Salary information in the DMV area?

[Lysinee]

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Does anyone have information about the average salary in the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virgina) area?

Before I posted I did a little search, and it seems that the average pay is near $120 per hour in Baltimore. When working average hours, it comes to about $250k. Is it really hard to break $300k.

Also, any reliable sites that lists job postings. I looked at the indeed website, but little salary information is provided.

Thank you.

 

[EMS5]

I know from a personal acquaintance that EM on the Eastern Shore of Maryland pays in the neighborhood of 100/hour. Take into consideration that the cost of living is exponentially less than in the metro (Baltimore, DC).

 

[Apollyon]

When working average hours

2000 hours/year is not average - it is WELL above. If you're only a pre-med, though, you're at least 7 years (and, actually, nearly 8) from this even mattering. A LOT can happen in nearly 8 years.

 

[la gringa]

ems5, my knowledge is exactly the opposite. eastern shore pays really well b/c it's hard to staff.

DC area pays terribly compared to cost of living. expect to start around $110/hr plus benefits with the main group in the area.

my understanding is that Baltimore pays better.

I just left that area partly b/c of low pay/high COL, fwiw.

 

[Lysinee]

I am a first year med student. We are required to do 8 weeks of research during the summer after ms1, so I wanted to do something that I am interested in now. This question is relevant to me, since I will be applying in 2-3 years. Thank you.

2000 hours/year is not average - it is WELL above. If you're only a pre-med, though, you're at least 7 years (and, actually, nearly 8) from this even mattering. A LOT can happen in nearly 8 years.

 

[Lysinee]

Any more information on Baltimore or other areas (Bethesda, Kensington, Columbia). I would like to one day practice in Baltimore.

ems5, my knowledge is exactly the opposite. eastern shore pays really well b/c it's hard to staff.

DC area pays terribly compared to cost of living. expect to start around $110/hr plus benefits with the main group in the area.

my understanding is that Baltimore pays better.

I just left that area partly b/c of low pay/high COL, fwiw.

 

[Apollyon]

I am a first year med student. We are required to do 8 weeks of research during the summer after ms1, so I wanted to do something that I am interested in now. This question is relevant to me, since I will be applying in 2-3 years. Thank you.

First year med student, and applying for a job in 2-3 years? Check your math. You'll be applying for residency, which is a whole other kettle of fish. If you are referring to residency, you should state so. People here are talking about attending jobs - which, if you are an MS-1, is 2018 for you - 7 years.

But whatever. Good luck!

 

[Lysinee]

1) I don't state the obvious. I am pretty sure that everyone reading that line knows I am talking about residency.

2) I am thinking about the pros/cons of various specialties, which includes salary, lifestyle. etc. So, this question is quite relevant to me even if others think otherwise. I don't really care if I get my first job in 2018.

First year med student, and applying for a job in 2-3 years? Check your math. You'll be applying for residency, which is a whole other kettle of fish. If you are referring to residency, you should state so. People here are talking about attending jobs - which, if you are an MS-1, is 2018 for you - 7 years.

But whatever. Good luck!

 

[deleted109597]

I don't really care if I get my first job in 2018.

Sigh, he isn't saying it because it doesn't matter. He's saying it because nobody knows what the hourly pay will be in 2018. Even the directors of the various groups don't know. A lot could happen between now and then. Say MD passed malpractice reform (I kid, but less than if it was VA). Then MD would have a ton of new doctors apply, possibly pushing salaries down. VA would have to increase salaries to compensate for the loss. DC as usual wouldn't give a **** and would probably chain the doors to the ED exits or something.

Standard ED forum caveat: Don't pick a specialty entirely on salary. It isn't worth it.

 

[Apollyon]

1) I don't state the obvious. I am pretty sure that everyone reading that line knows I am talking about residency.

Well, if you are "pretty sure", you are wrong. You won't be paid by the hour as a resident, and make nowhere near $250k, even if you moonlight. And, by extension, by what you state, you don't know about what you are talking. Everyone else is speaking of when one is an attending. Maybe you should state the obvious.

And McNinja is correct - no one know what 2018 will be like.

And, finally, copping an attitude will not foster the most collegial responses.

 

[Lysinee]

Thank you, that's all I wanted.

Sigh, he isn't saying it because it doesn't matter. He's saying it because nobody knows what the hourly pay will be in 2018. Even the directors of the various groups don't know. A lot could happen between now and then. Say MD passed malpractice reform (I kid, but less than if it was VA). Then MD would have a ton of new doctors apply, possibly pushing salaries down. VA would have to increase salaries to compensate for the loss. DC as usual wouldn't give a **** and would probably chain the doors to the ED exits or something.

 

[Lysinee]

For future responders, I am talking about the current/future salary of EM?

