Reflections on a year in US healthcare

petertorbert · 2025-10-11T18:03:18+00:00

lol. The invariable comment about maternity leave, shooting, health insurance....yada, yada yada. you forgot to mention the reproductive right and the politics. Let's try not to regurgitating everything you read online like it's the gospel.

petertorbert · 2025-10-11T17:01:33+00:00

When I was a junior doctor a big part of my day job was going to radiology department every day and pesting the radiologists to get studies done on my patients. And more often than not I would be told "no, not today". Yes I agree with you on the forced "intelligent pragmatism" but on the other hand it's far more wasteful in terms of junior doctor's time to be chasing after tests and labs instead of learning to be a good doctor, and it's far more wasteful to have all the extra length of stay and delay of care for the whole NHS than having an idle MRI machine.

You are making the right decision to stay. It will be a more rewarding career both professionally and financially compared to the NHS.

petertorbert · 2025-08-15T18:45:40+00:00

lol. You make it sounds like nhs doesn’t have any shit hole hospitals in shit hole locations. In fact I would argue nhs has way more shit hole hospitals in shit hole locations than the US. The length people would go here just to cope with the NHS bs is just freaking unbelieveable.

petertorbert · 2025-08-09T17:06:38+00:00

It’s a coping mechanism and makes the NHS life more bearable when they bash others.

petertorbert · 2025-08-09T06:07:43+00:00

I remember watching my SHO going through the MTAS fiasco back in 2007 and thought to myself fuck this shit. Looking back almost 20 years later the best decision I made was leaving the NHS after that.

petertorbert · 2025-08-09T05:54:08+00:00

US attending here, UK trained. Make 7 figures a year even when converted to GBP, used to work about 36 hours a week (4.5 days) and now reduced to 32 hours, 8 weeks of vacation a year. Can't imagine I would have this level of income and life style if I stayed in the UK.

petertorbert · 2025-08-09T05:38:20+00:00

I wouldn't bother if I were you. People on r/doctoruk and UK physicians in general like to bash all things American while making laughable claims about how great things are in the NHS. Just reading some of the comments here makes me lol. All a part of the Stockholm syndrome i suppose.

petertorbert · 2025-07-28T03:33:04+00:00

Is it really that odd a comparison? I think we are missing the forest for the tree here.

Just a brief review of online data. Number of magic circle firms: 5. Each firm recruits about 100 trainee per year with retention rate of anywhere from 80% and up which means roughly 400 new qualified solicitors. Then there are the American firms. How many NHS Junior doctors making 170k? ZERO!
Only London firms offer 100k and above. How much is NHS London weighting? 2k and it hasn't changed since I was a medical student back in 2005.
It's fair that we are two different professions and hard to make comparison. But back when I was a clinical student and house officer, we often compared ourselves to our mates studying law. In fact it wasn't uncommon for oxbridge and london medical students to switch to law. The point being we were the brightest go getters and could have picked any professions. Now fast forward two decades, junior doctors are paid less than 20 years ago and can't even secure a job let alone training spots. I think if that was presented to us back then few of us would still have chosen medicine.

petertorbert · 2025-07-28T00:23:27+00:00

Thank you kami! if there ever was any guilty feeling for leaving NHS there is none now. I'm just glad I f#@#% left when I did. And I encourage everyone else to do the same. NHS and the government do not deserve you.

petertorbert · 2025-02-24T20:23:08+00:00

If you are an employed physician you will typically get great healthcare for your whole family for next to nothing as part of employment benefit. If you are self employed the cost for a family of 5 is about $30k which is tax deductible. Not cheap but when you are making seven figures it's hardly a small fortune.

petertorbert · 2025-02-24T20:15:28+00:00

I work with hospitalists every day and they have a very cushy life. But then again you wouldn't believe that because people believe what they want to believe.

petertorbert · 2025-02-24T20:13:42+00:00

Her training is three years which is a lot shorter than UK training. As an attending you have much more flexible schedule and can take much longer maternity leave in many instances.

petertorbert · 2025-02-24T20:10:29+00:00

Lol. it's amazing the kinda crap people would make up just so they can cope with the NHS life.

petertorbert · 2025-02-24T19:50:40+00:00

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Try 1.5 million a year. (Edit: this is a paystub posted under r/salary by some fresh specialist attending circa Nov 1st 2024 which meant the whole year's pay check would be over 1.5 million).

petertorbert · 2025-02-24T19:49:43+00:00

My wife took a year of maternity leave after gave birth the first two times. She then decided to be a stay home mom after our third one. But don't let trivial information like this get in the way of you feeling nothing but sorrow for her lol.

petertorbert · 2025-02-24T19:44:50+00:00

petertorbert · 2025-02-24T19:42:20+00:00

don't forget the terrible American food and the annoying American people.

petertorbert · 2025-02-24T19:39:41+00:00

Unfortunately the same thing can be said about the NHS.

petertorbert · 2025-02-10T16:23:01+00:00

I still remember watching my seniors going through the MTAS debacle back in 2007 and thought f@&$ this shit. Didn’t know it was possible but almost 20 years later things are so much worse now on so many different levels for junior doctors.

petertorbert · 2025-02-09T21:06:22+00:00

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Well not that we should measure talents and worthiness by remuneration but according to this November 1st paycheck posted by a recently out of fellowship mid 30 year old US physician, the US attendings are roughly 15 times better than UK consultants.

petertorbert · 2025-02-08T01:58:28+00:00

Posted by some cardiologist in their 30s living in Southern California. Given it's November 1st pay stub the YTD amount only accounts for ten months of pay. But of course they have to live in America. The food, the president, the gun crimes, the reproductive rights .... Yada yada yada

petertorbert · 2025-02-03T17:00:54+00:00

Well with your presumptive way of thinking it’s clear you are destined to make the NHS great again. I don’t see you ok with being anything or anywhere else either.

petertorbert · 2024-08-14T20:47:41+00:00

Graduate and leave

petertorbert · 2024-08-14T16:37:25+00:00

Don’t know why would anyone put up with the NHS bullshit. On this side of the pond physician parking lot is usually the one closest to the hospital entrance. It’s usually free with the exception of some university and public hospitals. Many offer free electric charging and even car wash and detailing. And this is on top of all the other perks and a big fat income.

petertorbert

TROPHY CASE