Income of GP Doctors

Originally Posted by Slave of Medicine

I think most of you have been masked from the reality. I’m a foreign grad and came to singapore as a MO. I totally aware of the issue of overworked and underpaid!!

Well, probably this article above is true if u are working for private sector, or a specialist. But in general, the medical sector in singapore is like a field of slavery. How many percent of us actually made it through to become a registrar/consultant? even if u made it, how many of u can get into the private sector?

Why concern on the total amount that you earn p.a? why not look at how many hours you work per week and count your pay per hour?? Believe it or not, our pay per hour is probably lesser than a nurses’ pay per hour.

How many of you who want to do medicine, full of enthusiasm, thinking that u might make big money out of medicine actually and realise how hard a medical doctor has to work? perhaps a lot of us are/were just way too naive…

Do you know what is on call? do you know how long does a call last for? and how much do u get out of a call??
The definition of ON CALL:
Start working from 7am - 5pm (your daily working hours), then continue from 5pm - 7am the next day (ON CALL); subsequently continue to work like any other day from 7am - 12pm…then you can go home if your colleague is around to cover your daily routine. Please count the number of hours that u have to work non-stop. You think you can take a nap at night when u are ON CALL? forget it!! And working for 30++ hours will give you how much in return??? SGD 110-130 (for HO) and SGD 240-340 (for MO)

Do you think this is physiological? Do you think this is safe for patients or your own health?
Do you think with a basic salary + call pay (taxable) that gives u SGD about 3800-4500 per month (before tax) is worth you spending millions to get the medical degree and work like a donkey for the next 10-20 years? How long do you have to work in order to pay back the amount that you’ve spent on your degree??

If you want to work as a doctor but VERY concern about your pay and increment, i suppose you are not suitable to be in the medical profession. Ask around and find out what is it like to be a doctor before you get yourself into the puddle of mud. If you ask me how many medical doctors actually regret of being a doctor.. i would say more than 80% of us DO regret of being one… not becoz the pay is low. Our welfare and wellbeing is just being ignored by the authority. Doctor is a very nobel profession, however it is also a very inhumane profession that will cause us more harm than good… we are human after all, we are not an immortal.. Even a domestic servant will get to have their meals, toilet breaks and adequate rest on a daily basis!! these are basic human needs!! So what are we??? we are slaves!!!!!

Do you know why?

That's because you are an MO. <<< the most junior among doctors.

Everyone starts somewhere. As you move along registrar, consultant etc. Your working hours and wage get better.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Do you know why?

That's because you are an MO. <<< the most junior among doctors.

Everyone starts somewhere. As you move along registrar, consultant etc. Your working hours and wage get better.

actually i think it gets worse... more teaching more admin more meetings more stuff not related to medicine, pay so - so compared to all your peers in Finance/ Law/ Dentistry etc.

only gets better when u are 40s, when u r out in private practice. and still that depends on what specialty u r in. by the time ur peers probably retired or nearly retiring.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

actually i think it gets worse... more teaching more admin more meetings more stuff not related to medicine, pay so - so compared to all your peers in Finance/ Law/ Dentistry etc.

only gets better when u are 40s, when u r out in private practice. and still that depends on what specialty u r in. by the time ur peers probably retired or nearly retiring.

if u are a struggling GP in your late 20s or early 30s who is trying to compare yourself with your specialist colleagues, you should stop whinging and give a damn about emigrating out to australia/nz.
once u hit over 35, it gets a lot harder to jump on the immigration bandwagon

it is no secret that hardworking GPs in australia make about the same amount as say singapore based physician specialists (gen med/paediatrician/intensivist)

If you want to compare the income, you have to compare the expenses as well. What is taxation like in Australia and what is the cost of living like. Sure getting a big car and getting a big dream house is probably more affordable but your daily expenses is so much higher.

And then you have get into the intangibles like quality of life. So instead of bitching about it, do something and make a difference.

I have 2 friends who are both doctors, same age. A is married with kid and is a GP. B is single, just became an associate consultant and preparing to do his sub-specialty abroad.

