Pediatric Psychology Salary?

[HappyIgloo]

Hello everyone,

Does anyone know about how much I could expect to make as a pediatric psychologist working in a hospital setting?

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[bcliff]

I’m confused as to how you will be able to obtain a clinical PhD so quickly; have you been extended an offer to a program? Have you discussed the specifics of transfer credit from your master’s (unclear?) program? Have you written a thesis, and, if so, has a clinical program agreed to waive that requirement? Do you have any research training/experience? What specifically in the context of peds are you interested in? Clinical psychology starts broad (age range, presenting problems, theoretical orientation), and becomes more tailored over time. I get the impression that career prestige is an important variable in your career decision making model (it’s admittedly an important variable in my own career decision making model too), BUT, I simultaneously get the impression that you may be neglecting (or misrepresenting) other salient variables (e.g., feasibility, practicality, day-to-day responsibilities). Maybe I’m off base?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I'd imagine a lot will depend on what you actually want to do with your degree. First, keep in mind that a pediatric psychologist actually isn't as likely to be working in a school setting as a school psychologist. And a principal/superintendent will of course be doing very different things than either a pediatric or school psychologist, with a pediatric or school psychologist also often functioning in different roles relative to one another.

Finally, I'd be wary of any doctoral program that says it will allow you to finish in 2+1 years. In general, psychology doctoral programs are 4+1 years, with the average being 5+1. Is the program you mention APA-accredited? What are its APA-accredited internship match rates? Both of these factors will be important in pursuing licensure as a psychologist. Other data to examine are the licensing and job placement rates of its graduates, total cost, and attrition rates.

 

[HappyIgloo]

I’m confused as to how you will be able to obtain a clinical PhD so quickly; have you been extended an offer to a program? Have you discussed the specifics of transfer credit from your master’s program? Have you written a thesis, and, if so, has a clinical program agreed to waive that requirement? Do you have any research training/experience? What specifically in the context of peds are you interested in? Clinical psychology starts broad (age range, presenting problems, theoretical orientation), and becomes more tailored over time. I get the impression that career prestige is an important variable in your career decision making model (it’s admittedly an important variable in my own career decision making model too), BUT, I simultaneously get the impression that you may be neglecting (or misrepresenting) other salient variables (e.g., feasibility, practicality, day-to-day responsibilities). Maybe I’m off base?

Ok, I took out that piece of information because that doesn't matter to me, and I don't want people fixating on that and I can't get my question answered. I think through everything. Yes, I've written a thesis, I'm published. My main is question is how much does a pediatric psychologist get paid. Career prestige is one thing, but I care less about prestige if I'm not going to be paid very well.... I've already looked into where and how I'd get the degree, I mainly need to know if anyone has information about the average salary?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

You can find the APA's most recent (2015) salary data here: 2015 Salaries in Psychology

Very, very broadly, for a doctoral degree, somewhere in the $80k's (median). Obviously depends on all sorts of factors.

 

[HappyIgloo]

I'd imagine a lot will depend on what you actually want to do with your degree. First, keep in mind that a pediatric psychologist actually isn't as likely to be working in a school setting as a school psychologist. And a principal/superintendent will of course be doing very different things than either a pediatric or school psychologist, with a pediatric or school psychologist also often functioning in different roles relative to one another.

Finally, I'd be wary of any doctoral program that says it will allow you to finish in 2+1 years. In general, psychology doctoral programs are 4+1 years, with the average being 5+1. Is the program you mention APA-accredited? What are its APA-accredited internship match rates? Both of these factors will be important in pursuing licensure as a psychologist. Other data to examine are the licensing and job placement rates of its graduates, total cost, and attrition rates.

Thanks for your thoughts. I know, I'm deciding between two very different careers. This information you guys are harping on is creating artificial barriers to me obtaining the information I want. Of course all the programs I've looked into are APA-accredited and have great match rates. I've already thought about everything you've mentioned. I do know about the different careers, I'm asking for information I can't seem to acquire-- which is what is the average pay for pediatric psychologists.

 

[HappyIgloo]

You can find the APA's most recent (2015) salary data here:

Very, very broadly, for a doctoral degree, somewhere in the $80k's (median). Obviously depends on all sorts of factors.

