How much can I expect to make in Family Medicine?

[crazyboi1993]

How much money can I expect to make it in FM?
Some are telling me don't accept anything less than 200k, I realistically would love to make over 250k, and would would definitely willing to work 50+ hours a week if necessary, especially in the beginning.

Do some give hiring bonuses, and loan repayment options, I would be willing to move anywhere tbh, as I am single, and have no obligation. I love FM and don't wanna do anything else, but also want to make decent money, so I can pay back loans!

Any opinions would be appreciated, especially from physicians or residents. Please don't hate on FM

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[Doctorsoon2011]

Current offers in Texas are 100k before starting (stipends, loans, sign bonus... Pick your flavor) and 220-240K for 40hr work week. You go up from there as you add on ER, nursing home etc. You can make 250 with a reasonable lifestyle. Just signed a contract last week as a PGY1.

 

[crazyboi1993]

Current offers in Texas are 100k before starting (stipends, loans, sign bonus... Pick your flavor) and 220-240K for 40hr work week. You go up from there as you add on ER, nursing home etc. You can make 250 with a reasonable lifestyle. Just signed a contract last week as a PGY1.

100k for loans would be awesome. If I wanted to pick up some shifts at the ER, is it possible to make almost 300, if i work as a workaholic for a couple of years. Ideally I wanna work in the South, in Texas, FL or NC.

 

[Lurts]

100k for loans would be awesome. If I wanted to pick up some shifts at the ER, is it possible to make almost 300, if i work as a workaholic for a couple of years. Ideally I wanna work in the South, in Texas, FL or NC.

Lol, if you want to be a workaholic in Texas doing full scope FM, you’ll be making a lot more than 300k a year.

 

[crazyboi1993]

Lol, if you want to be a workaholic in Texas doing full scope FM, you’ll be making a lot more than 300k a year.

Thats good to know. If I do my residency in Florida, how hard is it to move to texas and practice there and apply for the license. I have a guaranteed residency spot in the East coast of FL in FM, so just want to know my options.

 

[hallowmann]

Thats good to know. If I do my residency in Florida, how hard is it to move to texas and practice there and apply for the license. I have a guaranteed residency spot in the East coast of FL in FM, so just want to know my options.

You'll be fine. If you're willing to work anywhere, want to work longer hours, and are OK with EM or hospital medicine, you'll be able to make $300k in a lot of different states (but mostly in the midwest or south).

 

[Sardonix]

You'll be fine. If you're willing to work anywhere, want to work longer hours, and are OK with EM or hospital medicine, you'll be able to make $300k in a lot of different states (but mostly in the midwest or south).

Interesting to see EM/Hospitalist duties. I assume OB is pretty reliably separate now, or does that depend on the set up?

 

[hallowmann]

Interesting to see EM/Hospitalist duties. I assume OB is pretty reliably separate now, or does that depend on the set up?

To be honest, I don't pay too much attention to OB opportunities, but in the offers I've seen OB doesn't seem to add much to the income potential unless thats almost all you're doing.

 

[Lurts]

In rural Texas, many of these small hospitals are essentially all FM. You will cover the ED, run a clinic, and cover inpatient duties. Many here also do surgical OB in addition. Most are making 500k+.

 

[Sardonix]

To be honest, I don't pay too much attention to OB opportunities, but in the offers I've seen OB doesn't seem to add much to the income potential unless thats almost all you're doing.

*Shudders

 

[deleted87716]

*Shudders

To be honest, I don't pay too much attention to OB opportunities, but in the offers I've seen OB doesn't seem to add much to the income potential unless thats almost all you're doing.

OB in FM is overrated, IMO (at least, financially). While you're out of the office for hours delivering the patient for which you're paid a bundled fee (you get paid one fee, after delivery, for their entire prenatal course, delivery, and postnatal course), you could've seen who knows how many patients in the office and probably made a helluva lot more? Multiply that by the number of pregnant patients in your practice (not to mention the increased malpractice premiums), and you start to see why FPs are getting out of the baby biz.

 

[hallowmann]

100k for loans would be awesome. If I wanted to pick up some shifts at the ER, is it possible to make almost 300, if i work as a workaholic for a couple of years. Ideally I wanna work in the South, in Texas, FL or NC.