 

[EMS5]

Ok, I'm not usually one to jump on the flaming bandwagon...but no one here can tell you what the future EM salary. No one here can even tell you definitively what you will make during residency. The best anyone can tell you is the current, and by time you are applying for residency (and eventually an attending position), this will all be more or less useless...

la gringa -- where do you practice? I'm just curious...

the doc i spoke to said they were making about 100/hr when they first started here, and are now making ~110/hr...this is only one person in a probably 30+ person practice, so take it fwiw

 

[bulgethetwine]

Ok, I'm not usually one to jump on the flaming bandwagon...but no one here can tell you what the future EM salary. No one here can even tell you definitively what you will make during residency. The best anyone can tell you is the current, and by time you are applying for residency (and eventually an attending position), this will all be more or less useless...

la gringa -- where do you practice? I'm just curious...

the doc i spoke to said they were making about 100/hr when they first started here, and are now making ~110/hr...this is only one person in a probably 30+ person practice, so take it fwiw

Hourly rate at the DMV: 26.74 in my state.

Which is a whole hell of a lot more than any resident makes per hour.

Otherwise, everything Apollyon said. Quit trying to parse his words. Geez, common sense please....

 

[la gringa]

EMS5 - i was in DC then NoVA. just left the area.

 

[DrQuinn]

You can expect the DC area to remain one of the lowest paying / cost of living EM jobs in teh country. When I applied for jobs in 2006 one place in MD offered me... $93 an HOUR! I ended up going academics in DC but left after 2.5 years. The cost of living was WAY too high on one physician's salary, believe it or not, and the job itself was not "ideal."

I then left for community EM in the midwest. COL is about 1/3 that of DC, and my pay is more than double. And I'm saving about 3x more for more retirement than my job in DC. Its kind of sad, really, to see all my friends in DC have such a crappy job compared to what I have... but then again the restaurants in teh DC area are the best in the country!

Q

 

[Apollyon]

You can expect the DC area to remain one of the lowest paying / cost of living EM jobs in teh country. When I applied for jobs in 2006 one place in MD offered me... $93 an HOUR!

Five years later, there are at least 3 places in Hawai'i that pay less than that, and two right on the borderline.

 

[la gringa]

bulgethetwine - "the DMV" is common slang in that area for DC/Maryland/Virginia.

DrQuinn - we're probably talking about the same group i just left. and i left the area for the same reason. that group also is going in a very limited partner direction - making the job even worse.

i went southeast, "home" for me. the pay vs COL in the DMV ain't worth it unless you HAVE to live there, imho. i can't go back to the midwest - did residency there and didn't really like it - and i was in the "mecca" of the midwest.

 

[DrQuinn]

Yeah. The thing that got be in teh DC area was most of the other EP's, their SO's were either docs or their SO's made a lot of money or they were independently wealthy. My wife decided to work part time so she could raise our kid at the time (we now have three). On a doctor's salary in DC you coudl live "well." not "great." I bought a 1800 sq ft townhouse in Falls Church. A nice townhouse, don't get me wrong, but wasn't anything "awesome." After #2 was planted in the oven it was time to get a bigger house, but on the salaray I was making that wasn't possible.

It was a tough decisiont o leave, becasue there's so much goodness about the DC area (Businessweek I think made Arlington, VA the #2 place to live)... plus my family is still there, but, hey, it was the BEST career decision I made to leave adn go into community EM
Q

 

[la gringa]

I lived in Arlington (Ballston for those who know the area) and really liked it - but was paying $2300 in rent for a 2bdr 1200 sq ft townhouse w/o a yard. To buy something comparable was easily $500k+.

 

[EMS5]

Out in the lower Delaware/Maryland Eastern Shore area, COL is hella cheap. $1700/month for a 5br/2.5 bath, 3000 sq ft. Or to buy - 219,900 for a 3100 sq ft 3 bed 3 bath...

This is where I was referring to in my original post about the doc making in range of 100/hr

 

[deleted109597]

The lower DelMarVa is cheap, but decidedly rural. Also, not a lot of hospitals out there, so you don't have much choice in places to work.

 

[Lysinee]

What sites are good when looking for EM jobs?

 

[DrQuinn]

What sites are good when looking for EM jobs?

you mean websites to get an ER job? They all suck.

You'll find the absolute best jobs are not advertised. My current group has never advertised. Its all about word of mouth.

Q

 

[tima]

Interesting thread, any more updates on the average salary.

 

[Chicarito]

Really fascinated by this thread. I'm a UK ER doc, A&E as we say over here, but I'm really tempted to come over to the US for my resident training. Step yawn in progress etc...

I'm shocked at how little you guys earn as ER docs! $100/hour for an attending???😱

In the UK, as an SHO ie a resident, working as a locum we regularly earn £40 an hour and the attendings/consultants would expect at least £100/hour!

A resident/trainee SHO will earn ~£40k pre tax (40%!) but non contract work is pretty lucrative (just so long as you don't mind your career going nowhere!)

Our hours sound about the same but surely an attending physician in the ER must take home more than me!

