2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session 2013 special election arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

i'm listening to the show, and i was outraged by  the nurse with advanced credentials (PhD) who put forth the opinion that she or an engineer or history professor should be paid as much as a physician. As she put it, she and these other professionals had equivalent advanced training and physicians shouldn't be paid any more than she was, which was considerably less. I am an internist that takes care of patients in the hospital.  

Before we start hacking the already decreasing salaries of MDs, consider that these individuals start with their nose to the competitive grindstone in highschool and keep it there through college, then through 4 years in medical school (wherein the student aquires about $120K-180K of additional debt) and then no less than 3 more years in residency.  These years are rigorous and filled with stress, sleep deprivation and generally neglect of any personal relationships.   With the changes in medicine, these days being out in practice is just a little bit better than being in residency.  That's just a description not a whine fest.

Additionally, a nurse with a PhD does not have near the medical competency ( no matter what the lay public might believe) or responsibility or LIABILITY that a physician has.  Nurses, engineers and history professors aren't taking overnight call, missing holidays and generally putting their ass on the line every single day. I doubt they accumulated the debt that physicians have. By the way, some advanced degree professions that don't involve saving lives make far more with a much better lifestyle.

The life of a clinic internist, pediatrician or family practioner is arduous and is often unsatisfying for numerous reasons and salary isn't at the top of that list.  That's why I don't do it and medical students are running the other direction from it when they think about what they're going to specialize in.   Or better yet, why do medicine at all? Anybody who is smart enough to be a doctor is smart enough to do something else that doesn't take near all the above mentioned sacrifices.   So think of that when you can't find a doctor to see you until a month out or you can't find a doctor at all.

posted 3 years, 10 months ago
view in context