Fellowship salaries???

[houseelf]

RE: the original question...Not only do the salaries vary widely, the cost of the benefits vary widely. Our previous job made lower than average salary and then the benefits were expensive. Here it is 62,500 plus very cheap benefits and a low COL. (Oh, what the hell do I care...it is public information that you all could look up). This has made a world of difference for us financially and allows me to not have to bring in an income. Oddly, the salary is different than what is posted on the GME website. Perhaps DH's fellowship department supplements it?

It is soooo bizarre.

Kelly

[ud_grad]

I guess I just would like to know what to expect. Since it's his career and his time spent at work, I really don't feel it's my place to dissuade him from one specialty or another. I'd rather a happy but tired husband than one who is miserable in his job after years of education and training.

Financially, I guess I should expect what he is making now plus 3-5% each year until he is completely done residency and fellowships from the responses I've received here. That is just frustrating b/c we want more kids, and though I make more than he does, affording daycare for more than 2 will be ridiculously tight if not impossible with the student loan repayment plus our bills.

Aren't doctors supposed to have nannies and maids and stuff?

(I didn't realize that the nanny/maid/etc. was also the wife!)

[houseelf]

affording daycare for more than 2

I hear you. We thought that we would space our kids to minimize daycare costs and college costs. The problem with that logic is that it doesn't contemplate the childcare costs for school age kids during their breaks. When you start talking about daycare and working costs for more than two kids, even well paid professionals have to consider whether two incomes are worth it.

Our game plan was to play financially conservative as long as we could during the training process. It is one thing to slide backwards a little for a year or two, but when you are facing a near decade of training, finances are a whole different ball of wax.

Best of luck.

Kelly

I guess I just would like to know what to expect. Since it's his career and his time spent at work, I really don't feel it's my place to dissuade him from one specialty or another. I'd rather a happy but tired husband than one who is miserable in his job after years of education and training.

Here's my take on it: your life is your life together, not just his job. Once it gets to the point where the job IS his life (hours, unpredictablity -- forever - not just during training), then it's not just "his career and his time spent at work". It's also his time spent away from your family. If your expectation of family is to actually be able to spend time together, beyond a week of vacation here or there, then now is the time to start discussing other facets of surgery. Surgical hours are tough in nearly every specialty - transplant takes it to a whole new level.

Welcome! You are right to be concerned and try to plan ahead!!
The docs in our lives don't always think ahead during training, especially financially.
I am really surprised to hear the salary for fellowship where house elf lives. I know the fellows here don't make that much. In LA it's closer to 53K/year and the cost of living is painfully high!! Apparently there are huge variations in salary among fellowship programs that we all need to be aware of.

Something you will want to research also is location of fellowship programs. Not every institution will train transplant surgeons, thus your choices might be dictated by location and cost of living more so than salary. 50K a year is doable in some places but not all.

When my DH did his transplant months, I rarely saw him and when I did... it wasn't a pretty sight.

Aren't doctors supposed to have nannies and maids and stuff?

(I didn't realize that the nanny/maid/etc. was also the wife!)

That is what I keep telling her...we need a wife.







No offense to anyone.

That is what I keep telling her...we need a wife.







No offense to anyone.

none taken. i'd like one too.

I'll second that...