my$0.02

See the MIEC rate calculator for real rate quotes by specialty. The fifth year premium (multiplied by four) represents a "mature" premium. 1M/3M limits are typical. So yes, anesthesiology premiums are in the 20ish K area.
Medical Insurance Exchange of California - Rate calculator

Suicide rates for anesthesiologists, perhaps due to drug access, are higher than for some specialties (peds), but lower than for others (psychiatry).

The practice of anesthesia requires close cooperation with surgeons, a tolerance for not being completely in charge, and the ability to make decisions based on incomplete information.

Suicide rates for docs in general may be higher than for the general public. See the recent AP story.
Study: Hundreds of Surgeons Commit Suicide Each Year - Health - redOrbit

rocketman08

I was always told that Anesthesiologist malpractice premiums were among the highest, not lowest... they're often the first to be blamed, and sued, when something goes wrong during surgery. Although some of the sites presented suggest otherwise...

Princess'Dad

The problem is where you are looking. In California anesthesiology is a "low-risk" while in Florida it is high. It is generally considered one of the high risk after ob and surgery. As noted, it has the 8th highest average payments.

The specialties perceived as being at high risk for malpractice suit, ... were surgery and its subspecialties, obstetrics and gynecology, and anesthesiology.
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pic...6&blobtype=pdf

Anesth. 8th highest ave indemity paid: Malpractice claim review offers mixed news for pediatricians -- 18 (4): 154 -- AAP News

Relative Income Expectations, Expected Malpractice Premium Costs, and Other Determinants of Physician Specialty Choice
B. F. Kiker and Michael Zeh
Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Vol. 39, No. 2 (Jun., 1998), pp. 152-167

Princess'Dad

ps
Psych has the highest drug and suicide rate (I would be depressed too after listening all day...)
Anesth is second highest (as noted above, possibly secondary to ease of drugs)

Princess'Dad

But to go back to the gist of this discussion.

Malpractice premiums should not be the basis of making one's decision of which specialty in medicine. Nor should salary. (If you want salary, go into plastic surgery - all elective and cash paid prior to doing and where the malpractice premium is the highest)

The premium is simply part of overhead. It does make academic medicine more attractive to some.

Do what one enjoys.

As a surgeon who has been out of school 30 years, it is depressing to see so many looking at salary. Perhaps a change in society.

chaz90

If you've learned anything from this thread, do not go into any medicine for the money!

koolsidez

fair enough. It's still going to be hard choice for me on whether or not to go into medicine, because i really do think it would be cool to help people in a way that few other professions can. This, and the fact that it is a challenging profession that not all can/will do.
However, i still do think it's fair to evaluate ALL the aspects of the profession. the name of the thread is "Is a career in medicine really worth it?" and these sort of things are things i have to think about as well when determining if it's "really worth it". There's a reason people get paid to work, otherwise, you wouldn't have very many people working. Getting back to the point, these sort of things need to be taken into account when choosing your eventual occupation, because it WILL impact your life.

roxxy

Quite an eye-opening thread.

Thanks to all contributors!

Shrinkrap

Here's something from a Psychiatry forum I frequent. Not sure if it belongs here, but I thought the perspective might be interesting.




"As already mentioned, these changes are certainly not limited to psych residents. There are significant changes in expectations and identification throughout medicine (if not society as a whole). My residents (anesthesiology) used to think of themselves as physicians first. Now they see themselves as something else (skiers, runners, travelers, etc.) who happen to practice medicine in order to make a living. There are feelings of entitlement that seem to run deep. I am not convinced that this is simply due to the shortened work week during residency. I think there are larger societal issues at play (some of which have already been noted). I am still amazed when we interview people fresh out of residency for an attending slot, who will tell us at interview that they won't take call, won't work weekends and need to leave the O.R. by 5 p.m. The approach to work is sloppy. The response to criticism is "whatever". While I can still find good residents now and again, I feel that many of them are just training to be technicians rather than what I would think of as a physician."

my$0.02

“I love being a doctor but I hate practicing medicine,” a friend, Saeed Siddiqui, told me recently. We were sitting in his office amid his many framed medical certificates and a poster of an illuminated lighthouse that read: “Success doesn’t come to you. You go to it.”

From the New York Times Essay - Fed Up With the Frustrations, More Doctors Change Course - NYTimes.com

focusvision

very interesting thread. I, too, am looking into medicine, but not really sure which field. Funny enough, anesthesiology was one field i was interested in. However, after reading this and with full knowledge of the United States' dire health care situation. I wonder if I really want to be involved with that.
I took a class called Moral and Social Problems in Health Care where we watched a film that basically documented a group of doctors and their struggles with today's current health care system and all this paperwork nonsense that they have to deal with.

There are some real good points in that article from the last poster. How's a doctor supposed to give good care when he has to worry about insurance companies rejecting coverage all the time. Then the doctor has to take time away from actually helping patients to deal with THAT BS. I work in a pharmacy as a tech and i see crazy costs all the time for drugs and so many claims being rejected from the insurance companies, which we then have to call the doctor back on to get him to change the prescription. I mean, that's ridiculous. If the patient needs it, he/she should get it.

But then again, those are just idealistic dreams. So I really wonder because one huge reason i would do medicine is to actually be able to interact with people and help them with skills that I worked long and hard to attain and that not many other people have. But if i'm going to have a hand tied behind my back in terms of what i can do due to insurance companies, im not sure if i like that too much.

Perhaps other professions i have been thinking about seem more appealing now, like business or pharmacy.

nervedoctor

Not all doctors work in private practices where they have to spar with insurance companies alone. There are academic, multispecialty groups, pharma and government jobs (FDA, NIH< VA, etc) where physicians are paid fair salaries (sometimes with bonuses) and fewer hassels.

ali_mayhem

this thread is very interesting and informng.

just wondering. for nerology which is better, hospital or private practice??

bluedevilmike

... so first off, the opposite of "private practice" is not "hospital." Plenty of private practice docs work in hospitals.

Second, which one is "better" depends on what you want out of your career.

GoldShadow

Like Elliot from Scrubs.