Doctor makes more money on eBay than practicing medicine

When I read the CNN article, I got a different sense than your article conveyed. Her “less than $120K” medical practice job is part-time, not full-time. Depending on the number of hours she’s working (not stated in the article), that may still be a very nice pay rate. I also didn’t get the sense that she was unhappy with medicine; in fact, she chose to come back part-time after taking leave with her kids.

You raise some important issues, certainly, but I’m not sure that this article provides much support for either your point about doctors leaving medicine or the implication that doctors can’t make a living at medicine and have to find a side business to make ends meet.

@Ed: why?

Sadly, the underappreciation so many physicians feel on the job is driving many to move away from clinical practice. Having recently guested at a conference devoted to teaching physicians how to move into non-clinical careers and mentored over 60 deeply frustrated and dissatisfied physicians at the conference, I can understand why it may make more sense to go into another line of business.

From the physician’s point of view, an alternative career potentially offers less liability, less stress and anxiety about outcomes, better control over lifestyle and, yes, maybe even a better income. Or income that comes at a less steep personal price.

I’m also observing an apparent disconnect between how physicians are really feeling and how they are perceived by the public, as evidenced times by snide remarks made about physicians and their money, or prestige, or even lack of single-minded dedication!

For all our sakes, I hope there are wise and sensible solutions in the near future.

Good. We need a genetic cleansing of the type that does into medical practice, slow or fast, let it happen. Go on ebay and sell, including your M…r while you are at it, and stop selling us to big pharma. Good riddens. Be out of here. We need new blood with proper mind set. They are out there, but were shunted out of the profession because they were too ethical for the admissions committees.

She works at a nonprofit, community health center – provide care to the poor and uninsured. These npos usually provide a salary of half the regular income of those in medical practice.