What kind of salary do NHSC physicians typically have? I know it depends a lot on location, and that the salaries offered are "locally competitive", but it would be nice to have a more concrete idea of what doctors earn while working with underserved populations. If anyone can please share specific examples that they have come across and wouldn't mind including a few details (such as type of clinic, specialty, region, urban/rural), that would be great. Mainly, I would just like some reassurance that by accepting an NHSC scholarship I won't be ripped off when it comes time to get a job.
Some background on myself, since location, specialty, and whatnot matter so very much in discussions of this nature.
- Family Medicine PGY-3. Currently in a program about 10 miles outside of a major metropolitan area in the northeast part of the country (think NYC-Philly-DC area). Will graduate this coming June.
- NHSC scholar; 2 year commitment.
- Seriously looked for jobs mainly in the NYC-Philly-DC area, as well as the Southeast. Ended up accepting a job in an urban area in the southeastern part of the country - no OB, no in-patient, no nursing home duties. Strictly outpatient.
The jobs that I looked at in the southeast paid a little less than the national average, which I would guesstimate to be ~$150K. In the rural areas (ex: Florida panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina), the salaries were as high as $140K. Didn't see anything that dipped below $110K. If it did, I doubt that they'd be able to get anyone to join them. Anything below $100K for family medicine, even in an underserved area, is...well, let's just say that there are a LOT of better offers out there. Even for NHSC scholars.
$140K is really not bad, considering that this is your first job as an attending, and you'll be working in a community health center-type setting. That's actually much higher than what I would get if I took a job with the suburban hospital where I am currently doing my residency.
If you tack on any kind of procedures (i.e. if you do FM-OB), you can expect to get paid much more. Of course, your call schedule will be significantly worse as well.
Thank you for your post, MedMan25. I happen to be from the Northwest, so that information is just what I'm looking for. Emailing various clinic sites was actually my next plan of action, too, so I appreciate the fact that you have already done that and shared your findings. Did any of them tell you about their work hours and benefits? Another thing I would be curious about if you happen to know is call schedule.
Work hours at the job where I am looking were fairly standard - 8AM-5PM, 4-4.5 days a week, possibly one or two weekend mornings a month, with home call for one week at a time only.
Benefits were also pretty standard - retirement fund, 2 weeks paid vacation, 1.5 weeks for holidays, CME allowance, etc.
Keep in mind that if you work at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), federal law mandates that the government pays for your malpractice insurance; it does not come out of your pocket.
The number of patients per day that they expect their physicians to see is roughly about what the attendings in our residency clinic see - about 20 minutes per patient, 15 for same day sick walk-ins. (Yes, I know this sounds INCREDIBLY daunting if you're a pre-med or a med student; as a resident, that's what we're expected to do now. Some private practices at non-NHSC sites require that their physicians see patients every 10 minutes.)
Other benefits that some people look for are not there, of course. Because these are community health centers, there are no productivity bonuses, and frequently no sign-on bonus. This didn't particularly bother me, since I don't have any loans to pay off, but some people may not like this.
There are also no opportunities to make partner in the practice. Again, not a problem for me (partly why I signed up to do the NHSC in the first place), but for some people, this is a big issue. Just something to look out for, if you're the kind of person who was hoping to buy a portion of the practice that you join.
Hope this helps.