Gynecologists may receive their first clinical training during medical school. During this time, they may volunteer for internships and residencies at hospitals in the community where they would like to have a career. To practice as gynecologists, medical students must graduate from an accredited college of medicine and complete a residency program that lasts four years.
Specializing in women’s health, as an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, you will focus on reproductive health and diagnose gynecological conditions. You will study the medical history of your patients and conduct interviews and assessments. You will also be using machines to operate and examine patients and refer these patients to other experts when needed.
Since you are dealing with people and lives as an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, you need to have specific skills and traits. Firstly, you need to have great communication skills in order to efficiently relay your thought and opinions while dealing with different types of people. Dexterity is also vital. You will mostly be using your hands, so you need to be skilled and strong in this part. Lastly, leadership skills are also something you need to possess. You will be leading other people, so you should know how and where to lead them.
Starting Salary For Gynecologists Overview
If you are thinking of becoming a gynaecologist, you will be glad to know that the average starting salary for a gynaecologist in Nigeria is N13,809,000 per annum with an average bonus of N1,646,000 and an average commission of N2,375,000 which is above the Nigeria minimum wage.
However, if you have your heart set on becoming a gynaecologist, then it is important that you get good grades in high school because the admission requirements for medical school are quite strict. To be accepted into medical school in Nigeria, your score should be at least 245 points on the JAMB score.
You must also keep in mind that it takes some time to become a gynecologists’ because it takes around 10 years before you can practice independently after graduation.
Starting Salary for Gynecology
More than 3.7 million babies are born every year in the U.S. at time of writing, according to the CDC. That means plenty of work for OB-GYN doctors. While OB-GYN salary per hour is low compared to that of cardiologists or plastic surgeons, it’s well above the median American salary.
The OB-GYN entry-level salary for a specialist with fewer than four years of experience averages $209,752. The average for all OB-GYNs is $303,000.
Starting Salary for Gynecology
The starting salaries for OB-GYNs in their first year are typically in the range of $48,656 to $236,718 a year according to Payscale’s salary figures.
OB/GYN Salary Range
Medscape’s March 2022 salary survey reveals that 10% of OB-GYNs earn $100,000 a year or less, while 3% earn an annual pay of $500,000 or more.
The highest percentage of these professionals (20%) report salaries in the range from $200,000 to $250,000 a year, and 19% report being paid between $250,000 and $300,000 annually.
On the higher end of the scale, 2% of OB-GYN physicians are paid between $450,000 and $500,000 a year, 4% earn from $400,000 to $450,000 a year.
Also, 7% have salaries in the range from $350,000 to $400,000 a year, and 9% report earning between $300,000 and $350,000 a year.
OB-GYN Job Description
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says that obstetricians and gynecologists provide women with medical care during pregnancy and childbirth, including delivering babies. They also diagnose and treat women’s health issues such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, female hormonal disorders and menopause.
Within that scope, OB-GYNs have similar duties to other physicians. Their day-to-day tasks include taking patients’ medical histories, ordering tests for staff to perform, reviewing test results and spotting problems, recommending a plan of treatment, answering patient questions and helping patients take care of their health. The latter is particularly important in pregnancy, when the woman has to maintain both her own health and that of her baby.
OB-GYN Education Requirements
Some careers offer a variety of paths to qualify for a job. With a career as an M.D., things are much more restrictive. Like any kind of doctor, the only path to an OB-GYN career goes through college and medical school. Entry to medical school is cutthroat competitive, according to the BLS. Most applicants have at least a bachelor’s degree, with excellent grades. You don’t need a science major to get in, but extensive undergraduate work in biology and chemistry is a plus.
If you make it into med school, you’ll spend the first two years in labs and classrooms, tackling broad topics such as anatomy, biochemistry, psychology and medical ethics. The third and fourth years involve work with patients under the supervision of more experienced doctors. You’ll deal with OB-GYN cases, but you’ll also rotate through internal medicine, family practice, pediatrics and surgery to gain experience and learn which area appeals to you the most.
After graduation, you’ll go into a residency program to gain experience as an OB-GYN specialist. Duke University’s School of Medicine says, for example, that its residency program runs four years. It includes training in specialized fields such as fetal medicine, infertility and female pelvic medicine. When you complete your training and your medical licensing, you can start earning your OB-GYN entry-level salary.
OB-GYN Industry
The BLS says half of OB-GYNs work in private practice, in doctor’s offices. Another 11 percent work in outpatient centers while 7 percent work in hospitals. The private-practice OB-GYN salary is the highest, followed by outpatient care and then hospitals.
Medscape says the average OB-GYN salary runs $303,000, which puts them in the lower ranks of medical specialists. OB-GYNs typically spend more than 40 hours a week seeing patients and more than 10 hours a week on paperwork. At $333,000 a year, the private-practice OB-GYN salary beats the $283,000 for OB-GYNs working as employees. More than three-quarters of OB-GYN professionals say they’d choose the same specialty if they had to do everything again.
Payscale says the OB-GYN entry-level salary is considerably less than average. For an OB-GYN with one to four years of experience, the average is $209,752.
