Monthly Archive: April 2012

Best Books for Medical School: Fourth Year

Categories:

Fourth Year, Books, Choosing a Specialty

April 27, 2012

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This list is part of a series of articles about the best books for medical students. Click on the Med School Books Main Page to see other lists including the best books for each year in medical school, the best books for each clinical rotation, and the best books for USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3. 

Look, I get it. You are a fourth year student now and you are tired of reading textbooks. Let me suggest just a few books that every fourth year should read.  Remember, you are about to apply for, interview for, and rank your prospective residency programs: i.e. the most important training step in your career.  Once those interview are over, kick back with a Frommer's Travel Guide and watch "Like an M4".  Live it up while you can.

  • Updated April 2015

First Aid for the Match:

The 'First Aid' series is usually at the top of my lists they again deserve that honor for 4th year students. First Aid for the Match is a must read for anyone preparing your residency application, going on interviews, ranking programs, and getting ready for the match. You really need to know how it all works or you might hurt your chances of matching. Read this book.

The Successful Match:

This book is written in a 'Self-Help' format but contains loads of great information. It is highly recommended by nearly all of its readers and is ranked on the top of most "How To Match" resource lists. You aren't doing much else this year!  Read it and you will not be disappointed.

The Residency Interview: How to Make the Best Possible Impression:

Dr. Freeman's book is well known to many 4th year medical students. She has a wise and logical approach to making a good impression. The truth is, most of us are not actually very good at putting our best foot forward. Take some time (something you don't lack during the 4th year!) and read through this book. At the very least, it will help you enter your interviews with more confidence.

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty:

Are you a fourth year and still undecided?  I know the feeling; it is terrible. Along with the Careers in Medicine website, this book was very helpful and influential in my decision making process. It helps readers decide what is most important to them and helps delineate what makes different specialties unique.

Pocket Medicine:

If you have not already purchased this resource (or a similar one that fits in your white coat) you really ought to find one.  During your sub-internship months you will all of the sudden have some real responsibility and you will need to look up vital information on the fly. Pocket Medicine is a great resource to quickly read about the next admission you are picking up so you can prepare yourself.
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Top Ten Books for Third Year Medical Students

Categories:

Third Year, Books, Emergency Medicine Rotation, Family Medicine Rotation, General Surgery Rotation, Internal Medicine Rotation, Neurology Rotation, OB/GYN Rotation, Pediatrics Rotation, Psychiatry Rotation

April 27, 2012

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This list is part of a series of articles about the best books for medical students. Click on the Med School Books Main Page to see other lists including the best books for each year in medical school, the best books for each clinical rotation, and the best books for USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3. 

Choosing a top ten list for the third year of medical school was a lesson for me in biting off more than one can chew. I will soon be compiling top ten lists for each of the core rotations in medical school, which will be a more manageable list. However, there are common themes during this very important year of training, and you will be testing the waters of many potential future specialties. I think these books will help with these endevours. 

  • Updated April 2015

1. First Aid for the Wards:

Beginning the third year of medical school is a daunting task. I shook like a little kid the first time I had to present on rounds. In retrospect, I wish I had read this book before I ever started third year. It provides great advice about prerounding, rounding, presenting patients, and working with your clinical team. It also gives rotation specific advice for each of the main third year clinical clerkships.

2. Pocket Medicine:

I consider pocket medicine a must-have for all students and residents. I used it during medical school and am still using it in residency. It highlights all the most common clinical illnesses and presentations. For each illness it describes the clinical presentation, signs and symptoms, diagnostic tools, and treatment plan.

3. Maxwell Quick Medical Reference:

A small book with a big role. Nearly every medical student I know carries this book in their white coat. It contains clinical pearls and references that are very high yield. Additionally, it contains sample notes (progress, transfer, procedure, admission, etc).  It is about the best $10 you can spend.

4. Case Files:

The Case Files Series (Amazon link) is my favorite clerkship study series. Similar to the Pretest Series (#5) and the Blueprint Series (#6), Case Files publishes one book for each medical student clerkship. The book teaches principles through a series of 50-60 cases.  After each case is presented, the relevant clinical teaching points are discussed and followed with a series of questions. For my style of learning, this was the ultimate study tool during third year. I particularly recommend Case Files Neurology and Case Files Family Medicine. .

