Surgeon Salary

Video Transcript

"As far as monetary reimbursement for...for my profession, first of all let me state that during the time of our training, we do get some financial stipend. It does allow us to take care of our families, but it doesn't allow us to have any of the luxuries that all of us would eventually want to have. So during the eight years or so of residency training, and medical school, medical school doesn't have a stipend. But during the residency training years we do have a stipend that allows us to meet most of the basic expenses of life. As a...as a surgeon starts out his practice, there is the opportunity to make three digits in income. There are some opportunities to become very successful financially. But, presently, with the...with the situation in the medical profession, and with insurances and some of the many challenges we have...we are challenged with a malpractice insurance, which is very expensive. Diminishing remuneration from insurance companies, which has fairly substantially reduced our income from where it was about ten years ago. Medicaid was just passed by the...by the legislature to cut down another ten percent of reimbursement to physicians. So, it's really not a profession that you should go into with a desire to become rich. We certainly are able to...to provide in a very...a very nice way for our families. But it's hard work, and it's not....if you have the desire to become rich, I'd go into business. If you want to find a fulfilling, high-dignity, very, very satisfying profession, go into medicine."