Real World Salary Figures? (Post-Residency)

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mcwmark

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Hi all.

I'd be interested in hearing "real" figures of what different physicians are making today. I know, burdened with high medical school debt, many people are shying away from Family practice, Pediatrics, or IM...but I recently read some figures in Med Economics that made me think:

Many FPs in urban areas start (in a group practice) less than $100k/year. One person advocated starting a new FP at $85k/year. Is that really the norm?

On the other hand, they noted that a rural FP in Wisconsin had a $120k/year offer.

Other salaries I have heard (for new physicians):

Internal Med (group): $135k
Internal Med (acad): $120k
Pediatrics (group): $110k
Emergency Med (acad, wisconsin): $160k
Emergency Med (acad, califor): $140k
Emergency Med (private, wis): $205k
Emergency Med (private, cal): $160k
Orthopedics (acad): $195k
Cardiology (private): $205k

Corporate Law (junior associate): $135k + bonus
Accountant (CPA): $80k + bonus
Systems design (math PhD): $110k + options


While some of these sound right, I was shocked to learn FPs and Peds regularly make under 100k (for many years!). With those primary care salaries unlikely to go up anywhere soon (there's now enough PCPs), how are they going to attract new people?

Has anyone else heard real-life salary figures?

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I did not but the figures you gave are average, what means that teh difference can be big for th same specialty in different areas, though Peds and FM earn less than most of other specialties.

As for the Corporate Law, Junior Associate, you can do it IF you graduate in top 10% of teh class and its usually teh case in CA, NY adn other hot states. Haven't heard about such salaries in the OR.

My point is that real numbers can be not so real after all.
 
What is FM or FP??
 
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FM is Family Medicine, FP=Family Practice
 
Hi everyone,

I think salary is indeed important.
But even in FM and FP, you can earn enough
money to enjoyyour life. So the important thing is you choose what you want to do as
a doctor, I suppose.

By the way, why do many students hesitate
in choosing trauma surgery or transplant surgery??
 
Originally posted by massibird:
•By the way, why do many students hesitate
in choosing trauma surgery or transplant surgery??•

Except for the lifestyle issues, I wouldn't hesitate to go for transplant surgery if I had the opportunity, but I can only speak for myself. :)
 
Originally posted by massibird:
•By the way, why do many students hesitate
in choosing trauma surgery or transplant surgery??•

Hi Massibird,

I for one am interested in transplant surgery, but hesitant to commit 5 years to a surgical residency only to end up short on a transplant fellowship. And the lifestyle issues. And the limited practice opportunities (large urban areas with an academic transplant center).

Would you happen to be a transplant fellow?
 
Well, I think those salaries are pretty low...but they ARE starting salaries. 10 years out of residency you can add 100 K to each of those figures without a problem.

EM docs work on an hourly basis many times, usually at $120/hour for board certified docs. That is typically out of residency. The FP doc I did my 3rd year rotation with pulled in 300K this year in St. Louis. And the perks in FP are marvelous. A new Ortho Surg Resident is starting at 300K-400K.

It all depends on how MUCH and how HARD you want to work. And of course location and payor sources. I certainly wouldn't want my primary payor to be Medicaire and certainly not Medicaid. Those guys are getting shafted.

One must remember that the notion that there ever was a glut of Primary Care Physicians was easily a myth. We need MORE FP docs to fill rural and underserved areas. The starting wages for FP in rural areas can be enormous...with great benefits. DO's can make even more by billing for manipulation at no less than $30 a pop.
 
Originally posted by ewagner:
•It all depends on how MUCH and how HARD you want to work.•

Good point. I've talked to several friends and physicians and I've found that not every physician lives the mythical doctor's life. I understand that there are limits, but I like knowing that when my wife and I have children, I can take that into consideration.
 
amount of money you make = how long/hard you work

grades you make in school = how long/hard you work
 
check out
www.salary.com

Great source for different ave. doc salaries, or any other salaries for that matter.
 
Originally posted by TwoSteveSquared:
•check out
www.salary.com

Great source for different ave. doc salaries, or any other salaries for that matter.•

Thanks--I've seen that site, and it's so woefully incorrect. It states the median Internist makes something like $265k with the 75% at $320k, or something ridiculous like that, AND the salaries are consistently higher in CA than in TX, where in fact the opposite is true. (The surgeon makes less than the Internist, according to that site!)
 
I didn't know it was inaccurate, I just sort of browsed through it, and it seemed alright. So nevermind, don't go to www.salary.com. :rolleyes:
 
Ok...
I just have one comment to make
How hard you work DOES NOT correspond to the amount of money you make!!!!
If you have any doubts...talk to a teacher or a policeman!!! Just wanted to point out that small oversight
:eek:
 
Whynotme?,

Well, I had no idea we were talking about policemen and teachers...oh, we aren't.

Listen, many FP's see more pt's and make more money depending on the payment source. There are also incentives built into contracts for FP's whose practices have been purchased by hospitals. If they reach over a certain number of patients in a month, then they recieve a bonus.

Also, if a board certified EM doc is working on an hourly wage, and he/she decides to work 50 hours a week...well you do the math. Remember, EM docs are NOT on call, and work based upon schedules. The more they work, the more they make.

THAT IS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
 
Ewagner,
Not to cause a problem,but #1- my post was not talking to you in specific...just wanted to point out an oversight on the board and #2- you must be very stressed to have such a callous response...either that or you are already working on the superiority and arrogance factors that you plan on oozing once you become an MD. Just wanted to point out the fact that there are a lot of professions who work extremely hard and are not rewarded (monetarily) for the services they provide. Physicians are some of the elete few for which this area exists.Chill...life is too short. :cool:
 
Another site that has ave. salary statistics: www.physicianssearch.com.

I think there is a very thorough section on the Wash U website that will give a breakdown of most specialties, and salary ranges, but I can't find the pages anymore. Anyone else know?

As for the surgery question, I think a lot of people shy away from it for the lifestyle issues. However, if I end up liking surgery in med school, I definitely would consider transplant surgery.
 
You've forgotten to take one thing into account when talking about salaries: cost of living. Now while a junior associate may make $135k+ and an FP may only make $85k, but that $85k might go a lot further living in a rural town than say a lawyer living in NYC. I live in New York Metropolitan area and go to school upstate, and I have to say the difference in the cost of living is HUGE. your dollar goes a lot further upstate. (Which is great for us college students.
 
Whynotme, The reason I responded to you was purely because you mentioned something that had nothing to do with the salaries of physicians. It was purely irrelevant. Ok, ok, cops are underpaid...we all know that dude. With regard to your beautiful little insult...you have no idea what kind of person I am, so enough with the judgment calls. By the way I'm a 4th year DO student, so the MD ain't coming anytime soon.
 
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