Question by ronaldo20: what is with misconceptions about doctors?
i just read a NYTimes article about how doctors are overpaid, and was repulsed. Doctors have to spend a decade of there life to earn their degree, and it is arguably the hardest field to get through.
PLUS, the average doctor has 200K in debt from med school. They work typically 60+ hours a week compared and have earned every cent they make. politicians advocated cuts in salary and bullshit insurance companies are manipulative jerks who do not know the half of it. if anything, its the insurance companies who are crooks.
anyone feel me?
See answers below. Add your own as well
My best friend just began her residency. She has $ 250,000 in debt and will be completing her residency and a fellowship in internal med over the next 7 years…she will be about 37 years old before she gets a “real” job. I can’t imagine owing that much money and not even owning a home. One of my former roommates had a brother who was completing his residency in emergency med. We calculated out that between his yearly salary and the amount of hours he was required to work, he average about $ 1.25 per hour.
Once a physician completes their residency and become an attending they can start earning some “real” money…but in the meantime, the rest of the working world has had about a 10-15 year head start to start building a life, buying a house, supporting a family, etc. Furthermore, the rising cost of malpractice insurance (what is it in my state now…$ 10,000 a year?) further cuts into their salary.
Most people think that their physician gets the bulk of the fee that they charge…nothing could be further from the truth…after medicare schedule fees, insurance “allowables” and paying their own staff, they are lucky to take home a very small percentage.
I am with you
I agree the schooling is long and expensive. The hours they work can be grueling. But some get a God complex and are more worried about what the insurance company is going to pay then then whether or not they are going to help a patient. I have a chronic illness and have experienced this first hand. And I have met many doctors with my being an EMT. I also get upset when doctors are like this – I never complained about a patient regardless of what hour I had to leave my house regardless of what their dilemma was because it was my job, sick people are my business ! This was as a volunteer EMT and a paid EMT. I do have to say in my years a have met a handful of ER doctors who loved their jobs and will never become rich…….
I’m with you, I think they deserve everything they get and more. The problem is people see the high cost of health care and the cost they see is associated usually with a doctor visit. They don’t factor in all the overhead. They don’t have a problem paying their accountant or lawyer big money but feel doctors should be working out of the kindness of their hearts because it is a humanitarian profession. By the way, it is unbelievable how many Medicaid pts there are and how often they go to the doctor as compared to people that have private insurance and have to pay a copay or pay out of pocket.