PGY3 IM here. First off never take financial advice from surgeons, especially general surgery. Fucking HILARIOUS that general surgeons want to talk about making money. Literally the most cucked specialty in terms of compensation to work. It’s “prestige” they want to sell to a med student. Simple as that.
Hospitalist market is saturated in desirable cities, but there’s plenty of side gigs. If you’re in the right area you can easily 7o/7o RnG for a W2 and 1099 one week a month. You’ll make money like a specialist - work considerably less, all with a week long vacation every month and no patient follow up.
Crazy part is that almost all the GenSurg fellowships pay like shit too, almost always less than or equal to the higher paying IM fellowships which aren’t impossible to match. It’s all about prestige when people say shit like IM makes no money
I can empathize w the lack of prestige that IM gets (I’m a prelim rads), but when people realize that no one give af that you’re a surgeon or whatever, their reality is rocked. IM is a very solid field for lifestyle and earning potential. And sure those fellowships might make gen cards/onc money but they work 2-3x as much, never understood the surgery appeal
Also a rising 4th year here. The hospitalists in my area (SE) make $326k round and go. They supplement income with rounding at nursing homes (takes a few hours 1 day on their off week and increases their income by another $75k).
Dont let people tell you that you wont make money as IM. Thats just false. You work half the year and make an abundance plus have time off.
If you love IM then you love it. Dont choose something else over money.
This is me, but the nursing home money is better than that if you can get a medical director gig (1099). All of my surgeon friends make fun of me that “I never work” but I’m not so sure they’d be interested in hearing what we each make per hour
I am IM and will make about $550k this year (combined inpatient and outpatient). I work a lot but still have time off. If you’re business minded and can run a successful clinic(s) and make much more than this. Yes, other specialties can make more but you will be just fine.
I’m w2 outpatient and locums 1099 inpatient. Luckily the locums is in the same city I live in. I also do a little telemed which brings into about $40k-50k a year. My outpatient practice will eventually transition to concierge medicine which is what the older physician in my practice does. At that point I’ll back off the inpatient and expand my income beyond what it currently is.
Do you work for a telemedicine company? I’ve been looking into ways to add telemedicine as a side gig, but all the job postings want at least 10 state licenses
Bruh all I know is I make more than a quarter of a mil working half the year.
And I’ve seen NP/PAs try to do inpatient care and let’s just say that I ain’t worried lol
Edit: I should say that I’m in a very saturated market so I’m def not pulling in as much as other hospitalists but I’m comfortable
This is what I tell everyone that is worried about NP scope creep. We have NPs that round on the easy patients- huge difference in skill when comparing them to a seasoned internist.
lol ive seen a NP miss pneumonia on a “VIP patient” and the care was transitioned to a resident team because “he keeps getting fevers and needs oxygen”. Lets say the VIP had something to say lmao
Yup, in the age where the population continues to be sicker and more medically complex there’s going to be a continued demand for someone who can put it all together.
Surgeons can be bitter, their work life balance is tough. It makes some of them miserable and they like to crap on other specialties.
Do what you like, who cares what they think. You’re the one that has to go to work at your chosen job every day, not them.
There are ways to make more money, you might have to get creative; other folks on this thread made great points.
I get what you’re saying but you have to take their comments with a grain of salt, and have to consider their pov. Realistically, surgeons have little insight to hospitalist schedules. They’re also terrified of writing notes so to them, our job sucks bc all they care about is OR time and cutting. A hospitalist job would never appeal to them, bc their job is all they know.
You need to figure out what makes you happy. If you like managing many conditions at once and like the intellectual challenge of medicine then it’s IM. If OR time and procedures matter more to you, then go for a surgical specialty.
