PM&R Fellowships

[SMC123]

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http://www.do-online.org/TheDO/?p=92101

According to this article, the average salary of a PM&R doctor is about 241,000 in the USA. I was curious to know how much more can this go up with doing a fellowship? And what fellowships?

I looked under the sticky for salaries, but it doesnt address this question.

 

[Taus]

Sounds too high for avg salary...

 

[Baritonebass]

Depends on payer mix, region, and productivity... Also cuts in reimbursement... If your a medical student nothing you get here will be relevant. If your a resident then you should have a guy at your program who assist seniors with contracts. At our program tht guy has the best estimates on compensation per region.

 

[eljefe]

Most fellowships will lower that number with the exception of pain/spine.

 

[Maalik Ashtaar]

Most fellowships will lower that number with the exception of pain/spine.

How would doing a fellowship make you get less money

 

[RangerBob]

How would doing a fellowship make you get less money

While I can't say for sure, I would guess it could be because fellowships like SCI, TBI, etc., are in general working with patients on Medicaid, (ie., low reimbursement for the hospital/clinic). So it's possible that by specializing, you're doing less general rehab/MSK where you might have more diversity in payor sources.

That's just a guess though... My impression was that many PM&R fellowships just won't increase your salary. However, I know peds is a fellowship that can get you a very high salary, as there's a shortage of peds PM&R physicians, especially if you're willing to relocate (true of lots of specialties I suppose...). And I also think the market may get saturated w/ spine/pain physicians--seems to me like everyone wants to go into it.

I think the main reason you should pursue a fellowship is because you need it to do what you want to do--not for the money. There are so many things in flux right now we can't predict what will and what wont pay well in the future, so the best thing to do what you enjoy. If that happens to make you lots of money, congrats. If not, well, most PM&R doctors make good money (~$180,000-$200,000 seems to be the figure I hear and read most often) but they also have great hours relative to other specialties.

 

[MedBronc23]

As an upper level resident planning to apply for sports fellowships next year, I think the truth is that it all depends. As of now, pain and interventional spine is highest paying. However, the upcoming changes to US healthcare system and reimbursement may change much of that.

I considered pain, and I loved the spine interventional side of it, still due. I still on pursuing a practice that will allow me to do some interventional spine if I go private practice, but plan on being balanced with EMG and MSK Ultrasound expertise as well.

Frankly, I chose sports because I love sports medicine and it just fits with my love of MSK medicine, ultrasound, and improving human condition across the lifespan....I mean we all our human athletes...life is a contact sport.

My advice do what you love, not just b/c it pays more. Money fades but you will make a good living in all aspects of PM&R and you get to help people achieve their full functional potential and utmost quality of life.