Are doctors underpaid?

     Are doctors underpaid?

By Claire Ricketts

Doctor's get a high salary. Is it enough?

    We think of them as the most highly paid members of our society. If someone says they one day want to be rich, we say, “Become a brain surgeon.” No one ever mentions becoming a banker (even though you can make quite a bit of money from that too). So, even though they are paid mass amounts of money, and are trusted members of our community, some are complaining that they don’t feel compensated enough.
    Some people feel that this is obvious. After going to years and years of college and medical school, having low-paying internships, and complicated residencies, many people feel the high salary isn’t worth it. Student loans that take years to pay off don’t feel like much of a victory to most, even with the mass amounts of money.
    Many citizens in the community don't agree, however. Ashley Pun, a student in the Beaverton school district, says "I think [doctors] are overpaid, because everyone says "You should be a doctor when you grow up!" because that's how you make a lot of money." Emily, a fellow peer, says "I think they're fairly paid. I've always pictured doctors as these really rich men and women who get paid a ton of money. They shouldn't be selfish and want more." However, no one said they thought doctors were underpaid. Maybe that's because they don't have experience with the student loans, or because they don't know the extent of all the good work that doctors do for us. And, as Emily put it, many think they are being selfish.
    Despite the fact that medical education hasn’t changed for a while, this is a relatively new complaint. In fact, in the year 1985, a survey was done, and medical doctors were said to be the #1 overpaid people out of any job in the U.S. However, this complaint was made by people in other professions, so they may have had less information about the complicated loan system and seemingly endless years of schooling. Still, how could one of the highest-paying jobs in the world leave people disappointed?
     The problem of unsatisfied doctors may blow over, and many hope it will. The happier our doctors are, the more likely they are to want to treat people and to continue to benefit our community to the fullest.

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