I need major help.

[IJL]

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Alright I guess I should include a little more:

So far I have loved my neuro rotation. I love being in the hospital, seeing in patients, neuro exams, reading images, etc, etc... but I can't decide if I'll like neurology. Do they get paid well?



Neurology

Radiology

Internal Medicine

Anesthesiology



Pick one for me.

 

[lanzarlaluna]

Neurosurgery.

 

[typhoonegator]

Alright I guess I should include a little more:

So far I have loved my neuro rotation. I love being in the hospital, seeing in patients, neuro exams, reading images, etc, etc... but I can't decide if I'll like neurology. Do they get paid well?



Neurology

Radiology

Internal Medicine

Anesthesiology



Pick one for me.

Sad. The median household income in the U.S. is around $46,000. That's per household, not per person. The median individual annual wage in the U.S. is around $26,000.

So, yes. Neurologists (and all the specialties you listed) get paid well. Extremely well.

It's your career, pick it yourself.

 

[bustbones26]

Alright I guess I should include a little more:

So far I have loved my neuro rotation. I love being in the hospital, seeing in patients, neuro exams, reading images, etc, etc... but I can't decide if I'll like neurology. Do they get paid well?



Neurology

Radiology

Internal Medicine

Anesthesiology



Pick one for me.

Ask yourself one question, are you going to pursue a specialty because it pays well or because you actually like it? I always find it funny how high paying specialties seem to never lack applicants and I can almost guarantee that if I told everybody today that even the lowest paid neurologist makes 450K+ per year we'd see a spike in applicants.

For what its worth, I have known at least three individuals now that pursued anesthesia for financial glory and realized along the way how depressed they were!! At the end of the day, it just lead to a old FP/IM residents.

Don't let that happen to you.

Our educational system is not perfect and it is hard to choose a specialty sometimes, but really try to go for what you think will make you happy. I have not heard of any doctor in any specialty yet making less than six figures, so if you cannot survive on that, then you have a problem.

 

[IJL]

Ask yourself one question, are you going to pursue a specialty because it pays well or because you actually like it? I always find it funny how high paying specialties seem to never lack applicants and I can almost guarantee that if I told everybody today that even the lowest paid neurologist makes 450K+ per year we'd see a spike in applicants.

For what its worth, I have known at least three individuals now that pursued anesthesia for financial glory and realized along the way how depressed they were!! At the end of the day, it just lead to a old FP/IM residents.

Don't let that happen to you.

Our educational system is not perfect and it is hard to choose a specialty sometimes, but really try to go for what you think will make you happy. I have not heard of any doctor in any specialty yet making less than six figures, so if you cannot survive on that, then you have a problem.

Thanks for the response.

I certainly see what you are saying, but I honestly can see myself being happy in pretty much any of the aforementioned specialties. So it's all about the benjamins at this point... kind of. Only thing I know I really hate is general medicine/family medicine clinic.

 

[HarveyCushing]

I certainly see what you are saying, but I honestly can see myself being happy in pretty much any of the aforementioned specialties. So it's all about the benjamins at this point... kind of. Only thing I know I really hate is general medicine/family medicine clinic.

That is quite the immature way to look at it. You won't starve or be homeless by going into one of the above specialties over another. While yes money is an important aspect of life, After the first $140-150k I can think of many more important aspects. Intellectual curiosity and intellectual satisfaction, disease processes, patient population, speciality lifestyle, research opportunities, future demand for said speciality, typical day in said specialty...etc.

There are many more aspects you need to consider rather than just "about the benjamins at this point."

If it is only about the $$$ at this point for you, not sure why you aren't running after radiology/anesthesiology as those are the clear answers at the moment. Whether that will be the case in 5-10 years, no one knows. But you will have plenty of money to live off of in any of those listed. The question is, which one would make you happier at the end of the day? At the end of your career in 35-40 years?

 

[IJL]

That is quite the immature way to look at it. You won't starve or be homeless by going into one of the above specialties over another. While yes money is an important aspect of life, After the first $140-150k I can think of many more important aspects. Intellectual curiosity and intellectual satisfaction, disease processes, patient population, speciality lifestyle, research opportunities, future demand for said speciality, typical day in said specialty...etc.

There are many more aspects you need to consider rather than just "about the benjamins at this point."

If it is only about the $$$ at this point for you, not sure why you aren't running after radiology/anesthesiology as those are the clear answers at the moment. Whether that will be the case in 5-10 years, no one knows. But you will have plenty of money to live off of in any of those listed. The question is, which one would make you happier at the end of the day? At the end of your career in 35-40 years?

Yeah, okay. Well which of those has a better lifestyle (in terms of free time) out of those specialties? Tough guy.

 

[rjmn]

.

 

[danielmd06]

Yeah, okay. Well which of those has a better lifestyle (in terms of free time) out of those specialties? Tough guy.

If you want to come in to any of the resident fora and basically ask us to fully explicate the pluses and minuses of multiple specialties from a financial or lifestyle standpoint then you might want to try being a bit more humble. Seriously.

