shadowed today

[Wallace12]

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Today was my first day of shadowing, it was a private practice, and and it was a fairly recent graduate of Pod school (2008, DMU). I've read it on here before about how Type II diabetic patients are kind of ignorant/don't listen to what the doctor says to make them better, and i definitely saw that today being that like 75% of patients were diabetic! Of course some of the patients were very good about taking care of them selves to get better while some others weren't the best.
I would say that the profession is a great one with a ton of opportunity, the hours are awesome, there wasn't any patients today that were rude or anything, it was a pretty busy day (i didn't ask if it was a normal day for number of patients), and overall it seemed really chill. So if you are wanting to try to find someone to shadow of any specialty you should definitely give their office a call to try to get something set up, you'll never know if you dont try. Luckily for me, the first place i called they said yes! haha

I pretty much just wrote this all to give a little back since i have been using this forum a lot to read and learn a ton about the field.

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

Today was my first day of shadowing, it was a private practice, and and it was a fairly recent graduate of Pod school (2008, DMU). I've read it on here before about how Type II diabetic patients are kind of ignorant/don't listen to what the doctor says to make them better, and i definitely saw that today being that like 75% of patients were diabetic! Of course some of the patients were very good about taking care of them selves to get better while some others weren't the best.
I would say that the profession is a great one with a ton of opportunity, the hours are awesome, there wasn't any patients today that were rude or anything, it was a pretty busy day (i didn't ask if it was a normal day for number of patients), and overall it seemed really chill. So if you are wanting to try to find someone to shadow of any specialty you should definitely give their office a call to try to get something set up, you'll never know if you dont try. Luckily for me, the first place i called they said yes! haha

I pretty much just wrote this all to give a little back since i have been using this forum a lot to read and learn a ton about the field.

Was it a solo practice?? Assuming he did a 3 year residency, his practice would have only been 1 year old at this point, wow!

 

[Cozell]

Today was my first day of shadowing, it was a private practice, and and it was a fairly recent graduate of Pod school (2008, DMU). I've read it on here before about how Type II diabetic patients are kind of ignorant/don't listen to what the doctor says to make them better, and i definitely saw that today being that like 75% of patients were diabetic! Of course some of the patients were very good about taking care of them selves to get better while some others weren't the best.
I would say that the profession is a great one with a ton of opportunity, the hours are awesome, there wasn't any patients today that were rude or anything, it was a pretty busy day (i didn't ask if it was a normal day for number of patients), and overall it seemed really chill. So if you are wanting to try to find someone to shadow of any specialty you should definitely give their office a call to try to get something set up, you'll never know if you dont try. Luckily for me, the first place i called they said yes! haha

I pretty much just wrote this all to give a little back since i have been using this forum a lot to read and learn a ton about the field.

Nice, thanks for posting this.

I just shadowed, unfortunately I shadowed an Internal Medicine doctor at a hospital (hospitalist) . I had two major problems with the field I shadowed 1. The doctor did an Absurd amount of paperwork, I mean he said himself and I witnessed it's 70%paperwork/dictations 2. As an internal Medicine Doc he did'nt really have impact on patients, he kind of just prescribed and moved on and he says it usually takes about 4 days to see change in patients (sometimes less).

Did you see these issues when you shadowed your Pod, and you say the hours are great could you give me a little insight into why you feel this way. I enjoyed my shadow experience but I felt that the field may be rather dull, I hope podiatry is much more fullfilling.


Thanks

 

[PADPM]

Hours are great? That is a huge generalization based on your experience of the one doc you visited. Hours are whatever YOU make them and dependent on a lot of factors.

The docs in our practice work very long hours and that's one reason our practice is busy and successful. I work more hours than any of my MD/DO friends.

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

Hours are great? That is a huge generalization based on your experience of the one doc you visited. Hours are whatever YOU make them and dependent on a lot of factors.

The docs in our practice work very long hours and that's one reason our practice is busy and successful. I work more hours than any of my MD/DO friends.

