the assumptions here is hilarious lol

The post you're replying to here was meant as a joke. Apologies if the tone wasn't delivered that way.

I think this might be part of the misunderstanding here. It's literally not. Out of curiosity, I just googled it and found that 60% are counted as Latter-day Saints, and only roughly 40% are active practitioners of the faith. I will agree that's still a very high number, especially for a group you may want to avoid entirely, but it's not as homogeneous as many outsiders think. And as stated above, certain areas will have much higher makeup of both intellectual and ethnic diversity.

No you didn’t. You tried to lay bait to your invalid butthurt point that you think I was making a prejudice statement. When in reality you just didn’t comprehend (cause you didn’t actually want to know) the reasoning for my statement.

To your credit, I don't think you're a bad guy and I get what you're saying. You can dislike any place for whatever reason with no butthurtedness on my end, I assure you. Your post just read like a statement that would quickly come under fire had the race/religion been swapped for another, and hoped that you didn't mean to come across the way you did. I'm happy to see that there was no malice on your end. Once again, I apologize if I came across as wrongly accusing you of anything.

 

[SLC]

Thank you for being kind and actually educating me. I was not aware.

Hard to become aware when your mind isn’t open...just sayin’

 

[anon6134]

Oh so you’re one of those NYC/LA or bust types huh?

I'm from the midwest and am returning by choice. How you feeling about that?

Lots of feelings touched in this thread. Don't have this problem in the midwest

 

[SLC]

I thought I recalled you being a U of U guy. I went further south, and used to be pretty indifferent in the holy war... until I got to med school and saw how obnoxious BYU fandom was lol.

I’m definitely a UofU guy.

 

[Chibucks15]

I'm from the midwest and am returning by choice. How you feeling about that?

Lots of feelings touched in this thread. Don't have this problem in the midwest

What? I assumed you were a coastal guy cuz of the reputation of SDN. I have zero problems with the midwesterners obviously.

Welcome back to the Midwest though? I honestly could care less where anybody ends up. Just don’t take my future job and we’re golden haha I think you took my comment a little more seriously than it was intended

 

[Ho0v-man]

I’m definitely a UofU guy.

 

[Sardonix]

Coming back to this thread 1 day later:

 

[SLC]

Mind is open. Had misinformation. But, thank you for your assumption 🙂. Have a good night

Someone told you there was a state with 99.9% religious homogeneity and you believed them?

I don’t believe you, I know you’re smarter than that.

It’s no big deal; but you should probably not try to explain things away when you make biased statements. Just own them, and try to change.

Back on topic, I see Utah is #4, about right IMO. The state I did residency in is always near the end in these lists, which is also about right.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Utah!

No idea where we land in the article. But we get decent pay combined with low cost of living, educated and generally health conscious patients with a culture of being non-litigious, and proximity to immense outdoor beauty and recreational opportunities.

I love practice here

The highlight of this thread is me finally figuring out where you practice from all of your obscure "1 hour away from a city with a population of 2 mill" posts in the family med forums 😛. I've been trying to crack it for ages

 

[SLC]

The highlight of this thread is me finally figuring out where you practice from all of your obscure "1 hour away from a city with a population of 2 mill" posts in the family med forums 😛. I've been trying to crack it for ages

Yep, draw a circle with a 1hr drive radius around the Salt Lake City Metro area and I’m somewhere in there. 😉

 

[IsWhat]

Utah is beautiful, but the Mormon population is substantial and their culture permeates through the whole state. My wife grew up in Utah and I travel to Salt Lake City regularly - it isn’t the liberal bastion people say it is, quite frankly. There is a weird, hard to explain, feel to the city.

If anyone is thinking about moving to Salt Lake City then I would take a look at Denver first. Just my opinion of course.

 

[ricksimmonsrafowens]

Utah is beautiful, but the Mormon population is substantial and their culture permeates through the whole state. My wife grew up in Utah and I travel to Salt Lake City regularly - it isn’t the liberal bastion people say it is, quite frankly. There is a weird, hard to explain, feel to the city.