So I got this in a recruiter email today. It came along with an ad for $250k outpatient in FL and $280k in TX with ED shifts and $100k sign on. I'm sure there are catches (even more than just Iowa), but thought it was funny because its the number you were asking about:

Rural Iowa Outpatient Position

• $300,000 + Production
• 100% Outpatient
• Less than 1 Hour to Des Moines and Omaha
• Total Student Loan Repayment
• Family-Friendly Community Offers High Quality of Life

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Total Student Loan Repayment

Dangggggg

 

[sunshinefl]

Dangggggg

They won’t know what hit them when I bring my $400,000 plus accruing interest!

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

Yeah the FM market in MN, IA is starting to get REALLY intense (in a good way, it would seem, at least for doctors).

All jokes about Iowa aside, that seems like a really good deal. I wonder what the downside is.

Living in Iowa. That's the downside.

 

[Sardonix]

Living in Iowa. That's the downside.

Ha, I meant what OTHER downside there is. Though I will admit I will never tell someone not to insult Iowa.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

Ha, I meant what OTHER downside there is. Though I will admit I will never tell someone not to insult Iowa.

That's the only one, its just a really really big one.

 

[Splenda88]

The $$$ is there for most docs if you are willing to work for it. I know an IM doc who is moonlighting at night in the ED for $25o/hr...

 

[Relentlessrook18]

What’s the highest base salary you have heard of in FM?

 

[FrustratedFamDoc]

Never something for nothing. Positions offering big signing bonuses/loan repayment will have numerous stipulations, usually with mandatory length of contract, ie, no less than 3-5 yr commitment. You will have to pay it back if/when you realize that is not where you want to be.

 

[SLC]

Beware of higher than usual salaries in these job adverts, they are usually “teasers” meaning that you won’t make that much for long. They’ll often have some sort of fine print saying if you aren’t billing x number of wRVU’s monthly after a year, then your salary will drop like a rock.

Also, consider why these jobs advertise a salary so abnormally high. There’s always a reason places pay more; and it’s rarely, if ever, out of the goodness of the hospital admin’s heart.

 

[Bacchus]

My starting salary was lower, 85th% MGMA median for the northeast. With bells and whistles I had about 100k more this year. Even in saturated places like the northeast high pay is possible.

 

[LABrondo]

What’s the highest base salary you have heard of in FM?

450k in upstate NY

 

[Splenda88]

My starting salary was lower, 85th% MGMA median for the northeast. With bells and whistles I had about 100k more this year. Even in saturated places like the northeast high pay is possible.

If I remember these MGMA salaries, it appears that you are making ~350k/yr... Would you mind filling us in on how you are able to make that much?

 

[deleted87716]

If I remember these MGMA salaries, it appears that you are making ~350k/yr... Would you mind filling us in on how you are able to make that much?

It's like saying to Pavarotti, Teach me to sing like you.

 

[Bacchus]

If I remember these MGMA salaries, it appears that you are making ~350k/yr... Would you mind filling us in on how you are able to make that much?

I started at 85% of the median for the NE, not 85th percentile.

In my case it’s because I have minions . I have residents who bill under me. I’m about 20% above my dedicated wRVUs. However, a large amount is assumed as my retention bonus (going into year 3 of 5), my physician hospital orginization bonus, my performance/metric bonus, money deferred to retirement. This lump sum is about 50-60k. If you factor in my makeup for my wRVUs overage (work I did but didn’t get paid for during the year) then you can add in another ~35k.

As much as I moan and groan, our health system does pay well.

 

[Bacchus]

It's like saying to Pavarotti, Teach me to sing like you.

Fa la la la la la la la

 

[Splenda88]

I started at 85% of the median for the NE, not 85th percentile.

In my case it’s because I have minions . I have residents who bill under me. I’m about 20% above my dedicated wRVUs. However, a large amount is assumed as my retention bonus (going into year 3 of 5), my physician hospital orginization bonus, my performance/metric bonus, money deferred to retirement. This lump sum is about 50-60k. If you factor in my makeup for my wRVUs overage (work I did but didn’t get paid for during the year) then you can add in another ~35k.

As much as I moan and groan, our health system does pay well.

 

[KeikoTanaka]

450k in upstate NY

What is "upstate" to you? Cuz I'm from UPSTATE but people consider Hudson valley upstate from NYC.

 

[LABrondo]

What is "upstate" to you? Cuz I'm from UPSTATE but people consider Hudson valley upstate from NYC.

Adirondack region is pretty upstate

 

[FrustratedFamDoc]

Also keep in mind for the locations offering $300k+, they fully intend on extracting 300k worth of work out of you. These locations are typically govt payer heavy and it takes a LOT of visits for those numbers to add up.