If this doc's practice is only 1 year old, I bet his hours are great! His patient base probably isn't all that big yet. But who knows.

 

[Cozell]

Hours are great? That is a huge generalization based on your experience of the one doc you visited. Hours are whatever YOU make them and dependent on a lot of factors.

The docs in our practice work very long hours and that's one reason our practice is busy and successful. I work more hours than any of my MD/DO friends.

I have heard of plenty of doctors gripe about working far to many hours how many hours do you work PaDPM, and does that get tough it seems like you take it in stride.

 

[PADPM]

I have heard of plenty of doctors gripe about working far to many hours how many hours do you work PaDPM, and does that get tough it seems like you take it in stride.

I'm very fortunate that I'm a partner in a very busy and successful practice. One of the reasons for our success is our cohesiveness when it comes to working hard. Although we have several offices, we are never complacent.

We went over some demographic information, and realized that the future may be in some areas about 20-25 miles from our main office. The area is affluent and expanding. So we found an older DPM who was ready to leave practice and took over and added 2 new locations to our already busy practice. We expanded hours, moved to a new, modern office and we are already seeing growth.

In addition to our existing offices and 2 new offices, we also staff a wound care center and receive many consults at various hospitals during the week. We also service nursing homes, though we have one non surgical DPM who spends most of his/her time at these facilities.

There is a relatively new wound care center at a hospital where we have a strong presence. However, this center decided to simply have one doctor who is the medical director and he sees all patients and supervises all hyperbaric dives. When patients "go bad" and require surgery, it usually ends up on our service anyway. So we recently met with the administration of this center and we will now be seeing patients there one session weekly.

One of my partners and our newest associate met with the director of another hospital ER. The director was less than happy with the response from the orthopods when referring foot or ankle problems. So now we will be receiving most if not all foot and ankle pathology from that ER.

I met with the chief of vascular surgery at a MAJOR university hospital and he also is on staff at one of our local hospitals. I have cultivated a relationship with him, his partners and the vascular surgical fellow, so our group receives consults on any of their patients with a pathology below the knee.

And that doesn't include our normal office hours/patients. But we are looking to the future, and in order to attract a quality associate in the near future, we must offer a diverse practice and not simply palliative care, though palliative care is certainly part of our practice. We need to be busy enough to hire an associate and have this new doctor busy right out of the gate. I don't think any new associate will be happy seeing 12 palliative care patients a day, and if he/she comes on board, there will be plenty of diverse cases.

I ran between two offices today that are geographically far apart. Our associate saw patients in a nursing home (he/she only does one), then did rounds at 2 hospitals, then saw patients until almost 6 pm at a wound care center. One of my partners saw about 60 patients today at one of our offices.

Our assoicate would probably get frustrated with running all around and the travel time, if he/she didn't see ALL of our doctors doing the same. We have provided him/her with a great opportunity. He/she was sent away for one week at our expense to train in wound care/hyperbaric oxygen. As a result, he/she has had the opportunity to mingle with many docs in the hospitals. He/she has had the opportunity to work in our newest offices, and the offices that have the greatest future, even I don't have that opportunity since I'm already spread thin.

But to answer your question, this was my schedule last week, since this week is still in progress;

Monday-left my home at 7 am and got home at about 7 pm.

Tuesday-left my home at 5:45 am and got home at about 7 pm.

Wednesday-left my home at 6:15 am and got home about 6 pm.

Thursday-left my home at 6:15 am and got home about 6:30 pm

Friday-left my home at 5:45 am and got home about 6:40 pm

Saturday-(I work one Saturday a month, with morning office hours and weekend call). left my home at 7:00 am and got home at 1:30 pm.

Sunday- I got lucky and did not have to make rounds----all patients were discharged.

I don't have the energy to add up those hours, but feel free to if you'd like.

But my schedule is not unique to me, ALL the doctors in our practice work just as hard and with similar long hours.

