How does EM compare in $/hr?

[strongboy2005]

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Referring to residency pay. I've been thinking about it, and this would seem to be a perk for EM. 40-50 hr work week at $50,000 per year works out to about $20-25 per hour. This appears to be much better when compared to other specialties, which some claim to hover around minimum wage. Am I missing something here?

 

[It'sElectric]

Referring to residency pay. I've been thinking about it, and this would seem to be a perk for EM. 40-50 hr work week at $50,000 per year works out to about $20-25 per hour. This appears to be much better to other specialties, which some claim to hover around minimum wage. Am I missing something here?

You're correct that, per hour, EM residency definitely pays slightly more than other fields. However, you're a little off on the math, when you consider all of those q4 call icu months (and whatever other hours you have during other months). Keep in mind that in most EM residencies, you're spending a good part of your time in the first 2 years rotating through other services with longer hours.

 

[The Buff]

Referring to residency pay. I've been thinking about it, and this would seem to be a perk for EM. 40-50 hr work week at $50,000 per year works out to about $20-25 per hour. This appears to be much better when compared to other specialties, which some claim to hover around minimum wage. Am I missing something here?

What does it matter how much you get paid per hour in residency? The derm people work less than we do and get paid even more per hour since all residents get paid the same within each hospital. I don't really think number of hours worked can be called a "perk".

 

[deleted65604]

In absolute amount of pay, we would be middle-class. However, looking at the amount of hours a resident puts in, the pay is more close to minimum wage.

For example- say a first year resident gets $46,000 a year. Divide that by 52, and you get a weekly wage of $884. If you are on an ICU month, then you are probably looking at at least 80 hour work week.

In the real world, you get paid overtime for any hours put in after 40. So, If you work 60 hours, you get time and a half for 20 of those hours. You end up getting paid the equivalent of 70 hours for the 60 hours put in. If you work 80 hours in the real world, you get paid double time for the 20 hours over 60 hours. You get paid as though you had worked 110 hours for your 80 hour work week.

If you spin the numbers this way, you can divide 884 by 110 you get about $8 per hour. That is pretty bad for someone who has 8 years of schooling behind them.

On ER months, you generally work just 60 hours per week. However, add into that the expected research projects, the studying, and coming in from home on your days off to go to lectures (other residencies have lectures during the day and so their hours spent at the hospital include education time), and the true number of hours dedicated to the job is well over 60 hours. Also keep in mind that an 8 hour shift generally turns into a 9-10 hour shift, etc. If you use the above formula, then a 60 hour work week should get paid for 70 hours, taking into account overtime. This would put the hourly wage of an ER resident, while working in the department at around $12 per hour. Again, pretty low for someone with 8 years of education post-highschool.

 

[Arcan57]

I wouldn't argue that residents are overpaid, but there are very few jobs that employ people with post-graduate education that pay overtime. Unless your post-graduate degree is in the fine arts, in which case you probably would get paid overtime at your waitstaff/coffeehouse job.

 

[4everstudentmd]

If you're going to talk about salary, you should also consider moonlighting income because as an ED resident you do have more time to log those hours as other specialties.

At my program you can moonlight as a third year and they are pulling $130/hr.

 

[pinipig523]

If you're going to talk about salary, you should also consider moonlighting income because as an ED resident you do have more time to log those hours as other specialties.

At my program you can moonlight as a third year and they are pulling $130/hr.

Or if you want to talk which resident makes more...

... you could be like my fellow resident when I was on trauma. A DDS oral surgery resident who moonlights on saturday for 4 hours extracting 10 wisdoms for a local dentist. He bills 50% of what the dentist bills. Dentist bills $3500, he gets $1750. That's over 430$/hour.

We're all in the wrong field.

 

[Venko]

If you are choosing a specialty based even in small part upon the pay per hour as a resident, you are making a mistake. This is not a good criterion for specialty selection.