salaries

[Smile]

i know this is one of those questions people don't like to hear pre-meds ask, but i am very curious... are there any differences in the salaries between DO's and MD's? for example, if you have equally qualified DO and MD orthopedic surgeons, practicing in similar areas and everything else being equal, can one expect one to be making more money than the other, simply because they are different types of doctors?

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[dragonking]

1. The majority of your patients will not know or care about your degree. They just know you are a DOctor.

2. With good medical skills plus good doctor-patients relationship, you will have enough patients to take care with.

3. The population of patients. If mostly medicare, your pay check decreases no matter MD or DO.

4. If it takes 1 hour per patients visit, you will never able to repay your medical school loan.

5. If you know your OMT well (You need to be a DO), you don't even need to worry about HMO policies. ""Cash please"" are the last 2 words you will tell your patients before they step out of your office. ""Dollar bills"" are what you will be counting every night before you kiss your love ones to bed.



[This message has been edited by dragonking (edited September 16, 1999).]

 

[ewagner]

Sorry man,
But re: #2 you will probably need help from marketing and you will need to create a referral base. Being a "swell guy that knows alot" doesn't always work. There is alot of competition out there, especially in manaual medicine. The days of hanging a shingle and the pt's line up is long gone.
And the last comment about "cash please", ughh.

 

[SDN]

Cash please?

Whew, if those were the last two words I used with my patients, I wouldn't have any patients!

Lee

 

[drhenderson]

Re: Cash Please.

Out here in missouri it's "Two Chickens and a Cow please."


------------------
Jim Henderson, MD of MedicalStudent.net
http://www.medicalstudent.net

 

[OldManDave]

Jim,

You nailed that one on the head!! Whew, and you live in the thriving metro area of Columbia...you actually have an airport complete with airlines...I'm up here in K'Ville. We barely have more than a grass strip and they still start the planes like in the old Charlie Chaplin movies---jump off the chair to spin the prop---LMAO!

As to the "cash please" remark...you should really do a little research before you advise others. Like it or not, medicine is becoming more and more of a business. Consequently, merely having the correct set off initials is no longer sufficient.

Furthermore, if you're becoming a Doc to get rich---you're pissin in a large fan! If rich is what you want, save your nickels and get an MBA. It's cheaper, takes a hell of a lot less time and sweat and you'll make much more than most docs.

------------------
'Old Man Dave'
KCOM, Class of '03

 

[rhillstr]

Pissin' in a hurricane is more like it...
Aren't we glad we're not at NOVA right now? At any rate Dave you hit the nail on the head, but answer the question anyways. It's completely irrelevant. Your quality as a doctor will determine how you do. I happen to personally know an MD who does FP in a clinic with DO docs. He makes less. Why? OMT visits are shorter on average and pay good. I met a DO opthalmologist who is founder of an eye clinic with MD's working for him, and I even know a chiropractor who loves his job to death and has enough money to take several months off a year to go to third work countries to help people at free clinics, all while still being able to take his family to Hawaii. The point. It's perfectly irrelevant what degree you hold. Being a doc about caring for people and loving what you do. Surviving in a capitalist environment is about having enought business sense to afford to keep caring.

 

[Allison]

rhillstr...

"Surviving in a capitalist environment is about having enought business sense to afford to keep caring."

So 'ouch' but so TRUE! Can I quote you on that one?

It's a hazy little fine line isn't it...making enough money to sustain your preffered lifestyle while still providing the best patient care. Too much time per pt. and income suffers, see lots of patients to cover the bills and patient care often suffers. AAACK! I better get together with a business minded person or I'm going to get STOMPED!

Have a great day,
Allison

 

[mina]

Yes indeed
It really depends where u practice and how long u have been in DO surgery. I am a DO surgeon with a practice in Boston; my earnings range from 225K to 380K. But in medicine--don't let salaries dictate your decisions. As one alluded to--an MBA holder is a fater track to $$ than is an DO or MD holder.

 

[Test Boy]

Mina,

Do you incorporate any OMM techniques into your practice? Also, why is your salary range so big? Thanks.

 

[mina]

Hello:
Yes, I perform OMT on a consultative basis, especially for patients with sytemic dysfunctions. OMM (or OMT) really works in collaboration with conventional medical practice. While my specialty is general surgery, I treat patients whose dysfunctions can be corrected by manipulative techniques . . . and many of my patients have insurance to cover these treatments. A few can even afford to pay cash. I hope u find this enlightening.