The salary issue is difficult to discuss without getting people angry… but I realized the other day that if you look at the reimbursement of physicians by the state or Federal government– Medicaid or Medicare– that physicians are paid less than teachers on an hourly basis. In fact, it isn’t even close, if you take into account fringe benefits. Yes, the government assumes that doctors will make up the difference by what they charge other patients– those not covered by Medicare or Medicaid. But as more people are on public assistance, and as the state and feds scramble to find doctors to treat people covered by those programs, they should at some point recognize the fact. I come from a family of teachers– my mother, sister, brother, sister in law, and others– so I’m not trying to pick a fight– but rather, only to point out the way things are. I’m using numbers from the State of WI web sites, showing a total average compensation for teachers ranging from $70,000 to over $100,000 dollars per year, depending on the district, and dividing by the number of school days times an 8-hr day. Both professions involve continuing education and working after hours– so I consider that part of the equation to be moot. One profession requires 4 years of college; the other requires 4 years college, 4 years med school, and 4 years residency.

I teach medical students in Milwaukee each week, and know that many will face debt well over $100,000 upon graduating. I see the pressure they face to enter the fields that guarantee a high income– like orthopedics, radiology, or ENT surgery– and worry about the future of psychiatry.

But i’ve heard many private practice psychiatrists mostly operate on a “cash only” basis so thats reassuring. Though, I equally love the challenge of business/marketing, and with the technology in years to come, I’m sure i’ll be able to run a practice that fulfills my financial hopes, but also abides to the philosophy of this post and serves a great deal of of the community by making it more cost effective for them.

Anyway, great post, will come back to read more!

Chris

I believe that your services are worth what you charge and I have all the respect for the years and effort you put into it; the general public is incredibly unfair when they talk about physician salaries. I just can’t pay it.

This is the 1st article/post that I’ve read in about 1.5 years on this subject that fits my feelings and experiences with emotions, counselling and psychiatry to the T. I discovered your website from this post on PsychCentral, and will happily continue following the rest of your post on both sites. I would love to get in touch with you some day to share perspectives. Please keep sharing, if I lived in the States I would love to have you as my Psychiatrist. Good luck on your practice, model and please continue furthering the field in a positive direction!

Cheers,
Jacek Mokrzec