PODIATRIST SALARIES
Podiatrist is a doctor specialized in the care people's feet. And yeah - they earn big too !Check out the figures....
Houston, TX : $145,000/-
Los Angeles, CA : $150,000/-
New York, NY : $155,300/-
Seattle, WA : $150,000/-
A 2006 Workforce analysis and salary survey for Podiatrists in America revealed an average of around $150,000/-
A big reason why they earn big is that they do a lot of procedures, which are classified as surgical procedures by the insurance companies - even the cutting of calluses, corns and difficult nails. And as I have mentioned lotsa times all over this blog, insurance companies pay a doctor more for procedures than for just consulting and prescribing.
The field of Podiatry continues to see higher incomes thanks to higher demand and low supplies. I can't but help comparing the practice and lifestyles of Podiatry to Family Medicine. Podiatrist work lesser hours, have a more controllable lifestyle, see almost as much incomes as the Family practitioners and takes much lesser time to become one. What's more - in 2007, podiatric medicine was ranked a cool 15th on Forbes' survey of "America's 25 Best Paying Jobs !
Q. How to be a Podiatrist in USA ?
A. To be there, you got to complete a 4-year Podiatry medical school and then follow it up with a 2 year residency - quicker than the MD line Medical school track ain't it ?
NOTE: Salaries here are the 50th Percentile Salaries and may apply to mid-career levels - the lower percentile salaries (for fresh physicians) may actually be lower by 30,000- 40,000 $
Also Read:
- American Podiatrist Incomes On the Rise
- Podiatrist Tie Pin
Nice Books:
- Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Part II (National Board Review)
- Master Techniques in Podiatric Surgery: The Foot and Ankle
Search Keywords to this blog article:
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- "WHAT MUCH MONEY DOES A PODIATRIST EARN"
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Labels: Podiatrist, Podiatry
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posted by Digitaldoc, MD at 7:25 PM
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Thats true - I did not mention the 4 Undergrad years of pre-podiatry medical school required for qualifying into the medical school. Thanks for your input !
Hi,
There is a LOT of different reports with HUGE margins (30k - 275k) for Podiatrists?
How can anyone be sure of what the reality is in terms of Podiatrists salaries in the US?
Is the above stats net or gross income?
I think people who want to get into Pod school should be very careful because if you end up earning even 80k net after about 5yrs in practice then you would still struggle getting by due to the almost ~175k student loan you end up with as a result of college and Pod school.
The Pod schools and the CPME try to promote Pod a lot by exaggerating Pod salaries but reality is FAR from what they quote.
So good students beware....I am not discouraging anyone from pursuing their passion if Pod is indeed their passion but, do your research first-hand, ask a Pod IF it is appropriate to do so about their earning range (remember ask for the net/take-home pay).
Another comment on the comparability of podiatrist and family practice docs relates to working less and having a more controllable lifestyle. If you have a surgical practice then you are frequently working more. Not only do you have office hours but you have a surgical schedule and then hospital rounds. I'm not sure where the idea of shorter hours and a more controllable schedule comes from. Additionally, podiatrists face rising supply costs and lower insurance reimbursement just like everyone else. Your info is not exactly accurate.
I am in my first year of practice. My gross income will be 280,000 this year. So podiatry pays well if you get the right opportunity
All podiatry schools do not require a bachelor's degree. Some require general pre-requisites (chemistry, organic, physics, english) therefore you time in school could be shorter because these can theoretically be done in 2 years.
As for the 'some do not require degrees', some schools do have joint programs with surrounding undergrad universities where you can do your first 3 years at undergrad, and finish up your 4th year while in your 1st year at pod school. Also, they are about to mandate that all residencies become 3 year surgical programs, so 4yrs undergrad+4 yrs pod school+ 3years of residency is not any shorter than a family pract. However, if you want to do foot and ankle sx specifically, the md route is much longer because you must do undergrad, med school, a couple years of general surgery for residency, and then sub specialize with another 2 years of foot and ankle (something like that-point is, it's longer).
As for the different salaries, well, if you are only going to be doing routine foot care (corns, calluses, etc), you will obviously not have the same income as a podiatrist who performs alot of surgery. So, there is a large window. And, like with anything, a starting podiatrist will make much less than one who has been in practice for 20 years and has their own office. Last summer I worked for a podiatry practice, and the two owners were making in the upper 200,000s, and we brought in another doctor right out of residency and they started him at under 100,000 a year (which is still not bad). So, you gotta work your way up, it takes time, but the payoff is very nice.
