Private Practice versus HMO/hospital work

<p>Hey, I'm sort of confused on the differences between opening your own private clinic and working in a hospital. I heard that benefits to opening your own private clinic are higher income and more control, but I don't really get how you can get a higher income from a private clinic when you get less patients. I like the more control aspect, but I'm really skeptical of the operating your own business part. Can someone list the pros and cons of opening your own practice after doing work in a hospital environment? Is working in a hospital better? What are the differences?</p>

<p>I'm interested in cardiology, general surgery, or anesthesiology or even radiology. Can someone who have experience in med school with these fields talk about their experience with the specialties?</p>

<p>Okay.</p>

<p>There are two possibilities, which you are mixing up rather severely.</p>

<p>1.) You can be in private practice. This will usually involve having a clinic outside, but it will almost always also involve working in a hospital. You are not, however, a hospital employee. It is the equivalent of, for example, US soldiers in Germany. They work in Germany, but they do not work for Germany.</p>

<p>2.) You can work for a hospital.</p>

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<p>Private practice docs do not usually have fewer patients. It does involve operating your own business. (That is the SAME THING as having more control.)</p>

<p>I think you have this a little mixed up. Starting up a really good practice is somewhat rare. 99% new docs usually end up working for an existance one, as otherwise you’d be creating an entire patient base outta nearly nowhere.</p>

<p>It depends though really. Working at a hospital often means you’ll be like working with unique cases, something you could brag about to your ungrad pals or w.e. A gastreontologist at a priv. practice maybe doing a bunch of ‘minor’ procedures, but making a ton of money. Another at a bigger hospital may actually be saving peoples lives and being like ‘Dr. House.’ There’s almost always a large pay difference, and the other guy’s right, like lots of Pediatricians deliver babies in hospitals, but have their clinics, etc.</p>

<p>Wait, what am I mixing up? I was confused about how you can both obtain a private practice and work in a hospital at the same time, but that’s it. It’s common sense that you have more control when you’re operating your own business, but as was said, it’s harder to open your own practice.</p>

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<p>(1) Most people who open their own private clinic work in hospitals.
(2) Most people who work in private clinics do not “open your own” – they usually join an existing practice.</p>

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True, usually, but not necessarily at the junior level, since you’re starting amongst a group of more experienced partners.</p>

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You usually don’t have fewer patients. And you keep more of the money that they pay, so it would be possible even if you did.</p>

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The problem here is that control and business are intimately tied.</p>

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Again, these are not contrasting scenarios. Almost everybody spends at least some time working in a hospital, even if they are private practice docs.</p>