A got out of the game early and became a GP even before he got into a program, because like Slave of Medicine, he cannot stand the shift work. It was killing him. By joining the GP land 3 yrs back, his salary jumped from $4.8k p/m to $10k p/m. Work sucks medically, no better than a MO in SAF handling sick parade. But life is outside of work si great, golf on weekdays, much more time to go home and play with his kid. Sure he is bored at work and intellectually starved, life for him is not about work anymore. Work is just a means to get the $10k for him to enjoy life.

B stuck it through all the way. Worked the shifts, got into a surgical program. Salary jumped from $4.8k to $6.5k. Slogged more and studied even more (what people dont see is the crazy amount of studying involved as a doctor) and finally became an assoc. consultant this year and salary jumped to $10k. Swinging single and loving it. Looking forward to his overseas training abroad as a huge step towards his medical ambition. And he is finally seeing his rewards. Monetary-wise.

So you gotta ask yourself, what kind of person are you? If you are not motivated by the big endgame, maybe you should move into GP-land. If you are, then the shifts are just gonna be great beer stories when you are a big time consultant earning $25k p/m in a couple of years time.

A or B?

Originally Posted by 2 Stoopid 4 Med Skool

If you want to compare the income, you have to compare the expenses as well. What is taxation like in Australia and what is the cost of living like. Sure getting a big car and getting a big dream house is probably more affordable but your daily expenses is so much higher.

And then you have get into the intangibles like quality of life. So instead of bitching about it, do something and make a difference.

I have 2 friends who are both doctors, same age. A is married with kid and is a GP. B is single, just became an associate consultant and preparing to do his sub-specialty abroad.

A got out of the game early and became a GP even before he got into a program, because like Slave of Medicine, he cannot stand the shift work. It was killing him. By joining the GP land 3 yrs back, his salary jumped from $4.8k p/m to $10k p/m. Work sucks medically, no better than a MO in SAF handling sick parade. But life is outside of work si great, golf on weekdays, much more time to go home and play with his kid. Sure he is bored at work and intellectually starved, life for him is not about work anymore. Work is just a means to get the $10k for him to enjoy life.

B stuck it through all the way. Worked the shifts, got into a surgical program. Salary jumped from $4.8k to $6.5k. Slogged more and studied even more (what people dont see is the crazy amount of studying involved as a doctor) and finally became an assoc. consultant this year and salary jumped to $10k. Swinging single and loving it. Looking forward to his overseas training abroad as a huge step towards his medical ambition. And he is finally seeing his rewards. Monetary-wise.

So you gotta ask yourself, what kind of person are you? If you are not motivated by the big endgame, maybe you should move into GP-land. If you are, then the shifts are just gonna be great beer stories when you are a big time consultant earning $25k p/m in a couple of years time.

A or B?

Very good advise. One of the best I've seen so far here in salary.sg

Its a never-ending debate on Money vs Life. Its hard to have both unless you are the big TOW KAY and can shoot arrows!

Are polyclinic doctors in Singapore considered GPs since they are MO? I heard their pay is not much higher than their peers of other profession? How much can a polyclinic doctor earn when he is 35? Some say 5K+. Is that true?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Are polyclinic doctors in Singapore considered GPs since they are MO? I heard their pay is not much higher than their peers of other profession? How much can a polyclinic doctor earn when he is 35? Some say 5K+. Is that true?

Please don't become a doctor for the money, it is a honourable profession that deals with life/death.

If you are from a top JC, become a lawyer/investment banker instead.

Originally Posted by specdr

Please don't become a doctor for the money, it is a honourable profession that deals with life/death.

If you are from a top JC, become a lawyer/investment banker instead.

Are you saying that one has to be poor to be an honorable doctor?

Originally Posted by specdr

Please don't become a doctor for the money, it is a honourable profession that deals with life/death.

If you are from a top JC, become a lawyer/investment banker instead.

agreed.

if you do a big deal and charge big $$$ for a nice M&A deal or win a big settlement you are doing GREAT!!

if you treat a patient 24/7 for a year and charge big $$$ even if the patient says her istana will pay but later istana don't want to pay, you get SUED!!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Are you saying that one has to be poor to be an honorable doctor?

Your comprehension alone would preclude you from becoming a doctor.