Family physician Jessica Triche, MD, pushed her organization to adopt a compensation plan that pays all family physicians equal base salaries regardless of gender, she wrote in an Oct. 29 blog post for the American Academy of Family Physicians.
About two years into her career, Dr. Triche learned that a less experienced male colleague got a starting offer out of residency that was much higher than her own pay after two years with the same organization. The post does not name the organization.
“I had no issue with using years of experience when considering salary,” Dr. Triche wrote. “I had issues with using gender as a basis.”
When she learned the organization was considering a restructured compensation plan, Dr. Triche requested a meeting with the regional financial administrator. She brought national data showing that male physicians earn more than women in the same role, and she asked that her concerns go up the chain..
Leaders then asked her to join several committees, including a compensation plan workgroup. Several months later, the organization rolled out a new plan that puts all family physicians on the same model. Base salaries are equal, and quality incentives can raise total pay.
Dr. Triche urged other physicians to gather data on national compensation trends, come prepared with solutions and frame pay equity around benefits for the whole organization, such as lower turnover. “Be courteous, yet assertive,” she wrote.
Dr. Triche is director of clinical services at ECU Health Family Medicine Center, a past president of the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians and a member of the AAFP Commission on Education.
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