Specialty Selection and Lifetime Returns to Specialization Within Medicine
利用医生调查数据,发现工作时长、住院医师培训年限和能力差异只能解释全科与专科医生收入差距的一半,另一半可能源于专业间的进入壁垒。
In 1995, the average American surgeon earned over $269, 000 while family practice doctors earned $131, 200. Using data from the Survey of Young Physicians and the American Medical Association’s Socio-Economic Monitoring Survey, I find that only half of income differences between generalists and specialists can be explained by hours of work, residency training length, and observed and unobserved ability differences—the three competitive market explanations for differences in doctors’ incomes across specialties. The most likely explanation for the remaining income differences is differential entry barriers across specialties.