No, we don't HAVE to work these hours, but we've built a machine that needs to be maintained. When we go to seminars, meetings, etc., we listen to all these guys whine about how tough it is to make a living. Then they tell us that they work no nights, no weekends, come into the office at 11 am, leave at 3 pm, etc., and that they golf 2 afternoons a week. I wonder why they are having trouble earning a decent income??????

We NEVER tell these guys we are busy, etc. However, when we walk up to a booth and a rep at the booth has been to our office(s), he/she always says "you should see THESE guys practice". "It's crazy busy". Yep, we let someone else do the talking, we simply to what we have to do.

Would I like to take it a littler easier? Absolutely, but patients need to be seen and we are there for our patients. We work hard, we are not lazy and as a result, there are no practices in our region that sees the number of patients we do on a regular basis. That doesn't happen accidentally.

So, I can whine about the hours I work, but I'd much rather do that than whine that I'm not busy.

 

[Wallace12]

Was it a solo practice?? Assuming he did a 3 year residency, his practice would have only been 1 year old at this point, wow!

No they had one other partner, and he was a little older but i don't know when or where he went to school. But i think he started working in '08, so maybe i said the wrong year of graduation? haha They have two offices and they switch back and forth with them. It wasn't the busiest office ever, but it definitely had its steady flow of patients. I think it was about 35~ patients that came through. They said it was a pretty slow day for number of patients that day.

Nice, thanks for posting this.

I just shadowed, unfortunately I shadowed an Internal Medicine doctor at a hospital (hospitalist) . I had two major problems with the field I shadowed 1. The doctor did an Absurd amount of paperwork, I mean he said himself and I witnessed it's 70%paperwork/dictations 2. As an internal Medicine Doc he did'nt really have impact on patients, he kind of just prescribed and moved on and he says it usually takes about 4 days to see change in patients (sometimes less).

Did you see these issues when you shadowed your Pod, and you say the hours are great could you give me a little insight into why you feel this way. I enjoyed my shadow experience but I felt that the field may be rather dull, I hope podiatry is much more fullfilling.


Thanks

1.For paper work, no not really they just had like 1 or maybe 2 minutes of typing a report about the patient just like problem, condition, progress, and what was prescribed kind of stuff. 2. I would say they definitely have impact on the patients, for the older diabetic patients they come in monthly to have their wounds or calluses shaved off to prevent infection which could lead to amputation. The big annoying thing about this aspect is, some patients don't listen to the doctor! haha just like for example, you're diabetic and you have these wounds on your feet, so the podiatrist tells you where these types of shoes and always wear socks. so the patient comes back in a month with the right shoes, but they say they hate socks so they dont wear them and now their wounds are greater than before. just that kind of stuff, but i guess that happens in every health profession. my dentist always tells me to floss but i dont.... 😱
the doctor i shadowed work schedule was like this: m-w surgery 7am~9 1 or 2 surgeries usually just depending on what was being done and could fit into that window. then at practice from 10am-5pm. then on thurs and friday 10am-5pm. so it's around 40 ish hours a week.
to me that seemed great, they chose to work these type of hours so they could spend more time with their family which is what I liked about it.

Hours are great? That is a huge generalization based on your experience of the one doc you visited. Hours are whatever YOU make them and dependent on a lot of factors.

The docs in our practice work very long hours and that's one reason our practice is busy and successful. I work more hours than any of my MD/DO friends.

yeah i guess it kind of was just a generalization, but it seems like you are a "go-getter" working a lot. I have talked to a couple other pods at hospitals before and they have all said they liked their hours as well, none of them were on call ever though. From what you're other post says your offices seem to be roaring with business, that's awesome! Keep feeding the machine.

 

[PADPM]

No they had one other partner, and he was a little older but i don't know when or where he went to school. But i think he started working in '08, so maybe i said the wrong year of graduation? haha They have two offices and they switch back and forth with them. It wasn't the busiest office ever, but it definitely had its steady flow of patients. I think it was about 35~ patients that came through. They said it was a pretty slow day for number of patients that day.


