Pay

What do gastroenterologists earn?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't publish a figure for gastroenterologists. It counts them under “physicians, all other”, together with oncologists, pulmonologists and every other physician without an occupation of their own. That group's mean was $253,470 a year in May 2024, across 315,360 employed nationally.

Mean annual wage, physicians, all other, May 2024: $253,470

Compare your pay uses that group for gastroenterology, because it is the closest figure BLS publishes. Read it as a broad reference: it mixes many specialties, and it isn't a gastroenterology figure.

BLS surveys employers and doesn't cover the self-employed or owners and partners in unincorporated practices, so it can understate what partners and private-practice owners earn.

Practice

How is gastroenterology changing?

Fewer physicians own their practices than a decade ago. In the AMA's 2024 survey, 42.2% of all physicians were in private practice, meaning a practice wholly owned by physicians, down from 60.1% in 2012, and 6.5% were in practices owned by private equity firms. The AMA doesn't report gastroenterology on its own.

The GAO reviewed the published research. A study it cites found that about 37% of physicians in five specialties together (cardiology, gastroenterology, medical oncology, orthopedics and urology) were affiliated with corporate entities, such as insurers or management services organizations, in 2022. That covers the five specialties combined, not GI alone.

Private equity investment varies by place. Another study GAO cites found that in 11% of metropolitan areas, private equity firms had invested in practices employing more than 30% of gastroenterologists. That is a share within some local markets, not a national figure.

So a first offer may come from a physician-owned group, a hospital or health system, or a practice with private equity investment. None is better in itself. Each changes how you're paid, what you might own and what you'd sign.

The first year

Your first year as an attending

The first twelve months bring the same decisions for most new attendings, in roughly this order. The full checklist goes through each one.

The first-year attending checklist

Disability insurance

Your income is what most of the rest of the plan depends on. Read how your employer's group coverage defines disability and how much of your pay it replaces, then decide whether an individual own-occupation policy belongs alongside it.

Student loans

Pick a repayment path on purpose rather than by default. Forgiveness, repayment plans and refinancing each depend on your loans and your employer, and moving federal loans to a private lender gives up options you can't get back, so compare before you move anything.

Retirement accounts

Learn what your employer offers, what the match is and how long it takes to vest, and when you can join. Above the Roth IRA income limits, a backdoor Roth may be worth reviewing with your tax professional.

Your contract and signing bonus

Read what you would repay if you left early, and how a signing or relocation payment is taxed and withheld. Your attorney reads the agreement; we help you see what it means for your household.

An emergency fund

Hold enough cash to cover your fixed costs for a stretch without income, before raising spending or investing more. The right amount depends on your household and how settled your job is.

Life and umbrella insurance

If anyone depends on your income, term life insurance is worth a look. Umbrella liability coverage sits above home and auto policies. We advise and coordinate with your insurance professional; we don't sell insurance.

What's different in gastroenterology?

These are questions to ask before you sign and during the first year. The contract is for your attorney and the tax for your accountant. We advise and coordinate with both; we don't negotiate contracts or value practices.

01

Who owns the group, and has that changed?

Ask who owns the practice today, whether it has been sold or recapitalized in the last few years, and whether another sale is expected. Ask the same about any management company you'd effectively work for.

02

Partnership track or employed track?

Some groups offer both. Ask how long until partnership, what decides it, what it costs and what changes when you're a partner. In a group with outside investors, ask what a partner owns now and whether new physicians can still become owners.

03

If equity is offered, what is it?

Ask what you'd own, what you'd pay for it, when it vests, and when and how you could sell it. Ask what happens to it if you leave, if the practice is sold again, or if it's paid partly in equity in a new company (sometimes called a rollover).

04

Is there an endoscopy center or surgery center stake?

Ask whether ownership is offered, when you'd be eligible, what it costs, how distributions are paid, and how your share is valued and bought back if you leave. Your attorney reviews whether the structure fits the rules that apply to it.

05

How is your work paid and restricted?

Ask whether pay is salary, productivity (often counted in work relative value units, wRVUs) or a mix, how long any fixed starting salary lasts, how call is paid, and where and for how long the agreement would stop you practicing if you leave.

Common questions

What gastroenterologists ask.

Do gastroenterologists need a financial advisor?

Not necessarily. Many manage well with a good accountant and some reading. An advisor tends to help most when decisions stack up: a first contract, an equity offer, loans and a house. If you hire one, ask how they're paid and whether they act as a fiduciary. How to choose a financial advisor as a doctor

How much does a gastroenterologist make?

BLS doesn't publish a gastroenterology figure; it groups GI with other physicians who have no occupation of their own, a group whose mean was $253,470 a year in May 2024. That mixes many specialties, so treat it as a broad reference rather than GI pay.

Should I join a private equity-backed GI group?

There's no general answer. It depends on the pay, what you'd own and when, what you can sell, and what the agreement restricts. Compare it with your other offers on the same terms, with your attorney reading the documents. Questions to ask before you sign

My GI practice is being sold. What happens to my money?

Sale proceeds, any equity you receive and your retirement plan each need a decision. When your practice is sold

Guides

Financial planning for gastroenterologists