Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Non-clinical physician job starting salaries

Joseph Kim, MD, MPH
Physician
July 30, 2010
Share
Tweet
Share

What are entry-level non-clinical physician job salaries?

Let me clarify what I mean by “entry-level” here: I’m referring to non-clinical jobs that physicians may find if they leave clinical medicine to pursue a non-clinical job in a company (such as a medical communications company, a health IT company, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or a consulting company).

So, let’s look at several examples:

* A primary care physician who’s making $120k/year leaves clinical medicine and begins to work in a a medical education company. How much could he/she make?

* A medical school graduate chooses not to pursue residency. He/she chooses to work in a consumer health company. How much could he/she make?

* An MD/MBA grad completes residency (earning around $50k/year as a senior resident) and finds a corporate consulting job. How much will he/she make?

* An oncologist who has been practicing medicine for 10 years leaves the practice of medicine to work in pharma. How much could he/she make?

Is there an “average” figure for the examples above? Suppose the range is roughly $80k to $250k/year, so the average is $165k/year. Is that accurate? Not quite. Should we be looking at mean, median, or mode?

The reality is that many entry-level jobs will not pay above $150k/year unless you’re a medical specialist. If you lack corporate experience, then you’re in a different category compared to physicians who have extensive corporate work experience.

Some sources will tell you that entry-level job salaries for an “average” physician ranges roughly between $90-130k/year. How do you make an argument that you deserve $130k/yr if a company offers you $90k/yr?

Several key factors impact this salary range. They include:

* Geography. Living costs will greatly influence your salary.
* Budgets. Some companies have much more negotiating “flexibility” around budgets. Others have very rigid budgets.
* Risk. Some managers have a “high risk/high reward” mentality and they may be willing to take a big risk by paying a high salary to acquire the best talent.
* Gender. Even today, men tend to earn higher salaries compared to women. It’s not fair, but it’s what frequently happens.
* Type of industry. Salaries for a “medical director” in industry #1 could vary tremendously compared to industry #2. Some companies simply have deeper pockets and bigger budgets.
* Your negotiation skills.

To ensure that you receive a competitive salary, you need to have very strong negotiating skills. I’ve found that most physicians lack such salary negotiating skills because they haven’t had much experience in this area. If you’re considering a new job, make sure you don’t undersell yourself.

Joseph Kim is a physician-executive who blogs at Non-Clinical Medical Jobs, Careers, and Opportunities.

Submit a guest post and be heard.

Prev

How industry money continues to influence orthopedics

July 30, 2010 Kevin 3
…
Next

Diabetes is responsible for many heart disease deaths

July 30, 2010 Kevin 0
…

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How industry money continues to influence orthopedics
Next Post >
Diabetes is responsible for many heart disease deaths

More by Joseph Kim, MD, MPH

  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    5 ways doctors can benefit from professional connections

    Joseph Kim, MD, MPH
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Finding job opportunities by networking with other physicians online

    Joseph Kim, MD, MPH
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Does a physician need an MBA degree?

    Joseph Kim, MD, MPH

More in Physician

  • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

    Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD
  • Practicing medicine with conviction

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • The power of memory in shaping human identity

    Emily F. Peters and Sandeep Jauhar, MD, PhD
  • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • The erosion of patient care

    Laura de la Torre, MD
  • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

    Eleanor Menzin, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • 1 in 5 doctors will become disabled. Are you prepared?

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • The art of pediatrics: Connecting through observation

      Alexander Rakowsky, MD | Conditions
    • Assertiveness in health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Epigenetics and our inheritance to future generations

      Vishruth Nagam | Conditions
    • Practicing medicine with conviction

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 3 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Stem Cell Transplants Effective in MS
  • Plant-Based Estrogen Improves Lipids in Postmenopausal Women
  • New Two-Tier System to Weed Out Some Pediatric Heart Surgery Centers
  • All Specialties Struggle With 'Moral Injury'
  • MedPod Today: Big Medical Bill; GLP-1 Agonist Plateau; Grateful Patient Fundraising

Meeting Coverage

  • Plant-Based Estrogen Improves Lipids in Postmenopausal Women
  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • 1 in 5 doctors will become disabled. Are you prepared?

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • The art of pediatrics: Connecting through observation

      Alexander Rakowsky, MD | Conditions
    • Assertiveness in health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Epigenetics and our inheritance to future generations

      Vishruth Nagam | Conditions
    • Practicing medicine with conviction

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Non-clinical physician job starting salaries
3 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...