Anonymous wrote:Picking a specialty based on the salary is really dumb. Your friend should choose a specialty he/she enjoys. If I actually liked every single one of those specialties, I would do GI. Lots of procedures, not a lot of emergencies which would require you to rush to the hospital while on call. Ortho wouldn't be bad either... our ortho docs always tell us to transfer ortho cases which need surgery in the middle of the night so that they don't have to come in.

Do your ortho docs and your hospital understand that transfer for the convenience of the consulting physician is an possible EMTALA violation? It would be less risky for them to simply NOT be on call from 12am-6am or such. The risk is that you have on call ortho so you can provide the service yet you transfer... It's a bad deal.

Why isn't your friend on a forum like student doctor network, asking for herself?

I recommend most young students to go to PA school these days. You can work 35-40
Hours a week in any specialty you like for 90-220k, depending on field and experience. Mid levels are on the rise. I discourage doing the NP route due to more limited training/schooling, while being slotted in only one specialty. NP also has lower pay. Nurse anesthetist have been historical exceptions in pay due to a recent shortage in the last decade, but the market is going the way of law - finding a nurse anesthetist job in NOVA is almost impossible these days, and the pay is almost at icu nursing levels.

PP above here.

Doctor salaries at this level are numbered. Academics are much much lower. Spine surgeons make this money working 50 hours a week, but can bill for separate levels. Once Medicare changes that, they will fall deeply.

I recommend medicine only if one can go into a cash-based specialty such as family medicine, dermatology, or plastics. Maybe reproductive endocrinology/infertility.

Anonymous wrote:What are doctors making in this area now? I'm trying to help a family friend choose a specialty.

Gastroenterology
Orthopedic Surgeons
OBGYNs
Cardiologists
Family Practice

All numbers are 1099 unless specified

GI 500-800k, 1 mil + if super busy
Ortho - depends on sub speciality, spine is 2-3 mil, most others 500-1 mil
Obgyn - 225-250 general (w2), rei/mfm 350-600k (w2)
Cardiologists - now mostly hospital employed. Non interventional on low end. 250-500k (w2), EP makes 750k
Fam practice - 150-250k w2

Docs make less in DC area than other places but the top is for high end nova hospitals (fair fax)

Anesthesiologist 400k, 8 weeks vacation

Anonymous wrote:My anesthesiologist friend gets 12 weeks of vacation and he makes lots of money. He also only works his scheduled hours.

Where the heck does this person work?

My anesthesiologist friend gets 12 weeks of vacation and he makes lots of money. He also only works his scheduled hours.

Anonymous wrote:Picking a specialty based on the salary is really dumb. Your friend should choose a specialty he/she enjoys. If I actually liked every single one of those specialties, I would do GI. Lots of procedures, not a lot of emergencies which would require you to rush to the hospital while on call. Ortho wouldn't be bad either... our ortho docs always tell us to transfer ortho cases which need surgery in the middle of the night so that they don't have to come in.

Know someone who chose a specialty based on QOL. But the person is robot-like and would learn to like and do anything so it didn't really matter whether there was an real interest.

Your friend has NO judgment to have asked you, and you don't have one either, to be asking on this anonymous board. I hope I never run into your friend as my doctor.

Picking a specialty based on the salary is really dumb. Your friend should choose a specialty he/she enjoys. If I actually liked every single one of those specialties, I would do GI. Lots of procedures, not a lot of emergencies which would require you to rush to the hospital while on call. Ortho wouldn't be bad either... our ortho docs always tell us to transfer ortho cases which need surgery in the middle of the night so that they don't have to come in.

Oh dear. I have one in the family. $300,000. ENT. But works 10-11 hour days plus additional hours at night doing electronic medical record documentation.

tell your friend to buy the mgma survey. if she really is in med school, she'll know what that is.

OP here. Thanks for the ROAD reference. I'll let her know/.

A friend works in geriatrics and is nearly at 200K. A new eye dr I know makes much less, maybe not even 100K yet.