would you take it?

[urge]

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If you were offered a faculty position at MGH, Brigham, UCSF, or another top program, would you take it? What if the pay is 160-180? Is having that on your CV worth 100k/year?

 

[bubalus]

What are your goals, and what do you value?

Do you want your ego stroked by saying you're a doctor at MGH?
Do you want to make $$$$$?
Do you want to be a department chair?
Do you want to do some anesthesia, take a lot of vacation, and have a great lifestyle?
Do you want to live in those cities?

These are not all mutually exclusive. It may be possible to work at MGH and have a great lifestyle. The bottom line is only you can answer those questions.

Personally, I'm not too terribly interested in living in those cities, especially for that kind of salary. There are quite a few places I'd prefer to live, and they happen to pay better and give more vacation. May not have the prestige, but I can't take prestige to the bank.

 

[epidural man]

What are your goals, and what do you value?

Do you want your ego stroked by saying you're a doctor at MGH?
Do you want to make $$$$$?
Do you want to be a department chair?
Do you want to do some anesthesia, take a lot of vacation, and have a great lifestyle?
Do you want to live in those cities?

These are not all mutually exclusive. It may be possible to work at MGH and have a great lifestyle. The bottom line is only you can answer those questions.

Personally, I'm not too terribly interested in living in those cities, especially for that kind of salary. There are quite a few places I'd prefer to live, and they happen to pay better and give more vacation. May not have the prestige, but I can't take prestige to the bank.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think any academic institution is hard to get a job at. Mostly because talent hemorrhages out of those departments.

 

[Tenesma]

lifestyle as an attending at MGH isn't necessarily all that easy - pretty busy and as a junior faculty you kinda get dumped in horrible spots (like doing Embolizations all day, etc...)

the pay also doesn't make up for how expensive it is to live in Boston - they do have an excellent benefit package however.

only do it if you want to do research...

or do it for a few years for the name and then become chairman at some crap program somewhere and make bigger bucks

 

[Lonestar]

yeah, our current chairman fits that mold. The harvard name goes far irrespective of personality.

 

[Coastie]

For year or two, sure.

If you were offered a faculty position at MGH, Brigham, UCSF, or another top program, would you take it? What if the pay is 160-180? Is having that on your CV worth 100k/year?

 

[fakin' the funk]

What if the pay is 160-180?

...umm that's not how little the pay is in academia...is it?

 

[toughlife]

...umm that's not how little the pay is in academia...is it?

yup. Know of a program in the west coast that was paying their attendings 130K a year which could be increased to 170s if they took liver call.

 

[Trisomy13]

...umm that's not how little the pay is in academia...is it?

depends on the location. some university programs pay about twice that, closer to private practice.

 

[Masseter Spasm]

I agree academic pay is quite variable. I have heard of places that pay in the low 100,000 range for starting faculty. Others will hire at close to market price for private practice. I think it all depends on what you have to offer. Having pain, pediatric, cardiac, or regional expertise (fellowship training) can increase your worth to an instituition deficient in these areas. Some academic organizations even have bonus structures based on clinical productivity.

Not everyone in private practice starts out earning "mega" money. The salaries you envision in private practice may be those of partners in the group and not the "newbies".

Also consider the value of taking call. Many academic groups may have call "auctions." What this means is that there are expectations that everyone takes a similar amount of call. Older anesthesiologists may no longer want that Saturday night call in the urban trauma center and "give" their call away. Junior faculty members might take these calls, seeing this as an opportunity to earn extra money and enhance their base salary.

In the end, however, you must ask yourself how you want to spend your time. I believe that your own time is the most valuable commodity you own.