Finance: What is my earning potential as a doctor in Australia?
Doctor’s salaries can vary greatly depending on level of seniority, specialty and even which state you are working in. There can also be a large difference depending on whether you are working in the private or public sectors. Salaries also vary over time so figures quoted below are only current at time of writing (Jan 2008). For public sector work, each state has its own salary award that prescribes base salary and overtime rates of pay at each level of seniority. Because of penalty rates it is hard to anticipate exactly what your income will be for the year, but as a general rule of thumb most doctors can expect to add 15-30% to their base in overtime etc. As a specialist you may work entirely in the public system and therefore be subject to a payment award, or partly/wholly in the private sector. As a GP you will almost always be a private practitioner. Australia has a public payment system called Medicare which reimburses patients on a fee for service basis for expenses incurred using private healthcare providers. As a private specialist or GP you can charge whatever you feel is appropriate but if your fees are significantly higher than the Medicare Rebate then you are unlikely to remain competitive. Below is a table of approximate earning by level of seniority, though these figures are subject to considerable variation. For a more accurate evaluation of your earning potential discuss your specific circumstances with one of our consultants.
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