First and foremost, we made it to the end! Congratulations to all of you for making it this far
and the best of luck to everyone in their academic, professional, and personal life and
endeavors.
a Moving on to the topic at hand, my personal opinion is that, on the whole, physicians
earn the paychecks they receive. To become a physician, there are lengthy and rigorous
education requirements, time and money spent to obtain the education, and, as we have
learned throughout this term, we have a growing need for providers in the United States. I do
not personally see a relationship between the tenet of “first do no harm,” the Code of Ethics
stating to help others, and the paycheck that a physician receives for performing the work they
are licensed and trained to do.
a To become a physician in the United States, the typical education consists of a four-
year undergraduate degree, four years of medical school, and at least three years of residency
training, depending on the specialty (Kowarski & Smith-Barrow, 2019). Simply applying to med
school is not a guarantee, as around 41% of applicants to med school for the 2018-2019 school
year were admitted (Kowarski & Smith-Barrow, 2019). Additionally, many graduates of medical
school leave with more than $200,000 in student loan debt directly related to medical school
expenses (Kowarski & Smith-Barrow, 2019). As we are all likely well aware of, the further one
goes in their educational journey, the more rigorous and stringent the grade requirements
become. Some may say “C’s get degrees,” but a med school prospective would likely find it
incredibly difficult to receive a seat in med school with a less-than-stellar GPA.
a Even more importantly, a physician’s salary has nothing to do with their compassion
for their patients or their desire to help others. Much like a veterinarian, who is also highly
educated and trained, these services cost money. Money is required to stay in business.
Veterinarians tend to love animals and want the very best that can be provided to them but
running a business with your heart is a surefire way to ensure that your business will go under
without an influx of cash from somewhere. A pet parent’s inability to pay and the
subsequential denial of services rendered should not fall on the vet’s shoulders. Likewise, a
doctor making a nice salary does not mean they are stealing from their patients, “doing harm,”
or violating the Code of Ethics by not helping others.
a Looking at the bigger picture, salary and wage issues are rampant across the United
States. The minimum wage has not increased in over 12 years, seeing its last increase in 2009
(Cooper, 2019). Instead of being upset with providers over how the salary they earn or the lack
of universal health coverage in the United States, attention should be turned to how little
employers are paying their human capital. I firmly believe that an employer paying their
employees the minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour, would pay their employees
less if they could, despite the minimum wage not being enough of an income to live off of
(Cooper, 2019). Higher education is not always a guarantee of an increased salary, but
becoming a physician is notoriously one of the most reliable careers in terms of stability of pay
received (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2007).
References
Cooper, D. (2019, February 5). Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2024 would lift pay
for nearly 40 million workers. Economic Policy Institute.
https://www.epi.org/publication/raising-the-federal-minimum-wage-to-15-by-2024-
would-lift-pay-for-nearly-40-million-workers/
Kowarski, I., & Smith-Barrow, D. (2019, July 23). Should you go to med school and become a
doctor? U.S. News. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-
medical-schools/slideshows/5-questions-to-ask-if-you-want-to-be-a-doctor