 

[Jack is Back]

I always have heard US docs are overpaid and other countries like the UK don't pay as much.😕

 

[snoopy85k]

In general, the more under served, the higher pay. And often a lower COL. If you go to places that are more "desirable" places to live for one reason or another, you will expect to make less money and have a higher COL. Why would somebody pay you more when there are tons of other physicians that want your job?

From what I have heard, the rural south pays the highest right now (Texas, Mississippi, Alabama). This is all word of mouth, but I have heard salaries starting as high as $400k+/year. I also know of a local hospital trying to fill locums spots at $800/hour. But jobs like that are few and far between. And there is often a reason why they have to shell out that kind of money to get people to work there.

As for the future of EM, there will always be high demand for EM trained physicians in a field filled with people trained in other fields. As this gap narrows with more people entering EM training and more EDs closing, this advantage for job placement will disappear as all spots are filled with EM-trained physicians. What that will mean for future salary is hard to tell. The current average EM salary is $240k starting and $275k overall. But that varies greatly based on geography. The average weekly hours are 34/week (at least scheduled hours, not including time spent wrapping up work/charting).

If you really want to dig into it, ACEP has a list of surveys on salaries in EM: http://www.acep.org/content.aspx?id=29932

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Does anyone have information about the average salary in the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virgina) area?

Before I posted I did a little search, and it seems that the average pay is near $120 per hour in Baltimore. When working average hours, it comes to about $250k. Is it really hard to break $300k.

Also, any reliable sites that lists job postings. I looked at the indeed website, but little salary information is provided.

Thank you.

$120 seems awfully low. I had a moonlighting job in Virginia that paid $150. I knew of at least one that paid $300 an hour (busy night shifts). I don't think $120 an hour is reasonable for someone living in the expensive D.C. area.

Edit: Wait. We're talking about residency? Expect about $10 an hour.

 

[gutonc]

$120 seems awfully low. I had a moonlighting job in Virginia that paid $150. I knew of at least one that paid $300 an hour (busy night shifts). I don't think $120 an hour is reasonable for someone living in the expensive D.C. area.

Edit: Wait. We're talking about residency? Expect about $10 an hour.

Quite frankly I don't know what we're talking about anymore. The OP is a student so kind of a silly question to ask at this stage anyway.

 

[EM_Rebuilder]

In general, the more under served, the higher pay. And often a lower COL. If you go to places that are more "desirable" places to live for one reason or another, you will expect to make less money and have a higher COL. Why would somebody pay you more when there are tons of other physicians that want your job?

From what I have heard, the rural south pays the highest right now (Texas, Mississippi, Alabama). This is all word of mouth, but I have heard salaries starting as high as $400k+/year. I also know of a local hospital trying to fill locums spots at $800/hour. But jobs like that are few and far between. And there is often a reason why they have to shell out that kind of money to get people to work there.

As for the future of EM, there will always be high demand for EM trained physicians in a field filled with people trained in other fields. As this gap narrows with more people entering EM training and more EDs closing, this advantage for job placement will disappear as all spots are filled with EM-trained physicians. What that will mean for future salary is hard to tell. The current average EM salary is $240k starting and $275k overall. But that varies greatly based on geography. The average weekly hours are 34/week (at least scheduled hours, not including time spent wrapping up work/charting).

If you really want to dig into it, ACEP has a list of surveys on salaries in EM: http://www.acep.org/content.aspx?id=29932

Where is the 800/hr gig at? We had a place in MS that that was paying $540/hr for almost 6 months...man I miss that....it dried up as we left. You got whooped, but it sure helped put a big dent in the student loans.

 

[Apollyon]

Edit: Wait. We're talking about residency? Expect about $10 an hour.

Quite frankly I don't know what we're talking about anymore. The OP is a student so kind of a silly question to ask at this stage anyway.

Well, when I mentioned it, the OP said she(?) "didn't state the obvious". As is prone for people who say things are 'obvious', very frequently those things are obvious only to that person, and to no one else.

So, in other words, clear as mud.

 

[Lysinee]

Okay, I thought this was cleared before. I am a first year male medical student. I was talking about the salary of an EM physician - current or future. The residency salaries are listed on the residency's program website (U of MD, etc.). So, I don't need information about residents.

 

[Apollyon]

With the "-ee", I thought of female. I had no other information one way or another.

 

[Lysinee]

The name, Lysine, was already taken, so I added an extra e to get Lysinee.

 

[deleted109597]

So, I don't need information about residents.

I would argue you don't need information about attending jobs either. You need to get an EM residency first, then worry about EM attending jobs. Either way, you've got some time.

 

[deleted109597]

Really fascinated by this thread. I'm a UK ER doc, A&E as we say over here, but I'm really tempted to come over to the US for my resident training. Step yawn in progress etc...

I'm shocked at how little you guys earn as ER docs! $100/hour for an attending???😱

You only earn that much in either very rural, low volume joints, or places where they have artificially suppressed incomes.