yup- another salary question

[soccerstar22]

I'll be starting optometry school in the fall and had a really general question about salary ranges for different working environments. I realize that its all relative but I was curious if woking in a medical setting such as a hospital generally paid less than commercial or private. I've heard the most profitable working environment is private with 3-4 other OD's but where does a medical setting fit in? -are there any other settings I'm leaving out?

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[IndianaOD]

I'll be starting optometry school in the fall and had a really general question about salary ranges for different working environments. I realize that its all relative but I was curious if woking in a medical setting such as a hospital generally paid less than commercial or private. I've heard the most profitable working environment is private with 3-4 other OD's but where does a medical setting fit in? -are there any other settings I'm leaving out?

Practice how you want to and don't get caught up in the money differences.

 

[cityhunter]

first of salary range is huge. $40K to $120K is what you are looking at.
however, best statistically accurate guess is that you will earn about $75K. if you have good interpersonal skill you might get like $90K
if you are lucky enough to lease a busy retail store, or rent office in big box, then you could make about $100K, but realize lot of people don't make $100K even in those places. your income only relies on how many exams you do, not from selling glasses.

some people say they make about $160K in costco, but they work their ass off, and it is the most difficult place to get into!!.

but let's look at pharmacy as a comparison.

they make $55/hour($110K) in california, regardless of your interpersonal skill, right out of Pharm school. you will make about $50 bucks/hour ($100K)in metropolitan areas thoughout U.S.

heck, even nurses make about $30-40 bucks per hours as well as dental hygeinist make about $37 per hours.

Do you really want to sacrifice your 4 years and 200k to earn about 75K ?

Here's one another thing to consider. the future

AOA research reveal that ,there will be oversupply of about 6000 optometrist by the year 2017. even now, there is oversupply of 3000 optometrist. about 2030, then supply and demand will meet. look at the AOA report.
http://www.aoa.org/documents/20-20-Report/C-3 Economics Optometry 2020 8-05.pdf


on top of this, there will be 3 more optometry school will be opening, and that wasn't even taken into account, when that report was produced.
reason for 3 more school opening is that there will be more "need" not "demand" of optometrist in future due to age boomers.
but real reason is to earn money off of naive optometry students.

you might love optometry, so you invest huge money and time and sweat to enter this profession that is going to be worse due to oversupply. yes, optometry is still good, but when you hit 2017, i wish you luck.

feel free to discuss about my thoughts.

 

[eyestrain]

if you are lucky enough to lease a busy retail store, or rent office in big box, then you could make about $100K, but realize lot of people don't make $100K even in those places.

Boy, I didn't realize that you're "lucky" if you work at a big box.

 

[sportvision]

i guess they are trying to be prepared when the babyboomers hit 65. maybe they think that there's not enough opt to deal with that population.

 

[IndianaOD]

i guess they are trying to be prepared when the babyboomers hit 65. maybe they think that there's not enough opt to deal with that population.

Hate to tell you all, but most of the boomers are over 40 and already in the system.

 

[LucidEyes]

you might love optometry, so you invest huge money and time and sweat to enter this profession that is going to be worse due to oversupply. yes, optometry is still good, but when you hit 2017, i wish you luck.

feel free to discuss about my thoughts.

So what do you guys think about the dept of labor post about optometrists. They update it every year so it is current and I think it is correct with the way they portray the field. What do you think?>

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos073.htm

But in this article it also is saying, "Job prospects. Job opportunities for optometrists should be very good over the next decade. Demand is expected to be much higher, and because there are only 16 schools of optometry, the number of students who can get a degree in optometry is limited. In addition to growth, the need to replace optometrists who retire or leave the occupation for other reasons will create more employment opportunities."

Now this is different from what we are hearing now with the news of the other schools opening up. I like the fact that they are opening another school since there is one opening in my home city but I too don't want the oversupply of optometrists.
Another thing, isn't our population currently growing at a steady rate or is it just the same as it has been in the past? I would think that there are enough people out there that have the need to see an optometrist.

 

[eyestrain]

So what do you guys think about the dept of labor post about optometrists. They update it every year so it is current and I think it is correct with the way they portray the field. What do you think?>

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos073.htm

But in this article it also is saying, "Job prospects. Job opportunities for optometrists should be very good over the next decade. Demand is expected to be much higher, and because there are only 16 schools of optometry, the number of students who can get a degree in optometry is limited. In addition to growth, the need to replace optometrists who retire or leave the occupation for other reasons will create more employment opportunities."