1.For paper work, no not really they just had like 1 or maybe 2 minutes of typing a report about the patient just like problem, condition, progress, and what was prescribed kind of stuff. 2. I would say they definitely have impact on the patients, for the older diabetic patients they come in monthly to have their wounds or calluses shaved off to prevent infection which could lead to amputation. The big annoying thing about this aspect is, some patients don't listen to the doctor! haha just like for example, you're diabetic and you have these wounds on your feet, so the podiatrist tells you where these types of shoes and always wear socks. so the patient comes back in a month with the right shoes, but they say they hate socks so they dont wear them and now their wounds are greater than before. just that kind of stuff, but i guess that happens in every health profession. my dentist always tells me to floss but i dont.... 😱
the doctor i shadowed work schedule was like this: m-w surgery 7am~9 1 or 2 surgeries usually just depending on what was being done and could fit into that window. then at practice from 10am-5pm. then on thurs and friday 10am-5pm. so it's around 40 ish hours a week.
to me that seemed great, they chose to work these type of hours so they could spend more time with their family which is what I liked about it.


yeah i guess it kind of was just a generalization, but it seems like you are a "go-getter" working a lot. I have talked to a couple other pods at hospitals before and they have all said they liked their hours as well, none of them were on call ever though. From what you're other post says your offices seem to be roaring with business, that's awesome! Keep feeding the machine.

Treating 35 patients a day is a very respectable number, and not a slow day. It also depends on the type of patients being treated. For example, I don't see as many patients daily as my partners, but our new associate and I see very little palliative care, and my partners often see quite a few daily. Palliative care is quick, and we have assistants finish up, so it's a little easier to see more of those patients. The other day I saw about 45 patients, but saw 14 new patients and only saw 4 palliative patients. Today our associate is in one office from 1-4 and is packed and has about 9 new pts in tha time. He/she will see few palliative care pts.

So is not always the quantity, because the amount of new patients (the lifeline of any practice) and the type of patients seen also are strong factors.

We could also work 40 hours a week, but it's our choice to keep the ball rolling.

I need to preface an important point. My family has always come first and not the almighty dollar. I also believe family time is important. However, my kids are grown and I no longer need to attend their activities regularly.

My priorities are in place. My daughter was a very high ranked competitive swimmer, and the only meets I ever missed were high school away meets, which were hours away. She swam since she was 6 and I was ALWAYS there. My son is a very competitive soccer player and I coached him (i was a division 1 player) and missed one game from the time he was 5 until high school, where I made most of his games when practical. He also played at a division 1 university, and I obviously could not attend all those games due to geographical issues.

At this point in a career,many docs are slowing down, but we are not, and that's a testament to my partners who all work as hard as me, and are all about 10 years my senior. Yeah, I'm not really as old as some think !

 

[Cozell]

Treating 35 patients a day is a very respectable number, and not a slow day. It also depends on the type of patients being treated. For example, I don't see as many patients daily as my partners, but our new associate and I see very little palliative care, and my partners often see quite a few daily. Palliative care is quick, and we have assistants finish up, so it's a little easier to see more of those patients. The other day I saw about 45 patients, but saw 14 new patients and only saw 4 palliative patients. Today our associate is in one office from 1-4 and is packed and has about 9 new pts in tha time. He/she will see few palliative care pts.

So is not always the quantity, because the amount of new patients (the lifeline of any practice) and the type of patients seen also are strong factors.

We could also work 40 hours a week, but it's our choice to keep the ball rolling.

I need to preface an important point. My family has always come first and not the almighty dollar. I also believe family time is important. However, my kids are grown and I no longer need to attend their activities regularly.

