Given the current and expected physician shortage in the United States, any newly minted doctor will have no problems finding a job. “Doctors coming out of school are no different than a Heisman Trophy winners,” said Kurt Mosley, VP of business development at Merritt, Hawkins & Associates, a nationwide physician recruitment and staffing firm. “They are wooed and wooed. There’s no such thing as an unemployed physician.”

That’s the good news. And even better news is that, depending on what specialty you choose, you can expect a plethora of job offers and highly lucrative deals that include six-digit salaries, bonuses and vacation packages.

So which medical specialties are “hot?” In the past couple of years cardiologists have been most in demand, commanding annual salaries ranging roughly from $230,000 to $520,000. Other high-income specialties include ophthalmology, anesthesiology, dermatology, and plastic surgery. Read the full story

There is good news and bad news about America’s doctors. The good news is that they are among the best in the world. The bad news, however, is that there are not enough of them to go around.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 20 percent of the nation’s population – a hefty 60 million – live in the parts of the country designated by the government as Health Professional Shortage Areas. Those are primarily rural regions, or specific population groups impacted by the shortage, such as migrant workers.

On a global scale, the U.S. averages 2.3 doctors per 1,000 residents, well below the 2.9 recommended by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and adhered to by most industrialized nations. Read the full story

By Jeremiah Fleenor, MD, MBA, author of The Medical School Interview: Secrets and a System for Success

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition…” Voltaire (1694 – 1778)

If you are concerned about your grades (GPA, MCAT, etc.), you are not alone. As an advisor and interviewer, it’s one of the most common issues I encounter. Nobody thinks they have perfect scores. It’s the equivalent of looking in the mirror and being a little displeased with that sag or roll. We all wish something was different. Applicants view their grades the same way. The good news is that changing your scores doesn’t involve a nip or tuck.

The topic of grades is a big one. There are several key concepts that need to be addressed and are paramount to your success. It’s too large and important to adequately cover in one column. That is why the next two articles will be dedicated to this subject. Read the full story

The worst thing about graduating is the reality of paying back student loans. If, as experts recommend, you were able to keep your debt down to about 10 percent of your expected starting salary, congratulations. Either way, you still have to pay it back, no matter how big or small your student loan debt may be.

There’s no question student owe a lot. The average debt (including pre-med borrowing) for the class of 2006 totals approximately 130,500, and 40.2 percent of 2006 graduates have non-educational debt averaging $16,689, this according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

But there are ways to pay debt down, and even pay it quickly. Read the full story