Attendings Salaries

[pip00]

How much do OMFS attendings make?

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[toofache32]

I would be interested in knowing this as well, since that's the job I hope to have eventually.

 

[ajmacgregor]

I would be interested in knowing this as well, since that's the job I hope to have eventually.

Based on buddies of mine who went into academics (or considered it):

Starting for OMFS attending (assistant prof level): 130k
If you have a niche area (craniofacial, cancer, cosmetics): 150 - 200K
Residency Director = add 50K
Chief of Service/Chairman = add 100 - 150 K

Looking at these numbers, you can see really quickly why people go into private practice. The numbers are probably comparable for the first year or two, but then private practice easily exceeds academics. As one prominent faculty member told us - "for every 4 years you're in academics, you're losing about $1M of net income".

 

[gonnabdds]

Based on buddies of mine who went into academics (or considered it):

Starting for OMFS attending (assistant prof level): 130k
If you have a niche area (craniofacial, cancer, cosmetics): 150 - 200K
Residency Director = add 50K
Chief of Service/Chairman = add 100 - 150 K

Looking at these numbers, you can see really quickly why people go into private practice. The numbers are probably comparable for the first year or two, but then private practice easily exceeds academics. As one prominent faculty member told us - "for every 4 years you're in academics, you're losing about $1M of net income".

Their incomes are not too shabby once you tack on faculty practice revenues.

 

[ajmacgregor]

Their incomes are not too shabby once you tack on faculty practice revenues.

This is not exactly how it works.

For most departments, your salary is the department's investment in you - you need to earn that much money in order for the investment to be worthwhile.

Say, for example, that you are an assistant professor of OMFS at a state-funded program. If your salary is 125K, then you have to make enough money for the department to cover your salary. You earn this money through clinical practice, teaching, research grants, honoraria, or consulting fees. If you perform well enough such that you more than cover your salary, then you will be given a bonus that is typically a percentage of your earning excess over your base.

Here's the problem - in order to earn 125K from clinical productivity, you will need to collect about 3-4x that amount (400 - 500K). Since the patients that present to academic centers tend to be, for the most part, less affluent that private practice patients and are typically on state-funded health care programs, it can be tough to collect 500K.

Bottom line - you will be working more and making less that people in private practice. If you think that the sacrifice in time and income is worth it so that you can more complex surgeries, then academics may be for you.

My personal prediction: salaries for private practitioners will fall in the next decade and the opportunity cost of going into academics will be less. The academic job market may actually become more competitive...

 

[jk5177]

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