bonepain Registered User Posts: 1 (1/5/01 8:00:34 pm) Reply ortho salaries decreasing??? I have always understood that ortho surgeons work hard, but are well compensated for their work. I have seen numbers like the median income around $260,000 nationally. However, I recently read an article saying that ortho surgeons are experiencing a drop in salaries. Furthermore, I was looking around at various job listing, many of which were offering $175k to $200k starting for generalists. I realize that this is starting, but it seemed kinda low compared to what I expected. What is the TRUTH behind ortho salaries? What does the average orthopod make coming out of fellowship, and then 10 yrs down the road?? This is an issue of curiousity for me, since I always heard of ortho as one of the most lucrative fields of medicine, with salaries getting into the $500,000/yr range for some. Thanks. OrthoDoc ezOP Posts: 23 (1/7/01 12:39:22 am) Reply Re: ortho salaries decreasing??? I would say most starting salaries are usually around 150-200/yr the first 1-2 years out of residency/fellowship. This is a fairly typical salary in the Midwest. It also depends on your contract with the group. Some groups will allow some production bonus, while others keep you strictly salaried until you're partner. If you're drawn to a very needy area for orthopods, you can see starting salaries much higher, but there is a reason for that (be cautious). As for long term salary, this can vary widely based on location, group type and distribution formula, managed care, subspecialty, etc... In a typical medium sized midwest town, a general orthopod will make between 300-600. A lot of it depends on how hard you want to work. Do you want a day off every week,etc... The average salaries have dropped in orthopedics over that last ten years, but have settled out just in the last couple of years.