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- Dec 7, 2015
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I'm a new member interested in doing emergency medicine or internal medicine hospitalist positions (and applied to DO schools this cycle). I'm concerned that with my undergrad debt, I'll be looking at $400K+ in debt by the time I finish a DO. I see most EM salaries in the 270K range working 12-16 shifts/month. It seems a lot of people want to go the IBR or PSLF route.
What I'm wondering is, what if I'm willing to really grind and hustle, working two jobs - basically work my butt off as an attending for 2-3 years and put as much as possible towards those loans? Is it realistic to assume you can make enough in EM (locum work, 24 hour shifts or hospitalist work working two jobs) to be able to pay that amount off in a few (3-5) years? I've seen a lot of locum EM jobs that offer $150/hr for 24 hr shifts 2-3 times per week and read some threads on here where people talk about knowing hospitalists that work 21+ shifts/month and make $300K+. That's the kind of role that interests me - where you work extra hard but make extra cash.
An alternative scenario would be to to work 12-16 shifts/month as an EM physician and spend every off day possible working in Urgent Care, moonlighting, etc. What I'm basically asking is, can you give up most of your days off for 2-3 years, work at multiple jobs, work a tremendous number of hours and quickly pay the debt down that way? I know it's easier said than done.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, just wondering if it's unrealistic to earn that much in EM/IM even with two jobs.
What I'm wondering is, what if I'm willing to really grind and hustle, working two jobs - basically work my butt off as an attending for 2-3 years and put as much as possible towards those loans? Is it realistic to assume you can make enough in EM (locum work, 24 hour shifts or hospitalist work working two jobs) to be able to pay that amount off in a few (3-5) years? I've seen a lot of locum EM jobs that offer $150/hr for 24 hr shifts 2-3 times per week and read some threads on here where people talk about knowing hospitalists that work 21+ shifts/month and make $300K+. That's the kind of role that interests me - where you work extra hard but make extra cash.
An alternative scenario would be to to work 12-16 shifts/month as an EM physician and spend every off day possible working in Urgent Care, moonlighting, etc. What I'm basically asking is, can you give up most of your days off for 2-3 years, work at multiple jobs, work a tremendous number of hours and quickly pay the debt down that way? I know it's easier said than done.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, just wondering if it's unrealistic to earn that much in EM/IM even with two jobs.
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