 

[KeikoTanaka]

Adirondack region is pretty upstate

Oh ok, I wasn't sure where you were from. Definitely upstate! More upstate than me even haha. I love the Adirondacks, what's it like practicing up there?

 

[Steve_Zissou]

Beware of higher than usual salaries in these job adverts, they are usually “teasers” meaning that you won’t make that much for long. They’ll often have some sort of fine print saying if you aren’t billing x number of wRVU’s monthly after a year, then your salary will drop like a rock.

Also, consider why these jobs advertise a salary so abnormally high. There’s always a reason places pay more; and it’s rarely, if ever, out of the goodness of the hospital admin’s heart.

SLC, you're an EM doc if I remember correctly? I'm asking because I'm considering FM as a possible path to having the flexibility to do some EM (of full time EM) and switching to a different type of practice later on if I get tired. Do you happen to know how possible/common that is? This would be as someone practicing in the Pacific Northwest.

Edit: I realize now that I may have confused your avatar for someone else that I've seen around.

 

[Toastayy]

Current offers in Texas are 100k before starting (stipends, loans, sign bonus... Pick your flavor) and 220-240K for 40hr work week. You go up from there as you add on ER, nursing home etc. You can make 250 with a reasonable lifestyle. Just signed a contract last week as a PGY1.

As a PGY1?! Is this the norm? Where you already familiar with the practice prior to residency? That's crazy

 

[Make Or Break]

SLC, you're an EM doc if I remember correctly? I'm asking because I'm considering FM as a possible path to having the flexibility to do some EM (of full time EM) and switching to a different type of practice later on if I get tired. Do you happen to know how possible/common that is? This would be as someone practicing in the Pacific Northwest.

Edit: I realize now that I may have confused your avatar for someone else that I've seen around.

You’re not going to get an unbiased opinion by asking the people on here. Basically they are going to tell you fm has no business doing em. I do know multiple residents I worked with who went on to solely do em, though I don’t know anyone who went to work in a level 1. It’s possible to do what you said and they have a one year fellowship where you are working with em residents and attending.

 

[SLC]

SLC, you're an EM doc if I remember correctly? I'm asking because I'm considering FM as a possible path to having the flexibility to do some EM (of full time EM) and switching to a different type of practice later on if I get tired. Do you happen to know how possible/common that is? This would be as someone practicing in the Pacific Northwest.

Edit: I realize now that I may have confused your avatar for someone else that I've seen around.

Yeah, I’m full spectrum FM, I do a little ED coverage but not a lot (don’t like it).

 

[Doctorsoon2011]

As a PGY1?! Is this the norm? Where you already familiar with the practice prior to residency? That's crazy

This is the norm. I knew the area and the kind of practice I wanted, I cold-called the 15 towns with populations around 20-30K and had a 90% "we would love for you to come visit" rate. I saw several places, asked for a contract on the top two, hired a lawyer, negotiated, did a market analysis of average pay... and bam signed a contract. The 100K will get less the closer into the city you get but the base will not change too much. Lubbock, Tx is population 250K and 40hour clinic salary is around 220K before negotiating. Abilene, Tx is 100K population with 240K salary. As you get into Dallas (population 1.2million) your going to get less desire to sign you as a PGY1, less money upfront, and a slight hit in your salary but not too much. I verified this with market analysis using MGMA and the like. The need is great.

 

[Doctorsoon2011]

SLC, you're an EM doc if I remember correctly? I'm asking because I'm considering FM as a possible path to having the flexibility to do some EM (of full time EM) and switching to a different type of practice later on if I get tired. Do you happen to know how possible/common that is? This would be as someone practicing in the Pacific Northwest.

Edit: I realize now that I may have confused your avatar for someone else that I've seen around.

FM has this ability depending on your setting. A good program will give you the tools to work: Nursing home, clinic, hospital, ER, and OB. You then pick your flavor when you leave. OB is harder to get if not more rural. ER is the same depending on your definition of rural (probably getting hard in cities over 200K in population). If you go real rural (3-10K pop) you can really pick what you want to do. I know several only ER Family physicians.

Something to keep in mind is keeping up your skills. If you get out and do ER only for 10 years then you WILL NOT be qualified to do a clinic or another setting after. If you plan to do clinic later, or any of the other settings, you must keep up your skills for that setting. This may mean finding an arrangement where you do a clinic once a week. Or go do Locums clinic every 6 weeks. You owe it to your patients to know what your doing in that setting and not take a 10year break and expect your not going to hurt someone when you start back.