Highest paying & EASIEST to Match?

[EctopicFetus]

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Just curious on which specialty you guys think gets the most pay and is easiest to match into, say with an average boards score.

I would guess:
1) CV Surgery (I think this is not that competitive) you could do Gen Surg with an average score.
2) Anesthesia - From what I gather not super competitive
3) GI - starting salary is quite healthy and since getting into IM is easy....

Wondering what others think....

 

[omarsaleh66]

emergency medicine - many forget that u get 150-300k in some places and u are working 3-4 days a week. If u break it down to money/hr EM makes more than GI.

I shouldnt have broguht this up cuz now everyone is gonna do EM

later

Omar

 

[Discobolus]

Do the math on EM

$175 hr x 36 hours a week (3-12 hour shifts)x50 weeks a year (got to take a vacation)=$315,000

Doesn't the hospital pay for malpractice insurance in these instances?

I'm still sticking with GI though as it fits in with my embryonic specialty choice theory.

 

[Jaded Soul]

I think general surgery is competitive again. A good percentage of the people in the class above mine didn't match in categorical g-surg and had to scramble. GI is among the most competitive medicine fellowships (cards is up there too). Although IM may be non-competitive, if you want to do a fellowship, you'll maxamize your chances by going to a good academic residency, which might not be as easy as you think.

 

[oudoc08]

Do the math on EM

$175 hr x 36 hours a week (3-12 hour shifts)x50 weeks a year (got to take a vacation)=$315,000

Doesn't the hospital pay for malpractice insurance in these instances?

I'm still sticking with GI though as it fits in with my embryonic specialty choice theory.

I'm not sure where you've gotten $175 hr for EM, all of the physician job search sites I've seen have been around $100 - 105 /hr, and that is in the midwest, generally considered to be the highest paying region in the country.

Still rakes in about $200k on average, with ample opps for overtime from what I hear.

 

[SunnyS81]

I knew EM residents getting hired by suburban hospitals starting at $250k/year....don't know the hourly rare....

 

[souljah1]

I wouldn't say that GI is easy to match into. It has actually a lower percentage rate of resident applicants applying and being accepted versus cardiology. IM may be not that difficult to match (unless you are attempting to match at a top IM program), but getting a GI fellowship can be quite difficult, especially if you aren't coming from a well-regarded IM program.

 

[azzarah]

Pathology seems pretty good too.
I personally could never do EM...even if they got paid 700K/yr...I need a set sleep schedule or I get depressed.

 

[Marianne11]

I wouldn't say that GI is easy to match into. It has actually a lower percentage rate of resident applicants applying and being accepted versus cardiology. IM may be not that difficult to match (unless you are attempting to match at a top IM program), but getting a GI fellowship can be quite difficult, especially if you aren't coming from a well-regarded IM program.

I'm curious, how do you find out what programs are harder to get into etc.? I may do IM before oncology, but is there a site that ranks IM programs etc. ?

 

[Discobolus]

Pathology seems pretty good too.
I personally could never do EM...even if they got paid 700K/yr...I need a set sleep schedule or I get depressed.

With EM you are MORE likely to have a set sleep schedule because it's shift work with no call.

 

[azzarah]

But what if you have a night shift?

 

[EctopicFetus]

Then you work your 8-12 hour shift and are done. The other nice thing about scheduling if you are an EM attending is you just do 3 nights in a row and you are usually done for the month working those hours. IMO it is very doable with some excellent hours.

 

[EctopicFetus]

The other advantage is you usually know when you are going home. In IM or Surg you stay until you are done. So if something comes in at 458 and you are supposed to leave at 5 you stay until the patient is worked up (usually). In the EM you just pass off the patient to the next EM doc.

 

[phillyfornia]

fellas, stop talking about how great EM is. cuz i'm planning on matching into EM. talk about how great the other specialties are.

 

[Ryan]

Medicine is extremely diverse, generally a medical student's priorities should be to find something that they love in medicine...that way it doesn't matter how much you make (although as a doc you will do just fine whatever the specialty) as long as you are doing something you enjoy. Pay attention in your rotations to how happy you are... perhaps that will take you in the direction you really want to go.

-Ryan

 

[Jaded Soul]

I'm curious, how do you find out what programs are harder to get into etc.? I may do IM before oncology, but is there a site that ranks IM programs etc. ?

If you're going to do oncology (medical onc, as in heme/onc), you have to do a medicine residency first--no choice in that.

Program directors have a lot of info about competitiveness from experience and are the best to ask. US News & World Report has an annual "Best Hospitals in America" list broken down by specialty. I don't have the link, but it's been posted here before.

 

[EctopicFetus]

Go to usnews.com and it is pretty simple to find the hospital rankings from there.

 

["Electrolights"]

I'm not sure where you've gotten $175 hr for EM, all of the physician job search sites I've seen have been around $100 - 105 /hr, and that is in the midwest, generally considered to be the highest paying region in the country.

Still rakes in about $200k on average, with ample opps for overtime from what I hear.

I know 3 or 4 of the ER docs around here (rural area) that work on average 50 hours a week that bring home well over $400,000 a year.

 

[EctopicFetus]

That is sick money!! especially when you consider that the cost of living in Rural areas is much lower than in cities. Electrolites, where are you located?

 

["Electrolights"]

east Tennessee......yeah I've saw a couple of their paychecks....one was for $33,000 that month AFTER TAXES...another was for $28,000 AFTER TAXES...I nearly hit the floor.

 

[stinkycheese]

PM&R is not a competitive residency from what I hear, and those physicians bank!!

 

[ericdamiansean]

ERs earn alot..but then, take into account the stress involved, malpractice etc..is it worth it? Stress can kill you..perhaps takes away a few years off your life so you can't enjoy your millions

 

[ericdamiansean]

PM&R is not a competitive residency from what I hear, and those physicians bank!!

PM&R? Preventive Medicine and Rehab?

 

[DOctorJay]

PM&R = plenty of money and relaxation

seriously though it's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (aka physiatry - think stroke, TBI, SCI, etc.)

-J