My priorities are in place. My daughter was a very high ranked competitive swimmer, and the only meets I ever missed were high school away meets, which were hours away. She swam since she was 6 and I was ALWAYS there. My son is a very competitive soccer player and I coached him (i was a division 1 player) and missed one game from the time he was 5 until high school, where I made most of his games when practical. He also played at a division 1 university, and I obviously could not attend all those games due to geographical issues.

At this point in a career,many docs are slowing down, but we are not, and that's a testament to my partners who all work as hard as me, and are all about 10 years my senior. Yeah, I'm not really as old as some think !

PaDPM I read both of your post 👍 very insightful.

It sounds like you are in a very progressive uphill career but it also sounds like your path is the exception to most podiatrist. Would new pods of tomorrow including ones completing residency this year looking for a position and or a new pod student entering pod school this year be able to expect this type of success in 2018 or is this in rare form(I know this can be tough to answer with the "up in the air" state of health care) but your post have been more than helpful so far so Im sure your thoughts on this will follow that trend.

Granted I have no clue what your salary(though it is difficult to find reliable expectable salary information) is (nor am I asking you to disclose this information) but to clear it up I refer to success as having a thriving practice and being able to keep the doors open and branch out further and further, and according to your post you are doing just that and of course monetary compensation comes to successful people(I'd hope😎).

Thanks for taking the time and thanks OP this thread is more helpful than the title implies.

 

[gustydoc]

I'm also a DMU 2008 grad and I have been in practice for a year now. I'd say your experience with my classmate is pretty typical of most guys who are fresh out of residency although PADDPM is right the hours and type of patients you see can vary a lot from practice to practice.

While I work an average of about 30 hours a week in clinic I spend two days a week in surgery and I am on trauma call every other week which can be really busy at times. I joined a group with three other doctors and each of us has our own sub-specialty. One guys does strictly orthotics/biomechanics, two others doing general podiatry and some forefoot surgery and I do the reconstructive/trauma stuff. It is a great model that lets each of us focus on what we do best. There is a lot of complaining and doom/gloom in some of these forums, but I love my job and I'd do it all over again without a doubt.

Good luck wallace12. If you work hard this can be a very rewarding and very lucrative career.

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

I'm also a DMU 2008 grad and I have been in practice for a year now. I'd say your experience with my classmate is pretty typical of most guys who are fresh out of residency although PADDPM is right the hours and type of patients you see can vary a lot from practice to practice.

While I work an average of about 30 hours a week in clinic I spend two days a week in surgery and I am on trauma call every other week which can be really busy at times. I joined a group with three other doctors and each of us has our own sub-specialty. One guys does strictly orthotics/biomechanics, two others doing general podiatry and some forefoot surgery and I do the reconstructive/trauma stuff. It is a great model that lets each of us focus on what we do best. There is a lot of complaining and doom/gloom in some of these forums, but I love my job and I'd do it all over again without a doubt.

Good luck wallace12. If you work hard this can be a very rewarding and very lucrative career.

Excellent post! Thanks for sharing!! 👍👍

 

[PADPM]

I'm also a DMU 2008 grad and I have been in practice for a year now. I'd say your experience with my classmate is pretty typical of most guys who are fresh out of residency although PADDPM is right the hours and type of patients you see can vary a lot from practice to practice.

While I work an average of about 30 hours a week in clinic I spend two days a week in surgery and I am on trauma call every other week which can be really busy at times. I joined a group with three other doctors and each of us has our own sub-specialty. One guys does strictly orthotics/biomechanics, two others doing general podiatry and some forefoot surgery and I do the reconstructive/trauma stuff. It is a great model that lets each of us focus on what we do best. There is a lot of complaining and doom/gloom in some of these forums, but I love my job and I'd do it all over again without a doubt.

Good luck wallace12. If you work hard this can be a very rewarding and very lucrative career.

It's great to hear of your success.

 

[Cozell]

All right NICE now how much do you guys make. JK

But finding salary prices is equivalent to a merrygoround you end up knowing just as much as you did when you started. Maybe you guys know a ballpark of what a new pod could expect without disclosing your own salary I might make a thread on this but im sure I will get ragged on since its been adressed though still not clear/reliable.

