How much do GP's actually earn???!!!

[bruno]

here's my 2 cents worth,

nursesteve: points 2 and 3 are essentially the same, if 78000 is gross that just means before expenses and tax - so it may well have been the truth.
point 4 - dunno, hard to predict, you are talking about 10-14 years time when you'd be in that position, do you know how much things have changed in the last 10-14 years. Psychiatry shortage at the moment - bigger pressure as the government are going to try and make them responsible for personality disorders, i.e. f***wits who don't take responsibility for their actions, so you have to keep someone in hopital because you think that they may harm someone or themselves (have you seen minority report? but psychiatry is pretty well paid here. Not sure about the situation in the US at the moment, but you'd still have to go through a residency programme there. GP in 14 years time - maybe working from surgeries in supermarkets, train stations, wherever, government wants ease of access The new contract - a lot of it becomes about ticking the boxes to record the things wanted by the government - a lot of it is stuff that ensures good patient care anyway, but practices start worrying about ticking boxes to make sure they get the right payments. Anyway there will probably be another new contract by then.

Rhubarb: tends to be GPs with dispensing practices in rural areas (so they get the profits from running a pharmacy as well essentially), and it is the exception rather than the rule. But sure it is good motivation.

lucyfrombristol: I think you're right training probably will pan out like that. You can go further in the sense that you could develop a portfolio career and do other things. A lot of services have levels in between primary and secondary care which is usually run by specialist GPs. So you could do normal surgeries for a 3 days a week, then maybe do a couple of days doing endoscopies, or gynae clinics, ent, orthopaedics etc, or you could go into academia as well, lecturing or training med students/foundation year doctors or registrars - there's plenty of scope.

[Mac5800]

training for GP is :
4/5/6yr med school
2yr Foundation program
1yr SHO
1yr GP registrar

[lucyfrombristol]

On a positive note - on Friday one of the GPs that I work told me that he earnt 120K last year

[kwatt26]

Woah, good for him! I wonder how many hours he works/week etc.... [cue lucyfrombristol]

[lucyfrombristol]

I can't answer that I'm afraid, although he did make it clear that he sees his role as a GP very much as 'work' and not his whole life. He doesn't strike me as the workaholic type, although I'm sure he's a great doctor and all that! I think he does some sessions in A&E too...

[karnesh]

The GP training scheme is called the VTS. You can apply for it after you have received full registration from the GMC (ie: after your PRHO year), though with the current changes in training, will most likely be after completion of Foundation training.

VTS training entails a few years of medicine (rotating through different specialities), and possibly O+G and paeds, with 1 year at a GP practice (the GP registrar part).

At that point you've essentially completed the basic required training to be a GP. At the moment, there is no requirement to complete the MRCGP as a pre-requisite, but I understand the RCGP is looking to change this.

GP's can specialise in various subjects to an extent. This is generally done by completing diplomas in those specialities. A diploma like this is essentially a "milder" version of the full Royal College qualification. For example, instead of the MRCOphth (Memer of the Royal College of Ophthalmology), a GP can do the DRCOphth (Diploma of the Royal College of Ophthalmology). This doesn't mean that they can't do the full blown qualifications, but they tend to require longer times training in that speciality than a GP tends to have done, so normally the only additional basic qualification will be the MRCP, as they have to do medical rotations as part of the VTS anyway.

As GP's have more "time off" compared to hospital docs, they are generally able to take up other pursuits/speciality work, depending on their qualifications/interests. These GP's are known as GPSI's (pronounced gypsy), short for GP with Special Interests.

As for how much they earn. At the moment, the average GP will probably earn around £100,000/year, but those with extra Diplomas and speciality training can also do small operating lists every so often, and there is also the option to do on-calls at nights (very lucrative). By doing this, you can really boost your earnings. I know 2 colleagues who are GP's and who earn over £250,000/year each in their respective practices.....

I think that covers the essentials.

[nomad]

Hi there,

Just want to clarify a few points. Total training for GP AFTER medschool is:

Foundation jobs (2 years)
then 3 years Vocational Training Scheme (VTS) which entails 2 years hospital jobs, and 1 year as a GP Reg.

This is 5 years total AFTER med school

GP Pay varies HUGELY depedning on if you are salaried, a partner, a locum or a mixture.

Salaried jobs vary from about £55k to £80k for 8-9 sessions (i.e 4 days or 4 and a hlaf days, with NO nights or weekends.)

Locums earn between £300 and abour £500 per day depending on where in the country and the time of year / demand

Partners now average about £90-100k, although partners in good practices can earn over £150k withouth doing any weekends or nights (this is extra!!)

I am currently on a VTS in SOuth Wales and will hopefully finish in just over 18 months and start as a GP locum initially.

There is free info on applying for GP training as well as current payscales for GP Registrars at http://www.gpvts.info (this site is free to use)

Hope that helps

[nas007bond]

Our GP is quite open about his earnings, he doesnt discuss this with evrybody obviously. But we know him, he lives in our street.

Hes Indian, he came over in 1970's, dont quite know when he became a GP though.

He says he couldnt pass MRCP so he left the "Consultancy" path very early. He gothis GP training....

The thing is, he has amassed nearly £1.5 million pounds so far. He is close to retirement too, and was thinking of buying a string of petrol stations, a deal worth 2 million pounds in total - but Tescos got all the pumps.

He drives a SL 55 AMG (black) 54 plate. He is onest too, he says, he has earned too much to cope with!

[kiya]

I always find the discussion of GPs' earnings fascinating. I work for a doctor who takes less than a fortnight's holiday per year, spends all his time working for the patients and driving around in a car that's about 20 years old. In contrast - on the few occasions he's not at the surgery - the locum arrives in his fancy car with its personalised number plate, writes blood test forms for absolutely every single patient he sees and leaves within the hour!

I think as long as you are providing the highest quality of care you possibly can and your practice means something to you, that any great quantity of money is a bonus more than anything else.

[analyse]

I always thought GPs trained for longer because they need to have a more varied background of experience for accurate diagnosis. When you see a specialist or consultant you are usually first referred from a GP to someone with more specific knowledge, therefore I would assume the GP must know a lot about everything and particularly accurate diagnosis of all kinds of conditions. Equally with time pressures they need to be able to make quick decisions that would have a huge impact if incorrect?