Talking Points

Many of us think doctors make a lot of money.

We rarely think about the years of study and work it took them or the hours they put into reading and study to keep up with new developments and procedures.

A new study ranks local doctors in the middle of their colleagues in the country in opportunity, competition and environment.

South Carolina is ranked 25th in the country with a score of 14th in opportunity and competition and 44th in medical environment.

The study by the research firm WalletHub.com ranked Georgia at 18th and North Carolina at 22nd.

Ranked best were Montana and Wisconsin and worst the District of Columbia and New York.

The researchers found that doctors are among the highest-paid and most educated professionals.

“Physician” was the highest-paid job type in 2018, with a median base salary of over $195,000 and over 3,000 job openings.

The high salary makes sense, given the importance of their life-saving work and the struggles of life in the medical profession.

Most doctors don’t start out wealthy. The average medical-school graduate left campus with more than $196,000 in debt.