<p>But most physicians aren’t surgeons. However, even if we look at surgeons as a separate entity, the trade offs are even worse. Surgery rotations are a lot worse than any other rotation, surg residency is long and brutal (6 years of 80 hr weeks and 2 weeks off a year), abuse and malignancy in surgery is much more prevalent, fellowship is worse than any other specialty, and when you are practicing on your own…you still work harder and longer than most physicians (with all the debt). </p>
<p>Surgeons make a lot of dough, no doubt but after $150,000/yr it doesn’t really matter to me. Besides that, after 4 years (or 3) of dental, optometry, or pharm school you can start practicing. Physicians (especially surgeons) have long residencies where they make peanuts compared to nurses (let alone dentists, pharmacists, or optometrists) with deferred debt and the long hours I think they should get paid a lot more.</p>
<p>Respect matters in varying degrees, who someone is matters much more than what they do for a living. I respect any *professional *in the heath care field, because they’re a professional. A nurse, PA, physician, dentist, pharmacist, etc I respect a little for what they do, but a lot more for who they are. </p>
<p>Like I said before, most physicians aren’t surgeons and the attrition rate is crazy. The people who do it, seem to do it because the love it enough to put up with all the crap that comes along with it. </p>
<p>“it seems as though dentistry, optometry, and pharmacy have less extreme trade offs for around the same amount of money and respect.”</p>
<p>“Surgeons make a lot of dough, no doubt but after $150,000/yr it doesn’t really matter to me.”</p>
<p>150k is chicken scratch. half the asian kids I studied with in high school wanted to go in to pharmacy, as a highschool student I thought that it was pretty decent pay too. (pharmacists start high, low 6 fig, but have very little room for raises etc) </p>
<p>it’s not. I made 80k per year while going to school full time 3 years in a row, I know its only slightly better than half of 150… but it puts things in to perspective. 80 was nothing to me, enough for me to live alright and save a lot, but not enough to buy a house in california. 150k is marginally better but after taxes you are looking at 110ish which leaves you ~9k/month, to buy a 3000square foot house you are looking at ~700k(real estate in this state is a joke, stupid banks) which at 30 years you are probably looking at 5k/month, factor in a wife and kids and 150k will leave you in debt up to your ears before you know it.</p>
<p>so no, pharmacists, etc don’t make very much money. more than your average 60k/year schmuck but your average 60k/year schmuck also has 50k in credit cards and is bleeding money monthly even on a dual income.</p>
<p>I’ve ventured really far from my original point, which is a fully licensed MD in the right field can get around 450k/year, which is respectable. a pharm/opto/dentist will peak far below that probably between 100-200k/year depending on a variety of factors.
my other point was that you say over 150k/year won’t matter to you, you are so mistaken it is laughable… you won’t realize that until you are actually making some sort of real money though. I have, that’s why I switched away from being a chem major.</p>
<p>IMO dentistry is better than medicine and it’s easier to get into dental school as well. Dentists can become dental surgeons or orthodontists. Orthodontics is a low stress job with super high pay.</p>
<p>Your average dentist makes as much or even more than the average doctor. Optometrists and pharmacists make less.</p>
<p>If you like medicine go into medicine but if you like money and low stress go into dentistry.</p>
<p>I wasn’t aware dentists made so much, I’ve always been told its a depressing profession with high suicide rates(hearsay). I knew they had decent pay but I’ve never seen any of my dentists rolling in super cars or anything. Where as I have seen MD’s with big mansions and super cars outside.</p>
<p>didn’t realize you could make that much teaching, jeez. but I guess at that level they are probably researching and practicing more than teaching. check out cal’s football coach, what a baller. lol</p>