Guest RAK2005 Posted March 31, 2002 Report Share Posted March 31, 2002 JJ, I was wondering if you could respond to a couple of things I've heard from UWO meds people. A couple of folks have told me that the physiatrists at UWO "do extremely well" financially... I am interested in the field, but have heard quite the opposite from others who are outside of Western and with my massive debt, I am shying away from certain specialties... Have you hear similar tales from your classmates and faculty ? Anyone else with some 411 can enlighten me too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RAK2005 Posted March 31, 2002 Report Share Posted March 31, 2002 Actually, I was talking about Physiatry (or Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physicians)... They concentrate on musculoskeletal problems, stroke rehab, spinal cord injuries, etc. They do interesting stuff like EMG clinics too, so there is quite a bit of variety in the phys med area which I like... hence I wonder how they do billing wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PeterHill0501 Posted March 31, 2002 Report Share Posted March 31, 2002 Ooops...I apologize...I wasn't reading very carefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted April 1, 2002 Report Share Posted April 1, 2002 Actually, I do know something about this field. . . I've been attracted to physiatry (Physical& Rehabilitation Medicine) myself. Straight up, it looks like one of the poorest for renumeration - the OHIP billings physiatrists make aren't a great deal more than a FP's (check the student lounge at http://www.cma.ca for exact figures). . . despite the fact you do 3 more years as a resident (I believe it's a 5 year residency.) From what I've heard, though, many physiatrists make most of their money on the side, through medico-legal work and also corporate consultations. I haven't spoken to any myself directly, but one of the 4th years mentioned to me that she'd heard at least a couple of the physiatrists here bring in around $500k a year once you factor in their private practice. I can't confirm that, but it's definitely worth looking into for yourself. And I know what you mean about debt/LOC influencing residency choices. . . I think I might be there myself. You should check under the "Medical School Interview" section for a thread called "Communication skills" - I went off on a tangent and got into a really interesting discussion with an applicant whose wife is an FP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted April 1, 2002 Report Share Posted April 1, 2002 PM&R doesn't make a lot of money if you only bill through the government. However, it can be made much more lucrative (apparently at least into the $200,000 figure annually) by doing outside consulting in medico-legal work. I don't know if $500,000 is that attainable of a goal; just seems a little high to me. The question is whether that type of work is what you want to be doing in order to supplement your income. One of the ex-physios in my class mentioned that was the type of stuff he hated most back when he was working: ie. he felt that his client was well enough to go back to work, but the client didn't feel so for financial/disability reasons. One of my classmates is heading into it, and is really enthusiastic about its potential, both in terms of job interests, as well as predictable office hours and wide open market. Ian UBC, Med 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RAK2005 Posted April 1, 2002 Report Share Posted April 1, 2002 Yeah, as far as the potential for outside work I know physiatrists have blossomed into the WSIB's (old Workers Comp) favourite consultation people. I think this lifestyle is great, but like your classmate, I am an ex-physio, and WSIB patients are always the most "fun" to deal with... that's why it is discouraging for me to hear a high percentage of income is insurance related... yikes. Thanks for the input guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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