I looked at that quite a bit, and I'm confused, doesn't that seem really, really low for a hospital setting??? Are pediatric psychologists really only making that much?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I looked at that quite a bit, and I'm confused, doesn't that seem really, really low for a hospital setting??? Are pediatric psychologists really only making that much?

On average, yes. Maybe into the lower $100's in hospital settings. Depends. What sort of a salary were you anticipating?

Edit: To add to the above, if you were thinking low-$100's to start, it's potentially doable (again, depending on a number of factors). If you were thinking mid- to upper-$100's, the likelihood is small, particularly from a single (salaried) position.

 

[bcliff]

Ok, I took out that piece of information because that doesn't matter to me, and I don't want people fixating on that and I can't get my question answered. I think through everything. Yes, I've written a thesis, I'm published. My main is question is how much does a pediatric psychologist get paid. Career prestige is one thing, but I care less about prestige if I'm not going to be paid very well.... I've already looked into where and how I'd get the degree, I mainly need to know if anyone has information about the average salary?

Because it seems like your previous graduate coursework is not in clinical psychology (?), I confidently believe that, at a minimum, it will take you 4 years plus (1 year) internship to earn a clinical PhD, plus a 2 year fellowship in peds to become a pediatric psychologist. You will also likely be required to write a second master's thesis, plus a comprehensive exam and dissertation -- I would be sure to attend to that information when weighing pros and cons of these disparate career trajectories.

PhD-level scientist-practitioners can often make upwards of six figures in various settings, especially more medically-oriented ones, like peds, but that’s far from a guarantee, and from what I can tell (as an outsider) the peds world is small and competitive. I’m sure there is publicly available data on peds salaries that you can look up -- Scope out Google scholar (for published salary surveys), or the APA pediatric psychology division (div 54) home page for starters.

 

[psych.meout]

Thanks for your thoughts. I know, I'm deciding between two very different careers. This information you guys are harping on is creating artificial barriers to me obtaining the information I want. Of course all the programs I've looked into are APA-accredited and have great match rates. I've already thought about everything you've mentioned. I do know about the different careers, I'm asking for information I can't seem to acquire-- which is what is the average pay for pediatric psychologists.

I didn't read your post before the edit, but you don't seem to understand what other people are saying and why it relates to your question about remuneration.

The quality of your program is correlated with your pay. If you attend a lower quality program that is promising you things that are inaccurate or unrealistic (e.g., finishing in only a couple of years), you're less competitive for the higher paying jobs, especially those in academic medical centers. I'd bet that grads from lower quality programs also have more difficulty getting boarded, which would be an obstacle to some of the higher paying specialties, e.g., peds neuropsych.

 

[HappyIgloo]

Because it seems like your previous graduate coursework is not in clinical psychology (?), I confidently believe that, at a minimum, it will take you 4 years plus (1 year) internship to earn a clinical PhD, plus a 2 year fellowship in peds to become a pediatric psychologist. You will also likely be required to write a second master's thesis, plus a comprehensive exam and dissertation -- I would be sure to attend to that information when weighing pros and cons of these disparate career trajectories.

PhD-level scientist-practitioners can often make upwards of six figures in various settings, especially more medically-oriented ones, like peds, but that’s far from a guarantee, and from what I can tell (as an outsider) the peds world is small and competitive. I’m sure there is publicly available data on peds salaries that you can look up -- Scope out Google scholar (for published salary surveys), or the APA pediatric psychology division (div 54) home page for starters.

Your last paragraph was helpful. It looks like women earn significantly less. In 2009 they earned about 72k, while males earned 91k, I'd assume it'd be around 80k now.

 

[psych.meout]

Your last paragraph was helpful.

This is not helpful. You're here asking for free assistance from people who owe you nothing and you're getting snarky about it.

 

[HappyIgloo]

On average, yes. Maybe into the lower $100's in hospital settings. Depends. What sort of a salary were you anticipating?

Edit: To add to the above, if you were thinking low-$100's to start, it's potentially doable (again, depending on a number of factors). If you were thinking mid- to upper-$100's, the likelihood is small, particularly from a single (salaried) position.