5. PreTest:

Another series of books for each medical student rotation, the PreTest Series (Amazon Link) are simply question banks in print form. Their questions are very good and hit on relevant material. Although I prefer USMLEworld as a straight question bank tool, the Pretest books allow you to always have questions at your side for bus rides, downtime at the hospital, etc. Along with many medical students, I particularly recommend PreTest Pediatrics, which was eerily similar to the shelf exam.

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6. BluePrints:

The BluePrints Series is a third series with one book for each medical school clerkship. Unlike the case-based presentation of Case Files and the q-bank format of PreTest, the Blueprints series are more like textbooks. They aim to teach the most pertinent clinical facts without becoming too dense. Each book is about 300 pages and contains a wealth of information…if you can get through it. Blueprints Obstetrics and Gynecology is widely considered the most useful; I used it and did very well on the shelf.

7. Surgical Recall:

If you are interested in surgery or just interested in obtaining a good grade in your surgery rotation, you need to know what is going on in the OR. Surgical Recall provides step-by-step details of surgical procedures including surgical indications, pre-operative management, intra-operative management including a walk-through of the surgery, and post-op management. It will really help you shine in the OR.

8. First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK:

Yes, you will probably find a 'First Aid' book in each of my Top Ten book lists. This is because I have found them to be the best tool at solidifying the most important points of each phase of medical school. During third year the First Aid for Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge) was a great way to make sure I knew the most important facts. It is certainly not sufficient to study alone.

9. Dr. Pestana's Surgery Notes:

Dr. Pestana's notes are an absolutely necessary resource for students on the Surgery rotation. The notes provide real-world examples that combine pathophysiology with surgical patients. Complications, surgical decision making, and post-operative care are all addressed. I was shocked at how high yield these notes were when I took the shelf exam.

10. Step-Up to Medicine:

You will also find this book at the top of my list for the the internal medicine rotation. However, it is so good that I thought I should mention it here too. The book comes highly recommended by nearly every student that has ever used it. It will give you a great base to study from and find out what you need to study more.

 
Honorable Mention:
  1. I can not create a list of study tools for third year medical students without mentioning USMLEworld.  After using many Q-banks, many question books, and other resources, I have concluded that USMLEworld provides questions most consistently similar to the real shelf exams and boards as well as provided the clearest explanations.
  2. Success on the Wards: 250 Rules for Clerkship Success is a highly rated book for third year students
  3. 250 Biggest Mistakes 3rd Year Medical Students Make and How to Avoid Them is written as the same authors as "Success on the Wards" and also comes highly recommended.
  4. The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty. Really, this books should be in the Top Ten.  I left it off because it is not specifically for third year medical students. However, it is one of the best resources available for deciding what is important to you in a specialty, and comparing variables across all medical specialties. I highly recommend it.
 
 
 

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Top Ten Books for Second Year Medical Students

Categories:

Preclinical Years, Books, Step 1

April 26, 2012

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This list is part of a series of articles about the best books for medical students. Click on the Med School Books Main Page to see other lists including the best books for each year in medical school, the best books for each clinical rotation, and the best books for USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3. 

Organ systems will be the focus of most medical students during their second year of medical school. My Top Ten list for second year students follows this trend. In addition, it is never too early to start focusing your studying toward the USMLE Step 1, so a number of my suggests reflect this. For real Gunners who want to have Step 1 review materials during the entire second year, I recommend the Kaplan’s USMLE® Step 1 Lecture Notes 2015. As I have said in other posts, I am a fan of the Kaplan books. I am not paid by them, I just think they have a good product. Good Luck.

  • Updated April 2015

1. First Aid for the Basic Sciences, Organ Systems:

Organ Systems is similar to the First Aid book tailored for first year medical students, First Aid for the Basic Sciences, General Principles. The book is broad review of the systems based courses most often encountered during the second year of medical school. Some schools utilize a completely organ based system and this book might be useful during the first year as well. The First Aid series is a fantastic review tool and something to help drive home the most important points for your tests and for Step 1, but the First Aid series is never sufficient and should be supplemented with other materials. You can get a $40 discount if you buy both the Organ System books together on Amazon. Click Here: First Aid Basic Sciences (VALUE PACK)

2. Pharmcards:

Not only will these save you hours of time you would spend making your own flashcards, they have all the information you need for your first two years and Step 1. I used the Pharmcards brand (link to the right), however many students have told me great things about the competitor, Lange Pharmacology Flash Cards.

3. Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple:

A medical student favorite. Nearly everyone uses this book, and for good reason. It makes the 'bugs and drugs' months of med school much more concise and tolerable. It is also great preparation for Step 1.

4. Rapid Interpretation of EKGs:

A must for learning EKG and for reviewing EKG interpretation later in your schooling and career. I learned EKGs first with this book and I still use it for reference during residency. Great book.

5. High Yield Neuroanatomy:

One of the best of the fantastic High Yield Series (Amazon link). I also highly recommend High Yield Embryology, Immunology, and Biostatistics for second year students. Each is rated very well by students.

6. BRS Pathology (or Goljan Rapid Review Pathology):

You will benefit from a basic pathology book during your second year. Use it to get a broad understanding of each subject at the beginning and end of each class you take. I prefer the BRS book, but many students prefer the Goljan Pathology book.  Later in this list I will suggest a full path textbook, but this is more for reference than studying.

7. Lippincott's Microcards:

Like the Pharmcards discussed above, I found these flashcards to be high yield and very efficient. You will save time by not making your own flashcards and they have all the necessary information.

8. First Aid for Step 1:

You should buy this book early in medical school and make it your regular study companion. They publish a new version each year, it is probably not a bad idea to get one edition early and another one to study with for Step 1. Remember, your first two years are there to prepare you for Step 1.

9. Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease:

Large pathology texts can be dense, but they can be fantastic reference material. I have many times used this book when I have tried to learn a new concept or disease pathophysiology. The Robbins text is well written and easy to understand. It has always had the answer I was looking for.

10. BRS Physiology:

I like the BRS series. I did not learn about them until I began studying for boards. I wished I had bought them earlier because they are a great way to get a broad picture of organ systems and can really help put everything together.  My knowledge of physiology and pathology were much more clear after reading the BRS books.

 

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Physician Satisfaction by Specialty

Categories:

Choosing a Specialty, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Radiology, Urology

April 26, 2012

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The most recent installment of the Medscape Physician Compensation Report was recently published. Along with some of the best information on the web about physician salaries by specialty, the new Medscape report also reports which specialties are the most satisfied with their jobs (click here to view the entire Medscape Report). The results may surprise you. There is no correlation with salary and satisfaction.  The highest paid specialties (orthopedics and anesthesia for example) are found in the middle of the list while pediatrics, ID/HIV, and pathology are all found at the top of the list.  Interestingly, plastic surgery is–by far–the least satisfying specialty. So, the most competitive specialty is by far the least satisfying…that’s odd!

 

From the 2012 Medscape Compensation Report

 

My conclusions from the Physician Satisfaction Survey:

  1. The age old adage is correct: Money does NOT buy happiness.
  2. Just because a specialty is desirable to match into does not mean it is desirable to practice in [plastics].
  3. I can find only one thing that links the most satisfying specialties: LIFESTYLE.  If you look at dermatology, psychiatry, emergency medicine, infectious disease, pathology, and ophthalmology they have a great lifestyle in common. They all have minimal call, good salary (but they are not the big earners), and few emergencies.  They all lend themselves well to family, recreation, and other hobbies outside of medicine.

 

My unsolicited advice:

  • I am sure there are my internists and plastic surgeons who are very satisfied with their jobs. I would bet that they knew exactly what there were getting into before they choose their specialty. Satisfaction in the workplace has lots to do with managing your expectations (and the expectations of your family and friends!)  If you really love some of the specialties that do not have the best lifestyle, that is great, just make sure you know that this will be an issue before you go into he specialty. Once you have made that decision, you will not be shocked (and neither will your family/friends) when you work a lot more than those around you.

