Expert: JM Starkman, MD - 4/26/2010

Question
What is the average cost of schooling for anesthesioligy.?
Do you need to take state boards?
Is there a waiting period for your license once you learn you pass the state boards?
Do you need to renew your licenses by taking C.E.U's?
What would you expect for a yearly income?
If you had a staff what would you pay them?

Answer
Advanced training in many fields is expensive depending on the college and medical school you attend.  The costs could run as high as half a million dollars by the time you graduated from medical school;  on the low side, if you were a US military college grad and attended medical school with a health service or military commitment afterwards the cost might be close to zero!

National, state and privately administered board exams are "the rule" throughout the process.  Many doctors 'update' their board after ten years with additional exams to demonstrate continuing competence or are required to in order to practice or collect certain payments.

Waiting periods always exist and depend on the jurisdiction in which you apply.

Continuing education is mandatory, the amount depending on the requirements of your license. 40-60 hours per year is typical.

Realistically, the top end of anesthesiology earners today make around US $400,000.  These people are becoming more and more the exception as reimbursements decline and doctors, sick of bureaucracy and the threat of lawsuits work less/earn less and distribute the work and income over a broader area.  In some areas nurse anesthetists compete directly with anesthesiologists.  For a most current average answer to this question check the various physician head-hunter web sites for job offerings and salaries.

Staff salaries range from minimum to over $100/hr today--depending on what they are expected to do and how much you, as an employer, are interested in retaining good people, etc.