Despite the potentially tough environment, there are some advantages to being a prison physician. Salary for a board-certified physician starts at almost $250,000 a year. Furthermore, there are some other perks that you may not have thought of:
There are no hassles with third-party payers, patients will always show up for their appointments, there is plenty of security, and there’s no need for malpractice insurance.
The California Department of Corrections is hiring.
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It is my understanding……from what I read, no personal knowledge…..that the California prison system experienced some scandals related to the healthcare provided prisoners. Litigation resulted. The courts have imposed a remedy. It includes “get quality physicians, whatever it takes”. Unable to get decent physicians at lower salary, they have been increasing until the market responds. The courts are making the state pay whatever is necessary.
My understanding, not sure if accurate.
You end up being the most attractive litigation target in a system that depends heavily on medical technicians, PAs and other extenders as the front-line personnel with first encounters with sick prisoners.
On one hand they are the only thing between you and a system whose unmet needs would overwhelm any practice, yet their relatively lower skill level leaves you vulnerable to litigation for their errors.
Having had colleagues that worked in the correctional environment, it doesn’t surprise that there is a shortage of doctors. The patient population alone would promote burnout.
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