Given that the minimum full time wage in Australia is about $640 per week, or about $33,000 a year. I cannot see how he earns $600 a week. Even if you mean net pay?
Yes, it's pretty outrageous isn't it. It boils down to being paid as part time, but the hospital knowing full well (and expecting) that you're full time. Awards etc haven't quite solved the 'on call' responsibilities of doctors. The doctor in question I mentioned is paid as a percentage of a full time equivalent (the 100% rate of which is about $130000 PA) but still works at least 6 days a week. But we don't clock on or off, as it were, and we migrate around the hospital so there's no real record. However, there are very few who are actually employed 100%. This is really common, and is a form of underemployment where you still spend your days working, but on paper are only part part time.
Thanks Alchemy, I'm astounded by this. I always imagined doctors and especially surgeons starting on about $70k at year one but rapidly rising through to 2 or 300k within a decade.
Would it be a minority who earn low dollars like this or perhaps 50/50 ?
Again, I can't quite believe it.
When I holiday on the Sunshine Coast I have seen several ads for GP's with salary's starting with a 3. Is there a particular reason for that?
Thanks for your time.
Interns are currently paid about $60,000 PA in NSW (before tax). Resident 1 are paid about 68k, Resident 2 78k (same as registrar 1) and so forth. Full time final year surgical registrars (specialist trainees in the public system) are paid about $100,000 but expected to work crazy hours. Surgical fellows (when you're qualified, but not yet in a permanent boss job) are often paid $20k stipend per annum or less. Staff specialist surgeon starts at about $130k but again, only if you get employed as 100% full time equivalent which is very very rare now except in the country (and to be honest, $130k for someone who has worked their arse off for ~15 years and holds significant responsibility I think is not excessive!)
When members of the public see a specialist they might have a consult in rooms for 10 minutes and be charged $170 and think that's a bit steep. But when the costs of rooms, practice costs (so much regulation $$), secretary, insurance, courses, training debts, relocation debts and heaps of pro-bono stuff you have to do are factored in, most surgeons do not break even in rooms unless they see >14 people in day of consulting rooms. Same goes for operations - in a private list you need at least a couple of cases to cover the overheads.
I'm only a PPL so I don't know how hard it is to be a CPL and airline pilot etc which I'm sure are much more effort. But I did the PPL for relaxation and found the exams to be relaxing - surgical exams are somewhat more scary!
As multiple people have said - we do it because we like it, or we have some weird sense of duty or something. I didn't pick my profession for money - I had other options if that was the priority! And I don't regret it.
But I reiterate - pilots should be paid more, I think, especially (some of the) poor buggers in GA and SO/FO who are getting paid $60k - total exploitation. Reckon it should be 100+