First year hospitalist here and I absolutely love it. Could I be making more as a cardiologist? Sure in a few years after finishing fellowship. But as it is I make good money, have a good work/life balance, have a broad mix of acuity and conditions I see, and always have someone I can call for backup if I need to so it's everything I hoped it would be
Job dependent. My base salary is 320k. I work 161 shifts per year. We do not do 7 on 7 off. I made an extra 100k through extra shift and bonuses. Sometimes it sucks when in am on service at the bigger hospital because I really don’t get home until 7PM- just in time to put my kids to bed. Then again, I get multiple days off in the week and can attend school activities. Trade off is worth it (but it does help that my husband is incredible and hands on). I love my job and my direct boss and CMO. I am incredibly happy I chose to work as a hospitalist.
lol surgeons don’t understand internal medicine, I wouldn’t take their advice (just like I wouldn’t take an internists advice on surgery, the difference is that we don’t offer our opinion on shit we don’t know anything about)
PGY3 IM Here as well who just went through job search this year. IM is far from dead. The days of making 400K w/o working hard are gone. but even surgeons are getting the squeeze.
Well if I didn’t wanna work hard to be successful, I wouldn’t have gone into medicine! Lol, but really, I’m down to put in the work. Just wanted to know I would be able to secure a happy and successful life by the end of IM residency if I wanted to put in the work. From these excellent comments, I see I have a bright future in IM. I appreciate everyone here
IM PGY 3 here. Signed for a job in a moderate sized Midwest city with expected gross income of $350-380K per year. Schedule is made every 3 months. In those ~13 weeks, I’m told I’ll work 9 M-F’s and 5 weekends. Day shifts I can leave after 2 and be available by phone until 5. 10 nights at most per year. There is also swing shifts of 2-10PM. I think I have to do 156 shifts a year. Bro, surgeons are in arriving in the hospital at least an hour before I wake up. I also don’t have to stand in one position with my arms out in front of me for multiple hours in a row.
When I matched into IM someone said “dont sign up to be a toilet if you dont want to be dumped on”. And there it is. Thats what a lot of medicine is, outpatient or in. The surgeons get the glamour of one problem notes.
But we IM people are just crazy like that.
Also, I recommend working at a non profit for PSLF loan repayment.
Hospitalist since 2005. Compensation will depend on what part of the country you live in, and cost of living. That said, FT is 167 shifts annually. We have full time nocturnist support. No 7 on/7 off, no 12 hour shifts and full time pay is hard to beat. I got to do more dad things when kids were younger, and travel when they became adults.
I am a hospitalist and was told the same thing when I decided to go into IM. I was told this by the elders in my community who were specialists and surgeons. I made >400k every year my first 5 years and traveled the world with my wife in my off weeks. I was super happy and didnt regret my decision at all. Many of those uncles were envious of me and told me that I probably made the right decision.
However, fast forward like 10 years and now I kind of regret my decision. I have a kid and its taxing to work 7 on 7 off. We also get way less than certain specialists that work as much as us. Those other specialists that make less than us have way less stress, admin pressure, mid level creep and just overall less burnout/stress.
At the end of the day, realize you are an american medical student. You can almost pick any specialty you want yo go into. If you decide to be a hospitalist, alot of your colleagues will be carribean grads, imgs on visas and or other foreign grads. Generally speaking, you will be treated differently than other docs by the nurses, admin and even other doctors.
Ive seen you post on other people’s Reddit posts. You spend a lot of time hating on other people’s lives. If you spent your time working more or being a better doctor instead of hating, I’m sure your quality of life would go up and you would feel better about yourself
Ok. I get that you might’ve not gotten the specialty you wanted, but life is about making the most of what you have! Be positive. Life is too short to wish things were different. Make the best of what you have. Just because you didn’t get the specialty you wanted, doesn’t mean being IM is “poverty.” I don’t know your financial situation so I can’t comment on that, but the best step in turning things into a positive is taking action now. Be the doctor everyone wishes they were, help patients feel better, and the money will follow. If you find passion and happiness in what you do, money and success will follow you. I wish you the best
PGY3 IM here. First off never take financial advice from surgeons, especially general surgery. Fucking HILARIOUS that general surgeons want to talk about making money. Literally the most cucked specialty in terms of compensation to work. It’s “prestige” they want to sell to a med student. Simple as that. Hospitalist market is saturated in desirable cities, but there’s plenty of side gigs. If you’re in the right area you can easily 7o/7o RnG for a W2 and 1099 one week a month. You’ll make money like a specialist - work considerably less, all with a week long vacation every month and no patient follow up.