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Allied Health Salaries

Categories:

General, Choosing a Specialty, Compensation, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics

April 25, 2012

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The new Medscape Physician Compensation Report identified internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics as the lowest earners in medicine (each with an average of less than $165,000 per year).  I wanted to compare these results to the updated information from the Cejka Search group who publish data on the salaries of allied health professionals. The Cejka Database is the best place I have found for reliable information about the salaries of allied health practitioners. The list of allied health workers is long and includes:

  • Nurse Practitioners (NP)
  • Certified Nurse Aneasthatists (CRNA)
  • Physicians Assistant (PA)
  • Podiatrist (DPM)
  • Occupational Therapist (OT)
  • Physical Therapist (PT)
  • Optomotrist (OD)
  • Psychologist (PhD)
  • Dentist (DMD or DDS)
  • Midwife

Cejka reports the following salary information for these allied health professionals.  As you can see, CRNAs and Dentists earn more money than our country’s primary care physicians (pediatricians, family physicians, general internists).  This is just the yearly salary information, not taking into account the number of hours worked. Very few allied health professionals work the average hours per week worked by primary care physicians in the US (60 hours is a very conservative estimate for our PCPs). This means the dollars per hour is vastly different between some allied health practitioners and our primary care doctors. How do you feel about this?

From Cejka Search

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The Most Recruited Medical Specialties

Categories:

Residency, Choosing a Specialty, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Radiology, The Match, Urology

April 25, 2012

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Now that I am in the first year of residency I am beginning to think about landing that first real job.  As a Transitional Year resident I am heavily involved with the Internal Medicine residents at my hospital.  I found out very quickly that these internal medicine residents are HIGHLY sought after. In fact, many of them receive job offers on a weekly, or even daily basis.  The jobs that are in highest demand for internists are outpatient primary care and inpatient hospitality.  Many of my senior residents are being offered salaries between $200,000 and $300,000 along with many benefits including loan repayment. There are even some offers higher than $300,000 for less desirable locations! This is in a stark contrast to the ophthalmology job market that I will face, where starting salaries are low and it is terribly difficult to get your foot in the door.

Recently, I came across the Merritt Hawkins database.  Merritt Hawkins obtains information about starting salaries and benefits for newly graduated residents. I speak about their great physician salary database in my Ultimate Guide to Physician Salaries. However, their database also contains a list of the 20 most recruited specialties in medicine. The list may shock you!  The ability to find a well paying job right out of residency is NOT AT ALL correlated with the competitiveness of the specialty.  Case in point: family physicians and general internists are the two most highly recruited specialists in medicine!

From Merritt Hawkins

 

This list represents the Top 20 most ‘requested physician searches by medical specialty.’ The numbers represent the number of times Merritt Hawkins was used to recruit a person from the respective specialties (Merritt Hawkins full PDF including physician compensation data is available here for free). So, when you are deciding on a specialty, don’t forget that competitive does not equal good job placement.  In fact, many of the least competitive specialties are very high on this list (pediatrics, psychiatry, family medicine)

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The Ultimate Guide to Physician Salaries

Categories:

Choosing a Specialty, Compensation, Financial, Specialties, eResources

April 25, 2012

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In light of the new Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2012 that was just released, I thought it was time to compile all the data on physician salaries into one place. There are many resources online that report average physician salaries, and many of them offer very different results. I recently wrote an article detailing the pros and the cons many of these online physician salary and compensation databases.  However, it can be a bit tedious to go through all the work of visiting each website to compare results.  So, I have done all the work for you. In this article I will present the physician salary by specialty data from all the reliable and relevant online physician salary databases.  Feel free to compare and contrast the information presented by each different company.

Medscape Physician Compensation Report

In my opinion, the Medscape average physician salary report is the most reliable data on the internet. It represents more than 20,000 physician surveys answered by doctors in every specialty in every part of the country. See my article about the 2012 Medscape report to learn about all the great information they report in their results.

 

Careers In Medicine: Specialty Pages

Careers in Medicine (CiM) is a great resource for medical students and medical residents (link to my previous article about Careers in medicine). One of the greatest tools it provides is a list of salary information for each specialty.  Careers in Medicine separates the compensation information using two very important distinctions: academic vs. private practice and starting salaries vs. established salaries.  CiM obtains the academic salary information from the Association of American Medical Colleges AAMC Report on Medical School Faculty Salaries. The data about private practice salaries comes from the MGMA Physician Compensation Survey.  Below, I have compiled a table of the salaries reported for each specialty. (Click here to download the formatted table) On the CiM website you can also see salary data for every sub-specialty; this is especially important for internal medicine, pediatrics, and general surgery where the sub-specialty choice results in very different salaries.