 

[PADPM]

All right NICE now how much do you guys make.

That is something I don't discuss with anyone, and I personally believe that question is inappropriate

It is not relevant. My income or another doctor's income has no impact on your future income. If you visit or shadow a doctor, please don't ask that question. And if for some reason a doctor tells you without you asking, I would question the motive and the accuracy of his number. I know a few guys with small, slow practices and they tell the residents how much they make. I know what it takes to earn a decent income and these guys are spewing numbers a lot more than I make, and I doubt they make half.

Over the years, I've noticed the guys with the biggest practices and greatest income, are usually the most modest and last to brag. We never go to a seminar and tell colleagues how busy we are. We just listen to everyone else brag, and we just keep quiet, look at each other with a small smile, knowing that we see 4 times the patients as the guy bragging. The only way people know, is when reps tell other docs after visiting our office.

The successful and confident don't have to brag, it's pointless.

 

[Cozell]

All right NICE now how much do you guys make. JK

But finding salary prices is equivalent to a merrygoround you end up knowing just as much as you did when you started. Maybe you guys know a ballpark of what a new pod could expect without disclosing your own salary I might make a thread on this but im sure I will get ragged on since its been adressed though still not clear/reliable.

I dont know if you missed the rest of my post. I think you got the wrong thing from that PaDPM that JK(Just kidding) holds alot of weight. I apologize if I came off inapropriate.

 

[PADPM]

I dont know if you missed the rest of my post. I think you got the wrong thing from that PaDPM that JK(Just kidding) holds alot of weight. I apologize if I came off inapropriate.

No problem. However, the "jk" and the rest of your post was not there when I responded. You must have edited it after my response. If you notice your edit and my post have the same time. So if you consider the time it took me to write the post, it preceeded your edit. If the "jk" was in your original post, it would have appeared in the quote I used in my prior post.


Once again, no problem.

 

[Pktgresch]

That is something I don't discuss with anyone, and I personally believe that question is inappropriate

It is not relevant.

.

I actually some what disagree with this position, and if I may I will explain why. It may not be totally irrelevant to give a ball park figure of what a successful and extremely hard working pod can make, such as some one in your position. I think some one such as yourself deserves to be on the higher end of the spectrum in terms of salary, and it would be nice to know where that figure lies. Then again I understand that it is extremely personal to ask about salary and if you feel it is not appropriate then it is what it is. My point is simply that giving us pre pods ball park figures based on how hard you work, or what circumstances you are in can actually be really relevant to us in our pursuit of podiatry. Asking for a specific figure could be considered rude, and I can see why. I personally did not ask the doctor I shadowed about her salary, although I kind of wish I knew what she made.
If all we know is that we can expect to make ~100k if we work hard in a practice, as an associate, that does not really tell us much. I myself am more concerned with what a ceiling might be for experienced pods in groups such as your self.

 

[PADPM]

I actually some what disagree with this position, and if I may I will explain why. It may not be totally irrelevant to give a ball park figure of what a successful and extremely hard working pod can make, such as some one in your position. I think some one such as yourself deserves to be on the higher end of the spectrum in terms of salary, and it would be nice to know where that figure lies. Then again I understand that it is extremely personal to ask about salary and if you feel it is not appropriate then it is what it is. My point is simply that giving us pre pods ball park figures based on how hard you work, or what circumstances you are in can actually be really relevant to us in our pursuit of podiatry. Asking for a specific figure could be considered rude, and I can see why. I personally did not ask the doctor I shadowed about her salary, although I kind of wish I knew what she made.
If all we know is that we can expect to make ~100k if we work hard in a practice, as an associate, that does not really tell us much. I myself am more concerned with what a ceiling might be for experienced pods in groups such as your self.

