How come many FAQs about neonatal but not other aspects of Pediatrics?

[EastLACoolio777]

I want to be a pediatrician. I am interested in working with kids age 3 to 9 or something. Can someone start a sticky and put some info abou it or something?

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[oldbearprofessor]

I want to be a pediatrician. I am interested in working with kids age 3 to 9 or something. Can someone start a sticky and put some info about it or something?

1. There are only 2 stickies about neo - one has over 12,000 views - I was tired of answering the same questions over and over again in different threads. I've left it there so that people don't have to join the private group to learn about neo (the reason for the other sticky).

2. This is a specialty forum and as such, mostly is frequented by medical students who know a good bit about general pedi because they've done a core rotation in it. A FAQ about general pedi might be nice, but I doubt is very necessary and someone would have to write it. If you know of someone who would be willing, please ask them. Meanwhile the stickied pedi links will tell you a lot if you go through them. I've updated some links related to blogs.

3. Age 3 - 9 is the care of healthy children for things like immunizations, pre-school physicals and nutrition guidance. Also of course, there are acute visits for colds, ear infections, diarrhea and the like. General pediatricians will manage many of the chronic health problems that children in this age group have and coordinate care with subspecialists for more substantial problems. There is a large emphasis on behavioral issues in this age group. It would not consist of the largest block of patients that a general pediatrician would usually see in a typical day.

 

[EastLACoolio777]

Hi, so in order to do pretty well as a pediatrician, he or she should work in NICU, PICU or something like that? It seems like you are implying that #3, a general ped, does not make much money. Money isn't the most important thing but if they are cashing in only 60,000$ a year um....

 

[TexasRose]

Hi, so in order to do pretty well as a pediatrician, he or she should work in NICU, PICU or something like that? It seems like you are implying that #3, a general ped, does not make much money. Money isn't the most important thing but if they are cashing in only 60,000$ a year um....

Sounds like you need some basic information about pediatrics in general. There are some very good resources available on the website for the American Academy of Pediatrics. www.aap.org

If you are looking for a field based on $$, look through some of the old threads and you will see references to where to find that information. A basic search through google (ie "pediatrics and salary") will probably get you what you need. I think someone on this thread or your thread in Allo has already referred you to the website about residency training so I won't duplicate that.

btw, some people get understandably frustrated when new posters ask about "low" salary in peds. It gives the impression that this is your main concern, even if that couldn't be further from the truth.

 

[Haemulon]

Sounds like you need some basic information about pediatrics in general. There are some very good resources available on the website for the American Academy of Pediatrics. www.aap.org

If you are looking for a field based on $$, look through some of the old threads and you will see references to where to find that information. A basic search through google (ie "pediatrics and salary") will probably get you what you need. I think someone on this thread or your thread in Allo has already referred you to the website about residency training so I won't duplicate that.

btw, some people get understandably frustrated when new posters ask about "low" salary in peds. It gives the impression that this is your main concern, even if that couldn't be further from the truth.

I agree with what you have posted. But I do share some of the earlier poster's concerns about income and practice management. Obviously they have not done a search if they think that 60k is the ballpark for gen peds, but the compensation concern I feel is a valid one when we consider the rising levels of educational debt and potential for decreasing reimbursements for common vists. I am very much interested in pediatrics and am really looking forward to my clinical rotations (although it will be a while before i get there). A number of the other physicians that I speak with, including friends and family members, have been somewhat discouraging about my initial interest in Peds because they feel that I would be making things more difficult for myself (debt, call/hours/family time, income). The bottom line is that we must do what we love, what excites us, even if other things are not as beneficial. However, I would be very interested in a frank discussion about these issues, if nothing else than to hear some myths debunked and hear positive stories of encouragement.

 

[EastLACoolio777]

Sorry oldbearprofessor and TexansRose, if I sounded too rude.
Ham, I don't know, my friend's father works at LAPD and he makes over 50K after taxes. I wrote the figure because I've heard that a couple Pediatricians at a local clinic make 65 to 70K after taxes. In EastLA you pay 45to 50% of your income so I guess thye made around 125 to 140K before taxes. It doesn't seem right that someone with MD only gets 10K more net income than someone who hasn't even attended college. I dont know... Maybe if you work at big hospital the figure is different

 

[Haemulon]

Sorry oldbearprofessor and TexansRose, if I sounded too rude.
Ham, I don't know, my friend's father works at LAPD and he makes over 50K after taxes. I wrote the figure because I've heard that a couple Pediatricians at a local clinic make 65 to 70K after taxes. In EastLA you pay 45to 50% of your income so I guess thye made around 125 to 140K before taxes. It doesn't seem right that someone with MD only gets 10K more net income than someone who hasn't even attended college. I dont know... Maybe if you work at big hospital the figure is different

125k gross may be a more reasonable expectation coming out of residency. But it is all so variable depending on the type of practice, region, city versus urban area, sub specialty, etc ..... Who knows. It will all be different by the time we get there anyway. One step at a time ...

 

[dividedsky]

2 people finished residency last year that I knew. one took a job in nyc with a 1st year salary at 90,000.

The second one got an offer of 160,000 in the midwest. but he is probably one of two in the area, so could be more (and more complicated) work.

I would guess that those two are extremes, most 1st year averages are in the low 100,000s

 

[TexasRose]

Sorry oldbearprofessor and TexansRose, if I sounded too rude.
Ham, I don't know, my friend's father works at LAPD and he makes over 50K after taxes. I wrote the figure because I've heard that a couple Pediatricians at a local clinic make 65 to 70K after taxes. In EastLA you pay 45to 50% of your income so I guess thye made around 125 to 140K before taxes. It doesn't seem right that someone with MD only gets 10K more net income than someone who hasn't even attended college. I dont know... Maybe if you work at big hospital the figure is different

No worries.
And you're right, that number sounds awfully low for someone who devoted so much of their life to education. I don't know anything about doctor's pay in CA. I do know that the cost of living there is astronomical and can't imagine how anyone could care for a family, pay off student debt and make any kind of dent in retirement funds with a take home of $60k/year. Maybe they were referring to what was left after loans, etc?
Most of the quotes I've read have brand new pediatricians starting in the $90-120K range with good upside after the practice gets more established. Bonuses are also a common feature of medical practice, usually based on some productivity measure.