Compiled from the Careers in Medicine website, AAMC

 

Allied Physicians: Old Salary Survey

Many students use the alliedphysicians.com resource to learn about physician salaries by specialty. However, you should know that it has not been updated since 2006, so the information is likely a bit off now but the trends are still the same.

From alliedphysicians.com

 

Cejka Search

The Cejka Search Group is a great resource for salary information but also for job openings and employment information. Their physician salary survey is up-to-date and updated frequently. They freely publish their salary information in order to advertise the many physician job openings they have available.

Physician Specialty

Median Physician Compensation Data
Allergy & Immunology

$249,674
Anesthesiology

$370,500
Cardiac & Thoracic Surgery

$533,084
Cardiology

$402,000
Colon & Rectal Surgery

$394,723
Critical Care Medicine

$264,750
Dermatology

$375,176
Diagnostic Radiology – Interventional

$478,000
Diagnostic Radiology – Non-Interventional

$454,205
Emergency Care

$267,293
Endocrinology

$218,855
Family Medicine

$208,861
Family Medicine – with Obstetrics

$209,565
Gastroenterology

$405,000
General Surgery

$357,091
Geriatrics

$187,602
Gynecological Oncology

$413,500
Gynecology

$232,075
Gynecology & Obstetrics

$275,152
Hematology & Medical Oncology

$320,907
Hospitalist

$215,716
Hypertension & Nephrology

$259,677
Infectious Disease

$227,750
Intensivist

$313,152
Internal Medicine

$214,307
Neonatology

$280,771
Neurological Surgery

$592,811
Neurology

$236,500
Nuclear Medicine (M.D. only)

$331,000
Obstetrics

$275,152
Occupational / Environmental Medicine

$223,750
Ophthalmology

$238,200
Oral Surgery

$380,500
Orthopedic Surgery

$500,672
Orthopedic Surgery – Hand

$476,039
Orthopedic Surgery – Joint Replacement

$605,953
Orthopedic Surgery – Pediatrics

$425,000
Orthopedic Surgery – Spine

$688,503
Orthopedic-Medical

$297,348
Otolaryngology

$368,777
Pathology (M.D. only)

$354,750
Pediatric Allergy

$198,458
Pediatric Cardiology

$233,958
Pediatric Endocrinology

$187,957
Pediatric Gastroenterology

$240,895
Pediatric Hematology / Oncology

$212,577
Pediatric Infectious Disease

$209,680
Pediatric Intensive Care

$272,000
Pediatric Nephrology

$198,686
Pediatric Neurology

$219,561
Pediatric Pulmonary Disease

$201,841
Pediatric Surgery

$419,783
Pediatrics & Adolescent

$209,873
Perinatology

$394,121
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

$237,628
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

$390,142
Psychiatry

$214,740
Psychiatry – Child

$216,360
Pulmonary Disease

$306,829
Radiation Therapy (M.D. only)

$447,250
Reproductive Endocrinology

$317,312
Rheumatologic Disease

$224,000
Sports Medicine

$231,540
Transplant Surgery – Kidney

$365,125
Transplant Surgery – Liver

$454,287
Trauma Surgery

$424,555
Urgent Care

$222,920
Urology

$413,941
Vascular Surgery

$413,629

Profiles Database Physician Salary Data

Profilesdatabase.com is another online physician recruitment company. They also publish their physician salary data freely in order to publicize their many job openings. Like the Cejka Search, these numbers are updated frequently and seem to be very reliable.

