After Residency
The Medical Student's Guide to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
The physiatrist may choose a
solo practice or a group setting-partnership or multispecialty group. He or
she may affiliate with an academic institution, a private community hospital
or clinic, a VA hospital, a skilled nursing facility, or a freestanding
rehabilitation facility. The practice may consist of solely outpatient care
(e.g., sports medicine clinic), inpatient care (e.g., stroke unit), or a
combination of both. In many cases, the patient population will be
referral-based and the physiatrist will act initially in a consulting role.
Referrals come typically from neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, neurology,
oncology, vascular surgery, cardiology, rheumatology, trauma, and internal
medicine. If the patient is admitted into an inpatient rehabilitation unit,
the physiatrist usually assumes more of a primary care role.
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Typical annual salary offers
for the first year out of residency can vary greatly from $95,000 to $200,000.
The lower end of the spectrum consists primarily of academic positions. The
higher end may include medical directorships or interventional oriented
practices. In most cases, the harder you are willing to work, the more you
have the potential to make. There are also significant regional differences,
with more saturated markets offering lower pay and under-represented areas
offering higher salaries. One must consider further the cost of living in any
particular part of the country when comparing salary offers.
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There are a few major professional organizations to
which physiatrists usually belong:
The American Academy of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation (AAPM&R)
-
founded in 1938
-
membership open to medical students, PM&R residents,
board eligible and board certified physiatrists
-
primary sponsorship of the specialty board
-
co-owner of the Archives of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation
-
AAPM&R Annual Assembly
provides a forum for continuing medical education,
research presentations, a technical exhibition, special interest group
meetings, career network services, and a program
developed for residents including an educational symposium and business
meeting of the Resident Physician Council.
The Resident Physician Council (RPC) of AAPM&R
was formed to allow residents the opportunity to
assist the Academy with administrative planning in the areas of medical
education, practice, membership, residency review, health legislation,
research, and marketing. The RPC also publishes the PM&R Resident
newsletter
and
endeavors to educate medical students, other residents, non-physiatric
physicians, and the lay public about the field of PM&R. The RPC is
divided into an executive board, standing committees, and liaisons to the
Academy committees and other organizations. The members consist entirely of
peer-elected, appointed, or volunteer PM&R residents.
The Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP)
-
membership open to PM&R residents, board eligible
and board certified physiatrists who
are affiliated with an academic setting
-
official journal: American Journal of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation
-
AAP Annual Meeting
offers continuing education for physicians interested in improving their
skills as practitioners and academicians, nonphysician academicians who
teach and conduct research in PM&R departments, PM&R residents, and
physiatrists interested in education and research.
The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM)
provides a forum for continuing medical education with
an emphasis on multidisciplinary perspectives, along with research
presentations and a technical exhibition.
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