We're All "Rich Greedy Doctors"
Having spent years in the trenches as an Emergency Physician earning much less than many "specialists", I understand the resentment and bitterness felt by the author towards specialists who he feels are "
under-worked and
over-payed". However, being in the rare and unique position where I will soon become one of those "under-worked and over-payed" specialists, I see things differently now.
Quoting the article:
{...the pie isnt going to get bigger. The only question is How big is your slice? If you feel you deserve more of the pie, then someone else will consequently get less. Our slice should be bigger, and the fraudulent radiology slice can get smaller. [http://www.epmonthly.com/columns/in-my-opinion/the-life-cycle-of-a-parasitic-specialist/] }
This is where he's
wrong, wrong and wrong. Making the radiologists "slice of the pie smaller" will NOT make the ER physicians slice bigger. While as Greg Henry correctly states "the pie isn't going to get bigger", it can AND WILL get smaller! For everybody!
The government and insurance companies will be ecstatic to seize on our infighting as an opportunity to make those "
very over-payed radiologists" take a pay cut and make those greedy "
somewhat over-payed
ER doctors" take a pay cut too!!! Some would say we're all "rich greedy doctors". He should know better.
I understand that it's tough to get shelled in the ED night and day for years. I've done it (though not as long as the author), and it can be brutal at times. Clearly, there are other specialties that earn much more for less stressful and less physically and emotionally taxing work. I agree, and I've written before about how it makes no sense that saving a life by intubating a patient, for example, should pay much less than performing cosmetic procedures or even reading a film after the fact. But, frankly, the author comes off as and bitter, burned out and jealous. I know. I've been there. And that's fine, if you admit it and use your prominence to talk about how to make the specialty less burnout inducing.
Slamming radiologists and lobbying to get their pay cut will only result in ALL OF US GETTING PAY CUTS. You should know better; that slamming one specialty will not result in the elevation or improvement of any other.
Suck it up. Do the extra training. Make the sacrifice. You wouldn't be the first guy to do a second residency, do a fellowship, start a business or take some other risk to better yourself late in life. It's much easier to just stay bitter and burned out.
Trying to tear down someone else who you're clearly jealous of, will clearly not result in your situation improving.
