Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Medical residents getting the very short end of the stick

 I've been passing around some thoughts I've had on (especially males) becoming nurses.  Seems median nurses pay in Illinois is $75,000 -- in New York is $100,000.

Finally occurred to me that medical residents with four years of medical school and who work 100 hours a week get only $65,000.  Physicians assistants in Illinois average $135,000 a year. Residents do more complicated procedures than PAs -- for 100 hours (!) a week compared to 40 hours.  If the excuse is that residents are getting an free education (as it were) -- I remember a PA in an urgent care clinic telling me that PAs get their residency on the job.

Nothing could be easier to sell to the public that inherent unfairness here -- wildly so.  Physicians pretax earnings are only 10% of the medical costs so paying residents what they are worth should hardly cause any strain.

Cite articles like these:
"Officials say the 5 1/2-year contract gives nurses an immediate $16,000 raise in the first year and over $5,500 in the second year. The increase will bring salaries for nurses up to par with those at private facilities."
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjT7KroqIuDAxWqtokEHWWBDsUQFnoECA0QAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbronx.news12.com%2Fnyc-health-hospitals-nurses-to-receive-major-pay-bump-following-new-contract&usg=AOvVaw2wDtggAOn8m4FMDxfZdOSd&opi=89978449

"The Teamsters union reached an agreement with UPS that secured a total compensation package of $170,000 for UPS drivers ..."
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ups-drivers-video-breaking-down-185543274.html

What I've been passing around:
https://ontodayspage.blogspot.com/2023/08/jimmy-hoffas-wet-dream-strong-squaws.html

(I was in Teamster 804 back in 1970 when it was Gimble's furniture warehouse.)