General practitioners make something like 150k on average in the US. Specialists tend to make a lot more (upwards of double) and also tend to skew perceptions of doctors’ pay.
You could argue specialists should make less but considering how long it takes to become a doctor, how much work it takes to get there, how long you’re putting off real earning potential, school debt, etc., I do not consider 150k overpaid.
From a more practical angle, I don’t know how you could possibly find more doctors by lowering their earning potential.
They can make a lot more than 250K in less attractive places as well. But I believe the current cohorts of med students are more 'worldly' and in it for the money than in the past. They'll take getting paid 100K less so they can stay in a nice city and take another 50K less to work part time.
estearum · · focus · HN ↗
There's no solution other than training a lot, lot, lot, lot more doctors.
Their salaries need to be lower, training needs to be cheaper and faster, and we need a lot more of them.
Forgeties79 · · focus · HN ↗
You could argue specialists should make less but considering how long it takes to become a doctor, how much work it takes to get there, how long you’re putting off real earning potential, school debt, etc., I do not consider 150k overpaid.
From a more practical angle, I don’t know how you could possibly find more doctors by lowering their earning potential.
Calavar · · focus · HN ↗
boelboel · · focus · HN ↗