Specialty

National Average, Six Years in Practice

Median Starting Range
Allergy & Immunology

$246,000.00

$190,000.00
Anesthesiology

$360,000.00

$265,000.00
Cardiac & Thoracic Surgery

$522,875.00

$360,000.00
Cardiology

$402,000.00

$272,000.00
Colon& Rectal Surgery

$389,700.00

$290,000.00
Critical Care Medicine

$258,750.00

$198,000.00
Dermatology

$365,450.00

$234,000.00
Diagnostic Radiology – Interventional

$469,800.00

$335,000.00
Diagnostic Radiology – Non-Interventional

$444,850.00

$330,000.00
Endocrinology

$214,550.00

$165,000.00
Family Medicine

$199,850.00

$138,000.00
Family Medicine – with Obstetrics

$207,900.00

$142,000.00
Gastroenterology

$398,800.00

$272,000.00
General Surgery

$350,000.00

$225,000.00
Gynecological Oncology

$402,000.00

$300,000.00
Gynecology

$233,000.00

$210,000.00
Gynecology & Obstetrics

$279,750.00

$200,000.00
Hematology & Medical Oncology

$314,800.00

$222,000.00
Hospitalist

$210,950.00

$165,000.00
Nephrology

$252,000.00

$180,000.00
Infectious Disease

$225,000.00

$158,000.00
Internal Medicine

$208,790.00

$145,000.00
Neonatology

$275,400.00

$196,000.00
Neurological Surgery

$589,500.00

$395,000.00
Neurology

$237,000.00

$190,000.00
Ophthalmology

$248,000.00

$210,000.00
Orthopedic Surgery

$485,500.00

$315,000.00
Orthopedic Surgery – Pediatrics

$395,420.00

$318,000.00
Orthopedic Surgery – Spine

$625,000.00

$465,000.00
Otolaryngology

$350,000.00

$222,000.00
Pediatric Cardiology

$230,900.00

$189,000.00
Pediatric Endocrinology

$187,600.00

$170,000.00
Pediatric Gastroenterology

$230,500.00

$175,000.00
Pediatric Hematology / Oncology

$210,000.00

$175,000.00
Pediatric Infectious Disease

$205,00.00

$173,000.00
Pediatric Intensive Care

$252,500.00

$195,000.00
Pediatric Nephrology

$196,000.00

$172,000.00
Pediatric Neurology

$218,200.00

$182,000.00
Pediatric Pulmonary Disease

$190,000.00

$162,000.00
Pediatric Surgery

$401,000.00

$295,000.00
Pediatrics

$202,500.00

$162,000.00
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

$233,300.00

$178,000.00
Plastic  Surgery

$382,000.00

$273,000.00
Psychiatry

$211,000.00

$165,000.00
Psychiatry – Child

$218,300.00

$159,000.00
Pulmonary Disease

$298,000.00

$191,500.00
Rheumatology

$220,500.00

$163,500.00
Trauma Surgery

$400,000.00

$298,000.00
Urgent Care

$215,000.00

$142,000.00
Urology

$400,000.00

$250,000.00
Vascular Surgery

$405,000.00

$259,400.00

Merritt Hawkins: Physician Salary By Specialty

Merritt Hawkins is a physician salary survey that reports the average starting salary offered to new residency graduates.  The entire report for the year 2011 is available for free in PDF (click here). Remember, because these data represent new hires, the are STARTING SALARIES and should be compared to other reports accordingly. I will reprint the starting salaries of the 20 most highly recruited specialties below. The Merritt Hawkins PDF also reports the average signing bonus and average income guarantees. (If you are interested, I discuss the Merritt Hawkins report on the salaries of allied health professionals in another post)

 

From Merritt Hawkins Free PDF

 

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The Medscape Physician Compensation Report, 2012

Categories:

Choosing a Specialty, Compensation, eResources

April 25, 2012

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Each year Medscape conducts a nationwide study of physician salaries and compensation.  Medscape is surely one of the best online resources for researching physician salaries.  (See my article here about all the different online resources, databases, and surveys regarding physician salaries)  The data are a combination of over 20,000 surveys completed by physicians of every specialty all over the country.  The results for 2012 were published in late April. To compare the results of the Medscape Physician Compensation Report to the other well-known online survey results, check out my ‘Ultimate Guide to Physician Salaries‘ where you can compare all the available resources.

Results: Physician Salary by Specialty

Radiology and orthopedics are again the big money winners, bringing home an average salary of $315,000.  Family medicine and pediatrics earn the smallest salaries of all physicians at less than $160,000 a piece.

Taken from medscape.com

 

To see the full results, go to http://www.medscape.com/sites/public/physician-comp/2012.  You will need to obtain a FREE username and password, but the information is well worth the 10 seconds that will take.

 

Results: Physician Salary by Location

The Medscape survey also sheds light on some very interesting questions like ‘where in the US do physicians earn the most money?’  As you can see by the medscape graphic below, the average physician salary is nearly equal in all parts of the country. This is not the case in each specialty, but overall, there is no large difference.