That's what I was thinking, low 100k, and that salary makes sense to me. However, everywhere I'm looking is telling me the median is only 80k, which is concerning to me. Guess I'll keep looking at surveys and whatever I can find. Thank you.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

That's what I was thinking, low 100k, and that salary makes sense to me. However, everywhere I'm looking is telling me the median is only 80k, which is concerning to me. Guess I'll keep looking at surveys and whatever I can find. Thank you.

College counseling centers pay on the lower end, which brings down the numbers. Same goes for some state government positions, less-favorable splits in private practice, and even many assistant professor-level academic jobs (although these can allow for increased pay during "off" summer months). Area of the country can also make a large difference, as can a person's negotiating ability.

 

[HappyIgloo]

College counseling centers pay on the lower end, which brings down the numbers. Same goes for some state government positions, less-favorable splits in private practice, and even many assistant professor-level academic jobs (although these can allow for increased pay during "off" summer months). Area of the country can also make a large difference, as can a person's negotiating ability.

I assumed area of country mattered, very true. Unfortunately, I'm really having a hard time seeing that this degree would pay off at the end of the day.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I assumed area of country mattered, very true. Unfortunately, I'm really having a hard time seeing that this degree would pay off at the end of the day.

Purely in terms of training time invested vs. salary, there are numerous better options than being a psychologist. Most folks get (and stay) into it because of an inherent interest in what they do. There's also a good bit of flexibility if you set yourself up correctly, but it can require more thinking outside the box than some other doctoral-level professions.

 

[medium rare]

If by ‘pediatric psychologist’ you mean working clinically with children, there is a huge demand for competent outpatient providers. I can’t speak to a hospital setting specifically regarding salary, but in my area most hospital cases are eventually referred to community clinicians (sometimes immediately). Child clinical psychologists can easily make 150k+ annually in my area. Several make substantially more. Most do not take insurance.

 

[foreverbull]

That's what I was thinking, low 100k, and that salary makes sense to me. However, everywhere I'm looking is telling me the median is only 80k, which is concerning to me. Guess I'll keep looking at surveys and whatever I can find. Thank you.

I'm not sure what your frame of reference is, but in the field of psychology, $80-$100k is considered good pay for a psychologist. Forensic psychologists, VA practitioners, and neuropsychologists tend to make a bit more, and profs/UCC psychologists, and community based psychologists make less. Private practitioners are all over the place in terms of pay depending on client base, hours, and services offered.

If you're wanting to go into it for the money, I think you're picking the wrong field.

 

[ctpsy11]

If by ‘pediatric psychologist’ you mean working clinically with children, there is a huge demand for competent outpatient providers. I can’t speak to a hospital setting specifically regarding salary, but in my area most hospital cases are eventually referred to community clinicians (sometimes immediately). Child clinical psychologists can easily make 150k+ annually in my area. Several make substantially more. Most do not take insurance.

Would you say that salary estimate is the same for clinicians working with tweens and teens, versus younger children? My graduate training mostly focused on working with late teens and adults, but am considering the idea of working with younger teens as well, if there is a significant demand for competent clinicians for this population and it could be more lucrative?

 

[medium rare]

Would you say that salary estimate is the same for clinicians working with tweens and teens, versus younger children? My graduate training mostly focused on working with late teens and adults, but am considering the idea of working with younger teens as well, if there is a significant demand for competent clinicians for this population and it could be more lucrative?

The demand is there for the adolescent population as well. Basically, child through college age will fill a practice in most areas.

 

[Justanothergrad]

profs make less.

I wouldn't lump professors into the group with counseling centers with respects to earning potential. That profs make less is only true of certain types of institutions (small liberal arts and the like). Major research institutions are within the that range, and can be even during early career (I say this from experience). Afterwards, the upward earning potential is substantially higher depending on initiative, opportunity capitalization, etc. Most professors are also working on a 9 month salary contract and, if they opt to, work for additional pay in the summer (having a year round job like the rest of those in the field is optional) or by doing side contract/PP work to round it out. Otherwise, I agree with what you said.