Why is there such a massive gap in salaries?

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hypertrophy95

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I checked on salary.com and there is approximately a $150k annual gap in median salaries between anesthesiologists and neurologists/internalmeds. Why is it that some specialties make so much less than others? Pl0x and thank you

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One sits in an office all day in a low acuity low stress environment, the other is providing intra op critical care management in a high acuity high stress environment, facilitating the hospitals money making machine.
I don't think we get paid enough.
 
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I am all about trying to let PCPs "get theirs", but with that said, there is a good-sized weight on being the specialist the keeps the patient alive during surgery. As was mentioned above, it's high acuity, high stress, and at times, high risk. There's a premium for that.
 
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The short version of a long, complicated and slightly irrational answer is procedures, call and acuity.

The clinic specialties don't take any or don't take much call, and are compensated less.

Procedural specialties pay better than exclusively cerebral specialties. Maybe they shouldn't, maybe they should, but they do.

Acuity matters. It's really hard to kill someone in a clinic. It's really easy to kill someone in the OR or with anesthetics (see Michael Jackson or Joan Rivers). That comes with stress and in our society, stress comes with money.

At least that's my current theory.

Edit: I was typing on my phone when the other responses above showed up. Apparently we agree here.
 
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