Now this is different from what we are hearing now with the news of the other schools opening up. I like the fact that they are opening another school since there is one opening in my home city but I too don't want the oversupply of optometrists.
Another thing, isn't our population currently growing at a steady rate or is it just the same as it has been in the past? I would think that there are enough people out there that have the need to see an optometrist.

Based on that quote, me thinks they have no clue what they're talking about. They say demand will be much higher. How? Why? And "the number of students who can get a degree in optmoetry is limited" line is just stupid. Having a limited amount of seats means nothing. There are a limited amount of seats in every field of study. What really matters is if that limited amount is still too many, which most of us agree it is.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

Cityhunter, calm down. . . Most Opt. earn an average of 120k as do pharmacists. The salary is about the same for both professions. The only difference is that they take more risks as business owners and the capitalist system rewards risk.

 

[drbizzaro]

Cityhunter, calm down. . . Most Opt. earn an average of 120k as do pharmacists. The salary is about the same for both professions. The only difference is that they take more risks as business owners and the capitalist system rewards risk.

i agree with you 100%. cityhunter isn't too bright saying that the starting salary is 40K... that salary would make opt school a bad investment...

a more accurate number salary range is 65K - 120K to start, with an obvious increase if you own your own practice

 

[soccerstar22]

I appreciate all the input, but the main reason for my post was to get an idea of differences in salary between different working environments (hospital, private, corporate). Mostly im curious about the hospital setting and where it falls in relation to the others. I didnt want this to be another fight about pharmacists/optometrists, and the ever-popular discussion about the over supply of OD's.

 

[IcanSEEanOD]

.

 

[cityhunter]

Cityhunter, calm down. . . Most Opt. earn an average of 120k as do pharmacists. The salary is about the same for both professions. The only difference is that they take more risks as business owners and the capitalist system rewards risk.

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 75% 90% Hourly Wage $23.07$32.98$45.09$58.61(5)Annual Wage (2) $47,980$68,590$93,800$121,910(5)

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291041.htm

take a look at the table from Dept. of labor. 1 out 10 optometrist make $23/hour. 3 out of 10 makes $30/hour.

only 2 out of 10 optometrist makes over 120K.

range is huge. to even back up what i am talking about, let me give you a source that indicate what optometrist make in 75 metropolitan cities.

http://www.bizjournals.com/specials/pages/59.html

take a look at houston, or tucson.

avg. optometrist make $55K in houston, that's an average, that means there are optometrist who make $40K working full time. this is huge mistake in investment and time and sweat to be an optometrist.

you wanna spend 4years and 200K to earn 40K?

yes, there are about 2 out of 10 optometrists, making more than 120K. but how likely will you have that kind of chance and talent ? you have to have good location, and people skill.

on average, optometrists are offered about 75K at most of places. but that's still not good enough!! think about 4 years and 200K that you invested. nurses make 70K for god sake.

come on,, guys, open your eyes, see the reality. you guys were mislead by those Fancy AOA and CNN news.

heck , i don't even want to talk about oversupply and 3 additional school on top of 17 schools.

 

[drbizzaro]

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 75% 90% Hourly Wage $23.07$32.98$45.09$58.61(5)Annual Wage (2) $47,980$68,590$93,800$121,910(5)

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291041.htm

take a look at the table from Dept. of labor. 1 out 10 optometrist make $23/hour. 3 out of 10 makes $30/hour.

only 2 out of 10 optometrist makes over 120K.

range is huge. to even back up what i am talking about, let me give you a source that indicate what optometrist make in 75 metropolitan cities.

http://www.bizjournals.com/specials/pages/59.html

take a look at houston, or tucson.

avg. optometrist make $55K in houston, that's an average, that means there are optometrist who make $40K working full time. this is huge mistake in investment and time and sweat to be an optometrist.

you wanna spend 4years and 200K to earn 40K?

yes, there are about 2 out of 10 optometrists, making more than 120K. but how likely will you have that kind of chance and talent ? you have to have good location, and people skill.

on average, optometrists are offered about 75K at most of places. but that's still not good enough!! think about 4 years and 200K that you invested. nurses make 70K for god sake.

come on,, guys, open your eyes, see the reality. you guys were mislead by those Fancy AOA and CNN news.

heck , i don't even want to talk about oversupply and 3 additional school on top of 17 schools.

cityhunter, you make me laugh... if what you say is so true, then that means i'm making more an 80% of the optometrists out there my first year out...
and i KNOW for a fact that is not true... in fact, in my graduating class, many people make less than me but their numbers are much higher than you quote...

you obviously have a peg on your shoulder...