If anyone is thinking about moving to Salt Lake City then I would take a look at Denver first. Just my opinion of course.

I don't understand why everyone was dubious of what NecFasc has posted. Utah, and Salt Lake City, likely do have a significant component of demographic, socioeconomic and religious homogeneity. I can definitely appreciate that someone from a minority group (whether ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion) may not be comfortable residing in that region. I think the antagonism expressed by some people in the thread is wholly unnecessary. We should all be aware of our own implicit biases and how our communities treat/treated those who are different, whether in the past or in the present.

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

I thought I recalled you being a U of U guy. I went further south, and used to be pretty indifferent in the holy war... until I got to med school and saw how obnoxious BYU fandom was lol.

BYU fans are right up there next to jazz fans as being the most annoying

 

[68PGUN]

From the tone of this thread, I remain thankful that the booming job market in Alaska will be open for business when I'm done with residency in 5-8 years.

 

[SLC]

I don't understand why everyone was dubious of what NecFasc has posted. Utah, and Salt Lake City, likely do have a significant component of demographic, socioeconomic and religious homogeneity. I can definitely appreciate that someone from a minority group (whether ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion) may not be comfortable residing in that region. I think the antagonism expressed by some people in the thread is wholly unnecessary. We should all be aware of our own implicit biases and how our communities treat/treated those who are different, whether in the past or in the present.

Dubious? Naah. I just found it odd that he/she singled out an area as a place to avoid based on obviously exaggerated stereotypes about a certain portion of the population there. All the while saying that he/she values diversity.

It’s obvious that his/her diversity doesn’t include certain types of people.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I thought I recalled you being a U of U guy. I went further south, and used to be pretty indifferent in the holy war... until I got to med school and saw how obnoxious BYU fandom was lol.

As someone who went to BYU, I can confirm that BYU fans are an embarrassment to true sports fans everywhere.

Utah is a good place to live and work, although I myself have essentially zero desire to go back. I'll take Idaho or Montana personally.

 

[SLC]

As someone who went to BYU, I can confirm that BYU fans are an embarrassment to true sports fans everywhere.

Utah is a good place to live and work, although I myself have essentially zero desire to go back. I'll take Idaho or Montana personally.

Montana would be nice, I’d enjoy the fly fishing up there.

I’d personally love moving back to Oregon too.

 

[Roxas]

As someone who went to BYU, I can confirm that BYU fans are an embarrassment to true sports fans everywhere.

Utah is a good place to live and work, although I myself have essentially zero desire to go back. I'll take Idaho or Montana personally.

My wife and I have a similar sentiment. I personally would really like to end up in Las Vegas or Flagstaff, as Utah is awesome but it's been nice having some distance from family and carving out our own life somewhere else. I certainly can't claim my motives are as righteous as the lack of diversity there 🙄

 

[deleted910941]

Why is this thread called "Best and Worst Places to Practice Medicine?"

 

[nimbus]

Amazing survey. I will have to check out Iowa(#2) and South Dakota(#8).

 

[Cheeni17]

This list is somewhat bogus docs can make a killing in Ky and WV.

 

[atomheart]

This list is somewhat bogus docs can make a killing in Ky and WV.

Income is not the only criteria that determines rank in this list. If you're making a killing but the state is a dump, your family is going to suffer and you'll be miserable outside of work. KY and WV in fact are notoriously dumpy states due to environmental concerns like strip mining and pollution.

 

[Cheeni17]

Income is not the only criteria that determines rank in this list. If you're making a killing but the state is a dump, your family is going to suffer and you'll be miserable outside of work. KY and WV in fact are notoriously dumpy states due to environmental concerns like strip mining and pollution.

I’d agree with a meh place for family but they are for the most part so rural one would insane to worry about pollution overload. LA has more pollution than any place in WV lol. Per capita pollution is probably ridiculously high in WV but cumulative load? Not so much in most towns. Have you been to either one? I lived in KY for a while it’s not great but it’s not that bad. WV is pretty crappy for the most part though