Good Salary Still Possible?

[PreMedDocMD]

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Is it possible in surgery (particulalry ortho/ neuro, but any specialty will do) to own a nice ($1 million +) house, nice car, and work only 60 hours/ week?

 

[hans19]

you forgot the lake house...

the trophy wife...

the mistress...

and the alimony to wife #1

 

[MossPoh]

OP. You aren't going to get friendly responses with this.

I am going to watch from afar now.

 

[cdql]

Is it possible in surgery (particulalry ortho/ neuro, but any specialty will do) to own a nice ($1 million +) house, nice car, and work only 60 hours/ week?

No. We are seeing a disturbing trend of surgeons with sub-$10K houses, cars with 3 wheels, and 180-hour workweeks.

I would suggest looking elsewhere for a career.

👍

 

[Miami_med]

You could probably afford pizza. After you get established of course. In the end, that's what really matters.

 

[Pilot Doc]

Is it possible in surgery (particulalry ortho/ neuro, but any specialty will do) to own a nice ($1 million +) house, nice car, and work only 60 hours/ week?

Why don't we lay off the OP for a moment and let him reconsider his post.

To the OP, your post will be considered ill-informed and offensive by most on the board. Think it over and try reposting it in a better format. PM me if you don't understand why/how.

 

[Dr JPH]

Is it possible in surgery (particulalry ortho/ neuro, but any specialty will do) to own a nice ($1 million +) house, nice car, and work only 60 hours/ week?

You need to get accepted to medical school before you should start worrying about how much money a doctor can make. Notice I didnt say how much money you can someday make. 😉

 

[hans19]

Is it possible in surgery (particulalry ortho/ neuro, but any specialty will do) to own a nice ($1 million +) house, nice car, and work only 60 hours/ week?

All your hard work, the studying, the good grades, the MCATs, getting great letters, extracurriculars and research (while your peers were out partying and having a good time), earns you an interview at a medical school that you would love to be admitted to.

When the med school interviewer is finished grilling you, and he turns it back to you and asks "are there any questions you would like to ask?" That should not be one of them.

 

[H_Caulfield]

By the time you get there, you'll be lucky to be earning 180k after an 80-hour week; my humble prediction is that general surgery will stay close to where it is now, and that the subspecialty salaries will close in on it until they're just a bit higher. If you want a million dollars per year, you'll have to invent something.

No worries, though. It's evident that your passion for surgery can withstand my discouraging estimate.

 

[Dr JPH]

No worries, though. It's evident that your passion for surgery can withstand my discouraging estimate.

👍

 

[Surgeon Guy]

By the time you get there, you'll be lucky to be earning 180k after an 80-hour week; my humble prediction is that general surgery will stay close to where it is now, and that the subspecialty salaries will close in on it until they're just a bit higher. If you want a million dollars per year, you'll have to invent something.

No worries, though. It's evident that your passion for surgery can withstand my discouraging estimate.

Lol. Ok, Ok, simmer down guys. He is a pre- med, he doesn't know any better. the TRUTH, Pre- med doc, is something most won't tell you. Most won't tell you the truth, because it might want some to go into medicine for the wrong reasons. However, I am about telling the truth. So...here it is.

You can make a lot of money in medicine. Especially in ortho/ neuro, with spine surgery because it is very lucrative. I know an ortho spine surgeon that lives in an 8,000 sq. ft. house, and drives a nice car, so don't worry about that. The truth about all those salary quotes is that all doctors underreport their salaries. Spine salary starts off at $500,000k and goes up. The salary will not go down for a while, because the baby boomers will start geting old and all of the obese people will start having back problems.

So, whats the catch?

That catch is, you are going to spend 4 years in med school and 6-7 in residency. You can make the same salary, if money is your only objective, in investment banking. You will work just as hard, but you get to do it right after college. By the time you will finish residency (32 y.o) you will be making the same money in I-Banking as in ortho/ neuro. Thats why, sure, you will be paid a lot in surgery, but it would be quicker/ a little easier to do it in a field of business, such as investment banking.

 

[jeesapeesa]

Lol. Ok, Ok, simmer down guys. He is a pre- med, he doesn't know any better. the TRUTH, Pre- med doc, is something most won't tell you. Most won't tell you the truth, because it might want some to go into medicine for the wrong reasons. However, I am about telling the truth. So...here it is.

