Dr. RW juxtaposes different views on physician salary. AMSA fellow Paige Hatcher wonders what the fuss about money is about:
If we discuss the disparity in incomes between the specialists and the generalists in these terms we reinforce the entitlement that medical education endows inappropriately on new physicians. The annual starting salary for the lowest paid group, pediatricians is 140,000. On what planet is that not enough money?
It is this defeatist attitude that conditions physicians to take whatever is given to them. This is precisely why we are currently at the whims of the government and third-party payers, and why we have lost control of our profession. But at single-payer supporting AMSA, being at the whims of the government is obviously no big deal. Ms. Hatcher continues:
To change it, we have to reframe the entire argument and promote primary care as more rewarding instead of constantly defending the field in spite of the crappy reimbursement rates. But I’m a baby, what do I know?
Exactly.