Taken from medscape.com

 

Results: Changes in Salary since 2010

Medscape compares the average salary by specialty in 2012 to the same averages seen in 2010. The resulting data shed some light on the changes in physician salaries over the past couple years.  As you can see in the graphic below, ophthalmologists have enjoyed the largest increase in salary over the past two years while radiologists, orthopedists, and general surgeons have suffered the largest decline in wage.   The increase in ophthalmology compensation is interesting as they were the specialty that suffered the largest decline in salary between 2000 and 2010.  What we learn from this graph is simple: those that earn the most are the the greatest risk of declining salaries. This is because those who decide how much we all get reimbursed (i.e. Medicare and Medicaid bosses) will always go after those that are earning the most money. This is exactly what is happening right now to radiology and orthopedics, and is exactly what happened to ophthalmology 10 years ago.

From medscape.com

Results: Hours, Lifestyle, Satisfaction

In addition to salary information, the Medscape compensation report also details the number of hours worked in a week, the number of patients seen in a week, how satisfied doctors are with their specialty of choice, and many other questions.  Each of these questions is divided up by specialties so we can compare the results between specialties.

Again, here is the link to the main Medscape Physician Compensation Report
http://www.medscape.com/sites/public/physician-comp/2012

Also, medscape provides a detailed report for each specialty including the above data: salary, hours, lifestyle, satisfaction, etc. Click on the specialty below to be taken to the individual report. [LOGIN REQUIRED]


 

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Preparing for USMLE Step 1

Categories:

Step 1, The Match

April 24, 2012

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I recently read a great article about preparing for the USMLE  board exams an another great medical student website called Medical Student Insider. The author is a soon-to-be psychiatry resident from UCLA name Mike Frazier.  Any time you hear or read advice about studying for boards you should always take it with a grain of salt; this is because we all study and learn differently. However, after scoring above a 250 of Step 1, soon-to-be Dr. Frazier's words pack quite a punch!

Highlights from the Medical School Insider Article:
  1. USMLE Step 1 is the most important factor in determining your competitiveness in the match.
  2. USMLE World is KING. I totally agree! After completing 2,000+ USMLEWorld questions, I sat down at the real Board exam and felt like I was just doing more USMLEWorld questions. They prepared me perfectly.
  3. First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 is a priceless book.  Buy it early, use it your first two years, and then devour it while studying for Step 1.
  4. Set a Goal!
  5. Create a study schedule to help you achieve your goal.

Read the full article to see what else Mike Frazier says about studying for Step 1.  

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Spotlight Interview: Matching in Family Medicine (Ohio Resident)

Categories:

Family Medicine, How to match in....?, The Match

April 5, 2012

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A Family Medicine Resident’s Perspective:

From an interview with a family medicine resident from Columbus, OH

Part of an interview series entitled, "Specialty Spotlights", which asks medical students' most burning questions to physicians of every specialty.  See what doctors from every specialty had to say about why they chose their specialty and how to match in their residency.

 

  • How competitive is the family medicine match?

Not so much.  If you want to go out West you'll need a higher score on USMLE Step 1, but matching in Family Medicine is much less stressful than some fields.  It's more focused on determing where you fit well in terms of residency.

 

  • What are residencies looking for in a family medicine applicant?
Good work ethic, intelligence, compassion, and passion for the field they've chosen.

 

  • What do you wish you knew before application/interview season?  

Family Medicine interviews are more like wining and dining.  Residency programs have one real goal, and that is to figure out if you would be a good fit for their program.  With this in mind, the best thing you can do is be yourself.  Wherever you interview, ask yourself, "Would I be happy living here and working with these people for the next three years?"

 

  • What should students look for in a family medicine residency?

It depends on if you know what type of Family Physician you want to be.  If you want to practice OB when you're finished with residency you should find a program that emphasizes OB/GYN training.  If you want to work in a rural area than a rural FM residency would likely be a good fit because that's where you'd be most likely to be "the only doc in town."  Location is a very important consideration and should not be discounted either.  You need to find a place where you will be happy living.

 

  • What other advice do you have for students applying to family medicine residency?

Be excited.  Family Medicine is a great field that will provide you with incredibly rewarding experiences on an almost daily basis.  You will also be able to make a very respectable living and have a great lifestyle.  What more could you ask for?

 

 

 

Editor's Note: Applying for residency or preparing for your interviews? I highly recommend First Aid for the Match, The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match, and The Residency Interview: How To Make the Best Possible Impression .


 

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