Also, I believe the 30,000 at the bottom of the range that you are talking about is residency pay, and this is the lowest of the scale. I don't know of any residencies that even pay that low. I think the averages are in the upper 40s, and depending where you get one (Cali vs. Alabama), you can get up into the 50s, maybe higher. Like I said though, this is for during a podiatric residency, that is not referring to the average income (which is in the 100,000s), of a podiatrist post-residency (which is when you are a 'full-fledge' doctor). Ex: Think Grey's anatomy, mere and co are doctors, but don't make nearly as much as mcdreamy or any of the other attendings :-)
OMG :S
i have no idea about the pay of a podiatrist in different years. All the sites which show the pay of different careers do not mention what they had to do to get this pay, or how long they have been in their careers. can anyone tell me of sites or just tell me about how much a podiatrist in different years earns???????
=D
Why not just go to medical school, specialize in othopaedics and subspecialize in foot and ankle. Granted it would take a few more years to accomplish this route but the pay off his much larger than the DPM route. The Podiatric profession somewhat resembles that of Chiropractic in that the ability to establish oneself and earn a good income is much more difficult and seems strongly based off geography, competition, reputation, and the economy. Granted, it is that way for all physicians to some degree but why struggle to get your life going when you can be busy from the start in ortho. I know several DPM's and there are drastic differences in their incomes. Much of it is based on how long they have been in practice but much of it is determined by whether you are a DPM that performed a surgical residency or one that has not. DPM's are like MD's, just because you graduated from school doesn't mean you can walk into the OR and operate. We all have some surgical training and can probably perform reasonably well but it doesn't mean that you should. If push came to shove, I can probably remove a gallbladdr or an appendix by myself but that doesn't mean I should or would even be allowed to. If i'm correct, DPM's have to complete a surgical residency (for which there are not many, at least not enough to cover 50% of those that graduate) before you can operate and increase your income levels. So what does that do for the primary DPM? Probably makes life extremely difficult and this probably has as much to do with the disparity of incomes as location and years in practice. Hope this helps!
RAM MD
I think I can comment on this a little, and then I shall go back to studying physiology! hehe
I'm a first year student a Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine and can clear up some confusion. The vast majority of residencies are 3 year Forefoot and Rearfoot Surgery residencies. It used to be that podiatrists had the option of 1,2, or 3 year residencies, but the reality is that there is movement towards a standardization of training across the board, hence the phasing out of 1 and 2 year residencies, and the implementation of all 3 year residencies, which ALL encompass surgery. However, with the residency programs in mind, they each have different strengths and weaknesses. Some may have more diabetic wound care, others may have more of a focus on trauma related to the foot. And there are enough residencies to cover those who graduate, however. . . this may not be the case as there is a new podiatry school opening up next year in California.
In general, podiatrist tend to do very well. A lot depends on YOU. How bad do you want anything? They were listed as I believe the number 9 earners in Forbes top earners. Google it. We make more than lawyers, who are number 10. haha!
1/06/2009
Hope that helps!!
-Future podiatrist in training!
I am a practicing podiatrist and grossed last year 137K. I have been out or residency for 6.5 years. I began with 45K, then 84K, 82K, 92K all as an employee. I then bought a practice, first year 60K the second 137K and my current 3rd year is on tract for higher. I do minimal surgery but some here and there, the past I did a lot more but choose to less now With owning my own practice I keep more of my earning and so I relax more. I did 2 one year residencies, a POR and a PPMR. I obtained surgical skill in my residencies despite not having a surgical residency.
Gross or net? Grossing 137k means you're taking home a net of rougly half that.
wow, most of these people are wayyyyy off. i'm in school now at Scholl (the best school;)) and Im in my last year. There are plenty of surgery residency spots available and the pay is right around 50K (as stated above). Even the worst podiatrists can get a job these days just due to diabetes alone....it is the perfect niche and the pay is insane right now, even with the economy. You just always have to watch your butt though that what you are doing is required. Pretty soon, all residency spots are going to require 3 years. The pay will be around 100K and up right when we are done, but it all depends on the state and its statutes of limitation. Wisconsin (lower paying)....very concentrated, Kansas (500K a year) gold mine!
A podiatrist can earn a handsome salary only if he is really good in his profession. what a patient expects is not only treatment but also comfort & painless treatment.
ok, but how many professions do you know of where you can be bad at what you do but still make a huge income. Being good applies to all professions across the board, not just podiatry. clientele want good service with everything.