You can find the respective salary averages on each via posted MGMA information, which is readily available. The typical rule should be Radiology > Anesthesia > Neurology > Internal Medicine. But there is too much overlap depending upon time spent in practice, your payor mix, and how many procedures you are doing to make this an absolute statement. And believe me, not all that glitters is gold. For instance, I don't take call. At all. Ever. How much is that worth to someone do you think? What dollar amount gets tacked on to a salary to balance this factor with some other variable?

And honestly no one can tell you lifestyle differences because many practices are tailor sculpted by the practicioner. Whether you are under tremendous stress or barely work is often much more dependent on your own choices than anything set in stone. Even for residency it's variable. I knew cushy neurology residencies and brutal anesthesia residencies. In very, ver general terms of stress, I would vote (easiest to hardest): Radiology > Anesthesia/Neurology tie > Internal Medicine.

 

[IJL]

If you want to come in to any of the resident fora and basically ask us to fully explicate the pluses and minuses of multiple specialties from a financial or lifestyle standpoint then you might want to try being a bit more humble. Seriously.

You can find the respective salary averages on each via posted MGMA information, which is readily available. The typical rule should be Radiology > Anesthesia > Neurology > Internal Medicine. But there is too much overlap depending upon time spent in practice, your payor mix, and how many procedures you are doing to make this an absolute statement. And believe me, not all that glitters is gold. For instance, I don't take call. At all. Ever. How much is that worth to someone do you think? What dollar amount gets tacked on to a salary to balance this factor with some other variable?

And honestly no one can tell you lifestyle differences because many practices are tailor sculpted by the practicioner. Whether you are under tremendous stress or barely work is often much more dependent on your own choices than anything set in stone. Even for residency it's variable. I knew cushy neurology residencies and brutal anesthesia residencies. In very, ver general terms of stress, I would vote (easiest to hardest): Radiology > Anesthesia/Neurology tie > Internal Medicine.

Thanks for the reply! I didn't mean to act unhumble, forgive me 😎

 

[michaelrack]

. I have not heard of any doctor in any specialty yet making less than six figures, so if you cannot survive on that, then you have a problem.

I have heard of some pediatricians making slightly less than 100k

 

[Mattchiavelli]

You can find the respective salary averages on each via posted MGMA information, which is readily available. The typical rule should be Radiology > Anesthesia > Neurology > Internal Medicine. But there is too much overlap depending upon time spent in practice, your payor mix, and how many procedures you are doing to make this an absolute statement. And believe me, not all that glitters is gold. For instance, I don't take call. At all. Ever. How much is that worth to someone do you think? What dollar amount gets tacked on to a salary to balance this factor with some other variable?

This- do something you enjoy and you won't think working is such a drag so you'll be more inclined to do more, you can work more and bill more and therefore make more (assuming you're in some kind of employment situation where you get paid in proportion to what you bill).

Also remember that reimbursement could see some changes even before you finish residency and definitely before you finish practicing, it's good to chase something that will be more consistent like enjoying the disease process or the type of patients that come in (or in the case of radiology.... never seeing physical patients)

 

[ElisaBailey]

I'm slightly concerned to invite you to be a colleague in neurology given your simple outtake on life (semi-joking!) but I love neurology. It's complex, it's fun, it's the perfect blend of intensity (strokes, neuro-ID) and relaxation in the office (MS, dementia). And if you go into neurology and realize you still want to chase the money more than the dream, then you can always choose to specialize in sleep or pain.

But if nothing excites you (and it sounds that might be the case here) go do anesthesiology. You'll work less and be guaranteed more money.

 

[michaelrack]

xxx

 

[chessodoc]

Surprised this is coming from an Attending in Neurology...."Hey yeah, if you can make the grade, go to Rads and make the moolah, if you can't make it, we welcome you with open arms, we like the idiots". Sadly perpetuates the myth that everyone going into Neurology must be a noncompetitive nincompoop. So much for attracting the best and the brightest to keep the field advancing.

 

[danielmd06]

Surprised this is coming from an Attending in Neurology...."Hey yeah, if you can make the grade, go to Rads and make the moolah, if you can't make it, we welcome you with open arms, we like the idiots". Sadly perpetuates the myth that everyone going into Neurology must be a noncompetitive nincompoop. So much for attracting the best and the brightest to keep the field advancing.

Don't be ridiculous. You expect us to lie? The odds are long that you will make more money as a radiologist than virtually any other type of physician. The MGMA data speaks for itself. Neurologists can make surprisingly high incomes, though. At least for now. If all you care about is money, then I'd rather not see you in my specialty anyway. You aren't the "best and brightest" if that is your only god. We love to see phenomenal candidates in neurology.

Unfortunately, incomes will be different by the time medical students complete residnecy and fellowship by virtue of the AFA. Figuring out projected salary, projected need, and geographic factors are part of the due dilligence of a medical student investigating what you want to spend the rest of your life doing.

Neurology has gained in competitiveness in the past four to six years, and is showing signs of continuing to do so. But it will not be more competitive than radiology in the forseeable future.

 

[bustbones26]

It is no mystery in life that the highest paid specialties are the most competitive. It is also no mystery in life that a close second place are specialties with cushy lifestyles.

In an ideal world, we'd all pursue what we truly have a passion for.