Valuation

[Quixotic]

I have been looking into salaries of Pathologists and it seems there is quite a large swath of opinions out there. On AAMC they state salary begins at $128, on salary.com it is $166 and from other residents I have heard they can make as much as $400 a year. Does anyone know either from first hand knowledge what Pathologists make or have a close friend that just took a job making salary $X. I can't image going through all this for a modest $130. I may just have to consider Radiology or Urology.

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[LADoc00]

I have been looking into salaries of Pathologists and it seems there is quite a large swath of opinions out there. On AAMC they state salary begins at $128, on salary.com it is $166 and from other residents I have heard they can make as much as $400 a year. Does anyone know either from first hand knowledge what Pathologists make or have a close friend that just took a job making salary $X. I can't image going through all this for a modest $130. I may just have to consider Radiology or Urology.

I wouldnt do this work for 130 but people do. I think attendings in the UC system start at 95K for FT, hahahaha. Sucks.

I think you can make a nice sum if you are willing to move and bargain a bit.

 

[yaah]

A starting assistant prof at an academic medical center I believe will make less than $150k per year. Then again, there are a lot of benefits which raise the salary in a way (like travel expenses, insurance, etc etc).

 

[Quixotic]

I am strictly interested in a private practice. What is the difference between the academic numbers and private practice numbers. I have to image that a new grad will make over $150 starting if an Assistant Prof is pulling around $140.

 

[QuietSylph]

From what I've heard, private practice tends to start in the $160-180K range, though there are of course exceptions at both ends of the range. By the time you make partner (usually 2-4 years), it's more likely to be around $220-300K.

 

[tsj]

In any busy private practice, a partner can make 300-600K a year without too much trouble, depending on the location and how hard they are willing to work.

One worrisome thing though is the Ameripaths/US Labs, etc are gobbling up little private groups and that is not a situation one wants to be in.

 

[Tidal]

In any busy private practice, a partner can make 300-600K a year without too much trouble, depending on the location and how hard they are willing to work.

One worrisome thing though is the Ameripaths/US Labs, etc are gobbling up little private groups and that is not a situation one wants to be in.

I am definitely interested in private practice. My uncle was a pathologist in private practice and made huge $$$$$. As I go through this process, I am realizing that it is VERY important to figure out NOW if you want to be a big academic research pathologist or private practice pathologist. As time goes by and I talk to more and more people in the field, I am discovering that many programs tailor to one type or the other. There are BIG NIH funded programs like BWH which are have highly published faculty, less volume, and more opportunities for outside patient-care projects. Then you have BIG volume programs like Mt. Sinai with faculty known for their diagnostic skills and training of outstanding morphologists. These clinical service types of programs typically have better job placement with private practice. I think if private practice is one's goal, programs like MGH, Mt. Sinai, Northwestern, and Cleveland Clinic are the gold-standard for what one should compare to other programs. I am personally going to do away rotations at a BIG volume department and a BIG research department to get an idea of how I should be comparing all of these programs on the interview trail.

 

[Zoloft]

I am definitely interested in private practice. My uncle was a pathologist in private practice and made huge $$$$$. As I go through this process, I am realizing that it is VERY important to figure out NOW if you want to be a big academic research pathologist or private practice pathologist. As time goes by and I talk to more and more people in the field, I am discovering that many programs tailor to one type or the other. There are BIG NIH funded programs like BWH which are have highly published faculty, less volume, and more opportunities for outside patient-care projects. Then you have BIG volume programs like Mt. Sinai with faculty known for their diagnostic skills and training of outstanding morphologists. These clinical service types of programs typically have better job placement with private practice. I think if private practice is one's goal, programs like MGH, Mt. Sinai, Northwestern, and Cleveland Clinic are the gold-standard for what one should compare to other programs. I am personally going to do away rotations at a BIG volume department and a BIG research department to get an idea of how I should be comparing all of these programs on the interview trail.

I very much agree with the above statement. Resident's need to build their own reputations when establishing themselves in their careers, but you also need a specific foundation to build from. Diagnostics vs. research? They are so different that it's pretty much impossible to be superior in both. If you know exactly what you are looking for (private vs academic), I would look for one type vs the other. If you don't know what you want to do, it's a little bit more tricky, because a well-rounded program could also be mediocre all around.

 

[Quixotic]

When does one move from junior associate to senior associate? Because the salary differences seem to be large between the two, how long will it take to move up in the ranks to a decent salary? I guess a decent salary would be at least $200, preferably $220.