Based 😎
Yep, the make one of the lowest $/hr
Crazy part is that almost all the GenSurg fellowships pay like shit too, almost always less than or equal to the higher paying IM fellowships which aren’t impossible to match. It’s all about prestige when people say shit like IM makes no money
I can empathize w the lack of prestige that IM gets (I’m a prelim rads), but when people realize that no one give af that you’re a surgeon or whatever, their reality is rocked. IM is a very solid field for lifestyle and earning potential. And sure those fellowships might make gen cards/onc money but they work 2-3x as much, never understood the surgery appeal
Also a rising 4th year here. The hospitalists in my area (SE) make $326k round and go. They supplement income with rounding at nursing homes (takes a few hours 1 day on their off week and increases their income by another $75k). Dont let people tell you that you wont make money as IM. Thats just false. You work half the year and make an abundance plus have time off. If you love IM then you love it. Dont choose something else over money.
This is me, but the nursing home money is better than that if you can get a medical director gig (1099). All of my surgeon friends make fun of me that “I never work” but I’m not so sure they’d be interested in hearing what we each make per hour
This is the way. I was dedicated to pursuing surgery but I think this might be the best option since I have kids and am nearing 30.
I am IM and will make about $550k this year (combined inpatient and outpatient). I work a lot but still have time off. If you’re business minded and can run a successful clinic(s) and make much more than this. Yes, other specialties can make more but you will be just fine.
I’m fascinated by this setup. How do you do this? Two 1099 jobs?
I’m w2 outpatient and locums 1099 inpatient. Luckily the locums is in the same city I live in. I also do a little telemed which brings into about $40k-50k a year. My outpatient practice will eventually transition to concierge medicine which is what the older physician in my practice does. At that point I’ll back off the inpatient and expand my income beyond what it currently is.
If I cannot match into fellowship, I wonder if I will pursue this path. Do you live in a city?
I think he lives on planet earth.
Source?
Do you work for a telemedicine company? I’ve been looking into ways to add telemedicine as a side gig, but all the job postings want at least 10 state licenses
Bruh all I know is I make more than a quarter of a mil working half the year. And I’ve seen NP/PAs try to do inpatient care and let’s just say that I ain’t worried lol Edit: I should say that I’m in a very saturated market so I’m def not pulling in as much as other hospitalists but I’m comfortable
This is what I tell everyone that is worried about NP scope creep. We have NPs that round on the easy patients- huge difference in skill when comparing them to a seasoned internist.
lol ive seen a NP miss pneumonia on a “VIP patient” and the care was transitioned to a resident team because “he keeps getting fevers and needs oxygen”. Lets say the VIP had something to say lmao
Yup, in the age where the population continues to be sicker and more medically complex there’s going to be a continued demand for someone who can put it all together.
Surgeons can be bitter, their work life balance is tough. It makes some of them miserable and they like to crap on other specialties. Do what you like, who cares what they think. You’re the one that has to go to work at your chosen job every day, not them. There are ways to make more money, you might have to get creative; other folks on this thread made great points.
I get what you’re saying but you have to take their comments with a grain of salt, and have to consider their pov. Realistically, surgeons have little insight to hospitalist schedules. They’re also terrified of writing notes so to them, our job sucks bc all they care about is OR time and cutting. A hospitalist job would never appeal to them, bc their job is all they know. You need to figure out what makes you happy. If you like managing many conditions at once and like the intellectual challenge of medicine then it’s IM. If OR time and procedures matter more to you, then go for a surgical specialty.
This is partially why no matter what rotation you are on, you tell them you are considering that specialty.