You can make a lot of money in medicine. Especially in ortho/ neuro, with spine surgery because it is very lucrative. I know an ortho spine surgeon that lives in an 8,000 sq. ft. house, and drives a nice car, so don't worry about that. The truth about all those salary quotes is that all doctors underreport their salaries. Spine salary starts off at $500,000k and goes up. The salary will not go down for a while, because the baby boomers will start geting old and all of the obese people will start having back problems.

So, whats the catch?

That catch is, you are going to spend 4 years in med school and 6-7 in residency. You can make the same salary, if money is your only objective, in investment banking. You will work just as hard, but you get to do it right after college. By the time you will finish residency (32 y.o) you will be making the same money in I-Banking as in ortho/ neuro. Thats why, sure, you will be paid a lot in surgery, but it would be quicker/ a little easier to do it in a field of business, such as investment banking.

I don't know of anybody who wants to go into surgery to simply "make money"; there is too much self-sacrifice for the salary and the work during and after residency. There are easier routes. For the OP, here's what you're looking for:

http://www.hrg.net/hrg/

 

[NDESTRUKT]

I would argue against saying the above link is an easier route. To be successful in the finance world, it's extremely difficult and competitive. You must not only have a natural "knack" at it, you must also be very creative in terms of finding new solutions to figuring out financial problems. You must also make a name for yourself in the finance world and have accomplishments to get hired. And if you fail, you get fired. It takes >10 years for this to be accomplished all the while having a high stress job.

Surgery, while difficult and physically demanding, is stressful in another type of way. But at the end of residency, it really does get better (unless you do transplant or some other family unfriendly position). Plus surgery you aren't too worried about the prospects of finding a decent job unless you seriously suck and almost everyone graduating from a certified training program is going to be good enough.

 

[sistermike]

Yes, you could potentially make significantly more in the finance/business world; however, I think medicine is the only profession that has such a structured and formalized educational/training route that promises a substantial income.

 

[-Goose-]

Yes, you could potentially make significantly more in the finance/business world; however, I think medicine is the only profession that has such a structured and formalized educational/training route that promises a substantial income.

Nothing is promised anymore with the looming election of a democrat... If Hillary or Obama is in the white house, all bets might be off.

Short of it: if you are in any field of medicine (ESPECIALLY surgery) just for the $, you might be sorely disappointed in a decade or so.

 

[H_Caulfield]

Nothing is promised anymore with the looming election of a democrat... If Hillary or Obama is in the white house, all bets might be off.

Short of it: if you are in any field of medicine (ESPECIALLY surgery) just for the $, you might be sorely disappointed in a decade or so.

Perhaps, but I'd be surprised to see the president alone make such an impact. As I'm sure you know, it isn't like they just make declarations and we all abide by them; they're still just a part of the decision/process.

Plus, how realistic do you think it is that one of them will actually be elected? Not to turn this into a political discussion, but the democrats are really doing something stupid with this election. I'd actually like to see Obama in the white house; he's working on a mental level leagues above the standards we have now (my friends at Harvard law claim that he basically graduated from there with one of the best GPAs in history). It doesn't matter, though. Can you really even picture anyone east of CA or west of PA (e.g. whole middle of the country) voting for either Obama or Clinton (for the obvious reasons)?!

I believe we'll have another republican, and subsequently a democrat who's had to adopt more conservative views in order to be elected. I think salaries will hover close to where they are right now, or decline just gradually as they've been doing.

 

[NDESTRUKT]

I agree with Holden. However, I think that the country is fed up with the GOP and a Dem may be in the house coming up. But I mean...to change health care is to move the rock of Gibralter. Plus salaries won't change fast or go lower than say, Canada or UK.

 

[Tenesma]

salaries don't change fast???

i have seen my reimbursements drop between 7-9% this past year and overall reimbursements for my specialty are 20% lower (inflation adjusted) compared to 4 years ago...

and with the crazy medicare calculating factors technically all physicians should get a pay cut of 9% next year - which thank god looks like it won't happen

don't fool yourselves - our incomes are NEVER going to get higher unless we increase our volume by hiring physician extenders and becoming more efficient...

this is very different from the Banking world where salaries are going up and bonuses can be staggering... i have a friend who runs 2 small mutual funds - his salary is 400k... his bonus 3.4 million...