From what I know, GI is paying out around 250,000 - $300,000 to start in a busy private practice with bonuses and increased pay to follow. I know some GI docs who are routinely making $600,000 +. The problem with GI grads these days is that some of them are not proficient in procedures like they should be for a busy practice, and the private practice guys don't have the patience or time to teach someone they're paying lots of money to cover call and do procedures they should have learned during fellowship. I heard of one guy who was graduating from a very presitigious Ivy league program who had never done an ERCP--not one! That's crazy.