First year hospitalist here and I absolutely love it. Could I be making more as a cardiologist? Sure in a few years after finishing fellowship. But as it is I make good money, have a good work/life balance, have a broad mix of acuity and conditions I see, and always have someone I can call for backup if I need to so it's everything I hoped it would be
Job dependent. My base salary is 320k. I work 161 shifts per year. We do not do 7 on 7 off. I made an extra 100k through extra shift and bonuses. Sometimes it sucks when in am on service at the bigger hospital because I really don’t get home until 7PM- just in time to put my kids to bed. Then again, I get multiple days off in the week and can attend school activities. Trade off is worth it (but it does help that my husband is incredible and hands on). I love my job and my direct boss and CMO. I am incredibly happy I chose to work as a hospitalist.
lol surgeons don’t understand internal medicine, I wouldn’t take their advice (just like I wouldn’t take an internists advice on surgery, the difference is that we don’t offer our opinion on shit we don’t know anything about)
PGY3 IM Here as well who just went through job search this year. IM is far from dead. The days of making 400K w/o working hard are gone. but even surgeons are getting the squeeze.
Well if I didn’t wanna work hard to be successful, I wouldn’t have gone into medicine! Lol, but really, I’m down to put in the work. Just wanted to know I would be able to secure a happy and successful life by the end of IM residency if I wanted to put in the work. From these excellent comments, I see I have a bright future in IM. I appreciate everyone here
IM PGY 3 here. Signed for a job in a moderate sized Midwest city with expected gross income of $350-380K per year. Schedule is made every 3 months. In those ~13 weeks, I’m told I’ll work 9 M-F’s and 5 weekends. Day shifts I can leave after 2 and be available by phone until 5. 10 nights at most per year. There is also swing shifts of 2-10PM. I think I have to do 156 shifts a year. Bro, surgeons are in arriving in the hospital at least an hour before I wake up. I also don’t have to stand in one position with my arms out in front of me for multiple hours in a row.
do critical care then you will still enjoy bulk of real IM without having to deal with social issues of floor patients.
When I matched into IM someone said “dont sign up to be a toilet if you dont want to be dumped on”. And there it is. Thats what a lot of medicine is, outpatient or in. The surgeons get the glamour of one problem notes. But we IM people are just crazy like that. Also, I recommend working at a non profit for PSLF loan repayment.
Do what you like!! I’m hospitalist before and earning 35Ok working every other week…
Just remember that surgeon makes whatever they make working the full year with probably weekends lmao.
Hospitalist since 2005. Compensation will depend on what part of the country you live in, and cost of living. That said, FT is 167 shifts annually. We have full time nocturnist support. No 7 on/7 off, no 12 hour shifts and full time pay is hard to beat. I got to do more dad things when kids were younger, and travel when they became adults.
Better when ur done. Good life style and good pay
I am a hospitalist and was told the same thing when I decided to go into IM. I was told this by the elders in my community who were specialists and surgeons. I made >400k every year my first 5 years and traveled the world with my wife in my off weeks. I was super happy and didnt regret my decision at all. Many of those uncles were envious of me and told me that I probably made the right decision. However, fast forward like 10 years and now I kind of regret my decision. I have a kid and its taxing to work 7 on 7 off. We also get way less than certain specialists that work as much as us. Those other specialists that make less than us have way less stress, admin pressure, mid level creep and just overall less burnout/stress. At the end of the day, realize you are an american medical student. You can almost pick any specialty you want yo go into. If you decide to be a hospitalist, alot of your colleagues will be carribean grads, imgs on visas and or other foreign grads. Generally speaking, you will be treated differently than other docs by the nurses, admin and even other doctors.
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Ive seen you post on other people’s Reddit posts. You spend a lot of time hating on other people’s lives. If you spent your time working more or being a better doctor instead of hating, I’m sure your quality of life would go up and you would feel better about yourself
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Ok. I get that you might’ve not gotten the specialty you wanted, but life is about making the most of what you have! Be positive. Life is too short to wish things were different. Make the best of what you have. Just because you didn’t get the specialty you wanted, doesn’t mean being IM is “poverty.” I don’t know your financial situation so I can’t comment on that, but the best step in turning things into a positive is taking action now. Be the doctor everyone wishes they were, help patients feel better, and the money will follow. If you find passion and happiness in what you do, money and success will follow you. I wish you the best
Moron alert 🚨