The Deceptive Income of Physicians

[Chrisada]

Also, all you teachers should move to IL--my old gym teacher made something like 80K in a very middling school district.
http://www.teachersalaryinfo.com/ill...-district-118/

I actually looked up the actual teaching salaries there, and quite a few teachers are in the $30,000 range with even a principal making $75,000. I'm guessing this gym teacher has been there forever and coaches a ton on the side. It takes many many years of teaching in the same district in a few select places to ever see a salary like that. I don't know, I feel like bringing up his salary is like me bringing up the derm. I know pulling in a million a year.

[scrub-jay]

He's not saying physicians don't make more total--he's comparing per hour to per hour. He calculates teachers working 40 hours per week for 38 weeks per year to physicians working 57 hours per week for 48 weeks per year. And notes that both put in lots of time off the clock. ]

I thought this was one of the key points, the hours worked is important, most teaching positions (with the possible exception of early childhood education) have significant break periods and vacations. I get only 15 or so days off each year (that is vacation + sick time). I do not get a summer break, president's week, winter break, etc. That is one of the most appealing benefits to the educator profession IMHO.

[houseelf]

FWIW, I offer anecdotal evidence only--I regularly saw divorce pleadings in MN in which teachers listed $42,000 to 68,000. It could be that I drew an unrepresentative sample over the years. I also admit that some states pay teacher an embarrassingly low amount.

[SuzySunshine]

MN does pay well, I have several friends here that started at more then $45K.

[v-girl]

Pay is pretty good in our suburb. A friend of mine from church is a high school art teacher and she's the breadwinner for her family of 3 with a big house.

[radwife]

I found this article fairly interesting and enjoyed reading all the comments made on the blog post. DH sometimes makes a joking comment saying he'd be getting paid more by the hour flipping burgers at McDonalds than what he's currently working and getting paid in residency. Seeing it with real numbers and support was surprising.

[corn poffi]

I'm just gonna keep this short, since it's a topic that is very important to me right now, but nobody forced anybody to go to med school, and nobody forced anybody to be a teacher. It's not like the work/salaries were mysteries to anybody getting into either of those fields. Teachers do a heck of a lot or work than people realize (they DO work during breaks, stay after school, coach, advise, take continuing education credits, etc.). I think they both provide very important services to society, and they are both underpaid.

[Deebs]

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/trac...of-191124.html

If I KNEW that as a PE teacher, I would make almost $200,000 and make nearly $10,000 per month IN RETIREMENT, you bet I would have gone into education. In the meanwhile, our governor discussed today in his budget speech that he will be increasing amounts paid to schools and decreasing reimbursement for Medicaid.

I don't think all teachers are underpaid. Some are definitely underpaid. I think some are grossly overpaid. I don't think a teachers working even 70-80 hours a week during 9 months of the year is truly earning $200,000. I just don't, and I really don't want to pay for his retirement and his health benefits (which by the way are fabulous and he is paying not one dime for). In Illinois, teachers who do a heck of a lot more work are compensated for it, to a sometimes ridiculous level. The coaching is a bonus on a salary, and taking continuing ed is paid for as a benefit. I don't know exactly why the comparison was drawn between teachers and physicians - they are very different professions.
How many times did that PE teacher walk into a room knowing that the next words out his mouth would be the most life-changing words the other person would ever hear? He has never notified a family that a loved one is dead, never had to tell someone they had a few months to live or would never walk again. It's almost impossible to sue him for doing work during the course of his job, and he is "protected" by a union. Physicians cannot unionize - it's illegal.

When someone chooses to go to med school, I don't necessarily think they consider the downsides of
-six figure student loan debts
-the HIGHEST rate of suicide in any profession
-a statistically significant decrease in years lived

Just to be completely honest - I'm bitter today. Our teachers have a three day weekend. My husband is working, has already put in way more than his "scheduled" hours, and has had more loss of life than anyone deserves to see. AND, he has to do all of it while sick because there aren't any "sick" days.

[PrincessFiona]

Hugs

[v-girl]

Hugs

ditto

[ladymoreta]

I just can't get on board with the idea that teachers deserve to make as much as physicians. Yes, they do an important role, but a job's importance doesn't dictate salary. When I was in IT, I made a heck of a lot more than a garbage man, but the world would miss them a lot more than they'd miss a business analyst. I got paid that salary because of the education I'd gotten and the fact that the work I did created more jobs and saved the company operating expenses.

Doctors are paid more because they've invested more. As much as we'd lik to think so, they don't go into medicine because they like to "help people". They could help people by doing any number of service jobs, or by volunteering in their spare time. They need to be paid adequately to make up for all the crap and all the debt. Sorry, I'm having one of those Residency Sucks months, and I have no sympathy for anyone who gets summers off...

[Chrisada]

I really don't think anyone on here said or thinks that teachers should get paid as much as doctors.

[SoonerTexan]

the world would miss them a lot more than they'd miss a business analyst

Haha! I know this wasn't your point but this made me laugh.

At any rate, I think these feelings cross multiple professions. My dad (an airplane mechanic who went to trade school instead of college) always moans about pilots--they're paid more and get a ton of respect compared to the lowly mechanic who not only has to know how to fly the plane, but how the whole thing works.

[houseelf]

At any rate, I think these feelings cross multiple professions. My dad (an airplane mechanic who went to trade school instead of college) always moans about pilots--they're paid more and get a ton of respect compared to the lowly mechanic who not only has to know how to fly the plane, but how the whole thing works.

If we truly wanted to take this into a heated debate, we could talk about this in regards to physician compensation across specialties.

DH really struggles with the fact that he works so hard and has no money to show for it. It is very hard on us living in debt, it goes against everything you're taught growing up. I wish there could be another solution to the training process for doctors. I'm sure this would never fly, but I feel like they could not charge you tuition while you're in school, but once you're in residency/have a real job, they could take a portion out of your pay until it's paid off. Obviously if you drop out before then, you'd owe it right away.

I don't think people outside of our situations realize the amount of stress med school, finances, exams, etc. put on a student and their families, either.