I understand your points, but the answer is not easy. There are so many factors that there really is no true answer. One of the biggest factors is the payor mix. In other words, how are the reimbursements in your area. I can tell you one thing........our reimbursement in our area SUCKS. And it is universally agreed upon that we are all working harder to make the same money we did years ago (that is not unique to podiatry). Many years ago, after I completed my training, it was not unusual to receive more than 1,500 bucks or more for a bunionectomy with osteotomy and internal fixation. I recently performed a surgery on a patient with "good" insurance. I performed a bunionectomy with osteotomy and screw fixation, arthroplasty procedures on 4 lesser toes and removed a skin lesion. The case took me about 45 minutes and the amount allowed by the insurance company was $1,034.00. No, not bad for 45 minutes work, but that reimbursement includes travel time to and from the hospital, time waiting for the case to begin, paperwork and all post operative visits for 60-90 days, depending on the insurance and procedures.

We do "ok"' but I can tell you that if our practice was in a different geographical location, we would all probably triple our income. So in addition to being busy, location really is a huge factor.

As for my take-home pay......it's enough to put 2 kids through 50,000 dollar a year schools, enough to have some nice cars ( which doesn't mean Jack) and enough to live a decent lifestyle and afford some nice things without worrying. Regardless, my priority has always been my family, and not my income. Hard work simply produces the income.

And although I do "ok"', you won't see me being profiled on "lifestyles of the rich and famous"......yet!

But as I've said before many times (and there is a "sticky" I wrote a long time ago at the top of podiatric residents and physicians on the main page), if you work hard, treat patients well and practice ethically, you will earn a better than average income.

But don't worry about making TOO much money or it can get confusing. As per the quote from Dr. Evil (Austin Powers movie)....."Why make a trillion dollars when we could make.......BILLIONS?"

 

[Pktgresch]

I understand your points, but the answer is not easy. There are so many factors that there really is no true answer. One of the biggest factors is the payor mix. In other words, how are the reimbursements in your area. I can tell you one thing........our reimbursement in our area SUCKS. And it is universally agreed upon that we are all working harder to make the same money we did years ago (that is not unique to podiatry). Many years ago, after I completed my training, it was not unusual to receive more than 1,500 bucks or more for a bunionectomy with osteotomy and internal fixation. I recently performed a surgery on a patient with "good" insurance. I performed a bunionectomy with osteotomy and screw fixation, arthroplasty procedures on 4 lesser toes and removed a skin lesion. The case took me about 45 minutes and the amount allowed by the insurance company was $1,034.00. No, not bad for 45 minutes work, but that reimbursement includes travel time to and from the hospital, time waiting for the case to begin, paperwork and all post operative visits for 60-90 days, depending on the insurance and procedures.

We do "ok"' but I can tell you that if our practice was in a different geographical location, we would all probably triple our income. So in addition to being busy, location really is a huge factor.

As for my take-home pay......it's enough to put 2 kids through 50,000 dollar a year schools, enough to have some nice cars ( which doesn't mean Jack) and enough to live a decent lifestyle and afford some nice things without worrying. Regardless, my priority has always been my family, and not my income. Hard work simply produces the income.

And although I do "ok"', you won't see me being profiled on "lifestyles of the rich and famous"......yet!

But as I've said before many times (and there is a "sticky" I wrote a long time ago at the top of podiatric residents and physicians on the main page), if you work hard, treat patients well and practice ethically, you will earn a better than average income.

But don't worry about making TOO much money or it can get confusing. As per the quote from Dr. Evil (Austin Powers movie)....."Why make a trillion dollars when we could make.......BILLIONS?"

Thank you for you post, that was very insightful. I suppose as long as you're able to do what you need to do for your family, that's all that matters. Thanks again for putting it into perspective for me. I will be sure to check out your thread in the other forum.
Now on to my preparations, and I shall call them preparation H.

 

[Wallace12]

Thanks a ton for all the great replies gutsydoc and PADPM and every one else. this thread has been very insightful so far and motivating. Thanks again!