 

[cityhunter]

cityhunter, you make me laugh... if what you say is so true, then that means i'm making more an 80% of the optometrists out there my first year out...
and i KNOW for a fact that is not true... in fact, in my graduating class, many people make less than me but their numbers are much higher than you quote...

you obviously have a peg on your shoulder...

you mean you made more than 120K? where do you work? commericial? private? big boxes? could you be more specific?

most of new grads are offered about 75K, maybe 85K but, i hardly ever heard anything above that.

if you lease a busy retail, optometrist can make 100K, but those places are already occupied by optometrist, opportunities are rare.

In texas, optometrist make about 60K. In california, about 70K.

once again, these numbers are just depressing. nurses make 70K, pharmacist make 100K.

 

[drbizzaro]

you mean you made more than 120K? where do you work? commericial? private? big boxes? could you be more specific?

most of new grads are offered about 75K, maybe 85K but, i hardly ever heard anything above that.

if you lease a busy retail, optometrist can make 100K, but those places are already occupied by optometrist, opportunities are rare.

In texas, optometrist make about 60K. In california, about 70K.

once again, these numbers are just depressing. nurses make 70K, pharmacist make 100K.

no, i'm not going to be more specific... i'd rather not quote you my actual salary, but it's much higher than what you are posting...

also, the numbers you write are very wrong... do you actually know any working optometrists (outside of a forum)?

 

[drbizzaro]

I think you should go talk to a therapist or something. Venting on here won't do you any good. A professional may be able to help with your constant depression and anger.

i agree with you 100%... that guy is a complete joke!

 

[cityhunter]

no, i'm not going to be more specific... i'd rather not quote you my actual salary, but it's much higher than what you are posting...

also, the numbers you write are very wrong... do you actually know any working optometrists (outside of a forum)?

then will you tell us what the avg. salary for new grads are?
let me see your numbers.

 

[gochi]

I think you should go talk to a therapist or something. Venting on here won't do you any good. A professional may be able to help with your constant depression and anger.

Just because he has copied and pasted salary data, and given his opinion regarding that, does not mean he has depression or anger. This guy is actually helping the proffession of Optometry, though its not the best approach as it reaks of immorailty.

Honestly, who actually belives those salary figures ?

 

[gochi]

then will you tell us what the avg. salary for new grads are?
let me see your numbers.

I was browsing UIW's optometry page and it stated that new grads can expect to make 250k right out of school, or somewhere in that high range. But for some reason, that figure is not there anymore. Must have been BS, just like AOA's survey.

 

[cityhunter]

no, i'm not going to be more specific... i'd rather not quote you my actual salary, but it's much higher than what you are posting...

also, the numbers you write are very wrong... do you actually know any working optometrists (outside of a forum)?

What is the average optometrist salary?

It’s a really wide range, depending on how many days a week you’re working. The average optometrist salary can range from $100,000 to $500,000. It’s probably more in the west, but for someone starting off, the average salary is $100,000 to $200,000. In private practice, the average salary depends upon whether you’re opening cold or buying a practice. Most optometrists want to buy someone’s practice so they can start out with a patient base, unless you’re in area that is needy, I suppose you can send out flyers, you would see that mostly outside cities.

this article is in link below:
http://blogs.payscale.com/salarystories/2006/12/average_salary__2.html

he said, optometrist makes 100K to 500K, and starting salary is 100K to 200K. who is more nut? is it me or him?

once again, in my research,75K is what new grads make. about 85K is avg. for all optometrist.

if you have different number or thought .. bring it up!!!.. i am the guy who wants to spread the truth. optometry is for students misleaded by articles such as above.

in fact, i am gonna sue his ass.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

What is the average optometrist salary?

It’s a really wide range, depending on how many days a week you’re working. The average optometrist salary can range from $100,000 to $500,000. It’s probably more in the west, but for someone starting off, the average salary is $100,000 to $200,000. In private practice, the average salary depends upon whether you’re opening cold or buying a practice. Most optometrists want to buy someone’s practice so they can start out with a patient base, unless you’re in area that is needy, I suppose you can send out flyers, you would see that mostly outside cities.

this article is in link below:
http://blogs.payscale.com/salarystories/2006/12/average_salary__2.html

he said, optometrist makes 100K to 500K, and starting salary is 100K to 200K. who is more nut? is it me or him?

once again, in my research,75K is what new grads make. about 85K is avg. for all optometrist.

if you have different number or thought .. bring it up!!!.. i am the guy who wants to spread the truth. optometry is for students misleaded by articles such as above.

in fact, i am gonna sue his ass.

Just enter salary.com cityhunter, and enter your zip code. Salary.com is recognized by most sites as a reference (Msn.com, CNN money, employers). You can also take into account of taxes, medicaid, social security, etc to see what your paycheck looks like.