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Sunday, March 29, 2009

my 'But he's a doctor' rebuttal.

I was reading an article the other day regarding slaries of teachers in Oklahoma. Curious, I grabbed my calculator and plugged in numbers to compare B's PGY3 salary to that of the 'average teacher salary'.

Yup.

We make less than an average teacher.

8 stinkin years of college, and gazillion hour work weeks, and we make less than a teacher.

Seems fair, right?

Those who hold the minds of our children, and those who hold the hands of those who are ill should be the poor ones, right?

Labels: discussion question, venting

7 Comments:

Anonymous said...: In Texas, as a PGY-3, my husband makes much more than I did as a teacher if you add in that we don't pay for our health insurance and he gets 20 days vacation. Of course, if a teacher was paid for 12 months instead of for 9 months of work, then they would probably still make more than he does now.; March 29, 2009 at 5:56 PM
Mrs. Dawkter said...: Just another reason this whole limination of loan deferment/forbearance after 3 years is seriously aggrivating me - not to mention that student loan rates are nearly TWICE the rate of mortgage rates - why must they make it so freaking difficult to make ends meet for residents - as if becoming a doctor isn't hard enough!; March 29, 2009 at 7:22 PM
Tasha said...: I used to think teachers got cheated--until I calculated their by the hour pay (plus the fact that they get to retire much earlier with healthcare benefits)--and they only have a bachelors. It's quite frustrating. I think that they should be paid well, but I think residents deserve it too.
I know that the interest rates used to be variable for student loans, but why did Congress change it to a fixed 6.8%? Considering the state of the economy right now, we're really getting the short end of the stick (I agree with Marissa); March 30, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Anonymous said...: As a former teacher (high school math), I have to defend teachers. I think we are comparing apples to oranges here. Yes, residents and fellows don't make a whole lot, but they're moving up in their training and most will make a heck of a lot more than teachers ever would. Yes, teachers make pretty good pay when you consider that they have 3 months off in the summer, vacations, etc, BUT have you ever worked with other people's children 9 months out of the year? That is hard work. No, it is not as stressful as being a doctor, but then doctor's are TRAINING...not making what they are making forever. Also, teachers (in Texas, at least) do not usually retire too much earlier...AND they cannot collect Social security unless they are smart about how they setup their retirement. Yes, I think resident pay stinks especially with the cost of living and the fact that many doctor's wives would like to stay home since their husbands can be "non-existent"...however, I don't think comparing to teachers is fair. For the work that many teacher's do, they do not get paid enough. When I can go and make the same amount a teacher does by becoming a manager at Gap or some other retail establishment with only a GED or diploma there is a problem.; March 30, 2009 at 3:55 PM
--Leann-- said...: WOW. didnt realize this would be a touchy subject.

Just to be clear. One of my best and oldest friends is a special-ed teacher. I have seen first hand how much work it is during the school year.

I have also seen how stressful it is to have to extrapolate your salary out for the 3month break where you dont get a paycheck. Or on the flipside, trying to get hired for a 3month period between school sessions.

I, personally, dont think teachers OR residents get paid enough.

that was all I meant. sorry to offend.; March 30, 2009 at 7:50 PM
Melisa said...: That was how I understood it, Leann. You were saying that people responsible for our children aren't getting paid enough and people responsible for our health aren't getting paid enough. I totally understood what you meant. :o); March 30, 2009 at 9:02 PM
Anonymous said...: Just to clarify, I wasn't offended. I am sorry if it came across that way...I just wanted to clarify some points that I felt were being left out when comparing the two professions. :); March 30, 2009 at 10:38 PM

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Sunday, March 29, 2009

my 'But he's a doctor' rebuttal.

7 Comments:

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