Yes, it is more lucrative to be many kinds of doctors in the US.
It's very lucrative to be any kind of physician in the US, even peds. But of course, some specialties are much better compensated than others - think derm or surgical subspecialties.
However, in other countries, physicians do not graduate with several hundred thousand dollars of student debt.
Given physician salaries, these student loans are easily paid off.
Some specialties make a great deal more money than others. Some areas pay more than others (and have the commiserate higher costs of living).
Actually many LCOL rural areas pay doctors more because it's so hard to lure them to live in these areas otherwise.
Sigh. They are NOT ‘easily paid off.’ Young adults graduate with well over $100K in student loans and are of the age where if they intend to have children, they need to start that. And they are likely looking to buy a home. Rents are sky high even in my small hometown—not where I live now, where they are also pretty high. Cost of living for basic middle class is not cheap: vehicle ( or two), housing, groceries, utilities plus large student loan bills= little for savings.
I live in a mostly rural area. Most of the physicians who come to my town don’t stay long. Housing shortage, mediocre schools. Not great pay. Great for this town if you are t carrying huge debt but we’re still a low wage town.
Umm... I think you're really underestimating the pay. There are a few years of relatively low pay during residency, sure, but the average pay for a physician in the US is around $400,000. Even primary care has an average of over $300,000.
If they can't afford to live off of $300K while paying off a 30-year $100K loan, then maybe the should consider taking a close look at their lifestyle. Maybe they can get by with just a Kia for a while before they upgrade to a couple of Mercedes.
I paid off my $70K in student loans in 16 years, while making far less than that. I still don't make that and Im over a quarter of a century into my career. Short of becoming a VP or higher, I'm considered well-compensated.
I just did a google search of my state for average wages for a new MD in family practice and the average is between $250-280K/year. Nothing to sneeze at but there is a pretty big gap between having $70K in student t loans and the $197K in average student debt owed by freshly qualified MDs.
Purchasing a home and paying for daycare are pretty much equal in terms of monthly expenses. Average home payment ( per month) for first time home owner is more than $2300/month. Average daycare cost for infant in my state varies widely by region but minimum $1400/month up to $2800/month. Average loan repayment is about $2800/month.
My husband’s car payment for a very average vehicle purchased 5 years ago is $800/month. Mine is paid off. Our utilities top $1000/month. Our grocery bill is about $1000 a month for two of us.
Neither of us are physicians. I never had any student debt. My husband’s student debt was laughably tiny.
So maybe I’m not the one who is out of touch.
The other thing to consider: Other people’s money always stretches further than your money does.
The "debt from medical school" bit is overplayed IMO. It gets used by the medical community as an excuse for why they charge so much. A new MD making $250K+ should be doing okay, even with $190K of debt. And if they're really worried about the debt, they could work in the IHS or VA and get some of that debt forgiven.
I graduated with $70K in debt, and a combined income between me and my spouse of about $80K. Yes, things are expensive, I'm not contesting that. And no, doctors don't have a negligible amount of debt. But if you actually look around, they're not scraping by and roughing it either. Almost universally, doctors lead very comfortable lives with plenty of luxuries that most people don't have. If the debt really were as crushing as doctors make it out to be... they'd be living much more middle class lives than they actually do.
I tend to view this entire argument the way most socialists view the financial woes of millionaires. I can understand that to them, they seem like the end of the world. But to most people, they're objectively not that big a deal.
1.i did not state that there are many lynchings currently. I stated that there have been a number of recent hangings that appears to be to possibly be lynching rather than suicide, as is often claimed. Most of the black community is skeptical of the suicide claims.
Why do you think this? Do you think that black people shouldn't commit suicide in the same ways that white people do for some reason?
not many people commit suicide by hanging themselves from trees.
Sure. The google says:
AI Generated Content
In the United States, roughly
220 people per year commit suicide by hanging themselves from trees, based on comprehensive epidemiological data.
While public health agencies like the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) track overarching numbers for "suffocation" (which includes hangings and asphyxiation), detailed breakdowns of specific anchors and ligatures require deep epidemiological study. [
1]
An extensive analysis published in
Injury Epidemiology evaluated data regarding asphyxiation suicides across the U.S. to understand the distribution of different environments and methods. [
1]
Broader Public Health Context
- Overall Numbers: Annually, suffocation or hanging accounts for over 11,000 deaths in the United States, making it the second most common method of suicide behind firearms. [1]
- Research and Prevention: Public health researchers study these patterns to develop targeted prevention strategies, particularly concerning environmental safety and restricting access to common means in public and institutional settings. [1]
And you're talking about, what... a dozen black people? Out of 220 per year. So around 5% give or take, for a cohort that is about 14% of the total population.
I really do think this is political theater. I'm cynical and jaded, but I think this is people making a big deal out of it because it has optics they can leverage for political gain. It's certainly not a case of rampant racist lynchings.
