ah, a HF title is obviously not comparable and probably more easy to obtain than passing a Numerus Clausus and surviving studying medicine for many years + getting the “Facharzt” title.
Hence probably the discrepancy.
Honestly I would take these numbers with a grain of salt. Maybe they apply to comfortably installed experienced Fachärzte with their own big fat Praxis. But for having worked in a bunch of different hospitals across CH and LI , those salaries are for most of the profession not really realistic.
We do a hella stressful job , every day with little to no tolerance for error, I obviously think we deserve fair compensation but I agree a limit on the honoraries should be set as to not be a burden for the collectivity. But if the russian oligarch vacationing in Montreux wants to pay his endocrinologist 10k an hour he should be free to do so…
I would agree that working in a hospital setting is generally much more draining and demanding.
Btw getting your “Facharzt” doesn’t necessarily mean a crazy salary jump. A colleague of mine at my previous hospital transitioned from Assistenzarzt status earning 7.6K x13 to Facharzt (Oberarzt) and now earns 8.9K x13. For reference, even our big boss the Chefarzt earned 220K/yr despite having 30+ years of experience.
You are absolutely right. I also agree on the prices certain specialists make on private services, that does not concern me and it’s in their right to do so. In the base insurance domain we should be more careful though, because some people among doctors (a fraction I agree) tend to over-profit from this system which allow some optimization.
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Ok, fair point.
However, I think there is a big difference between the different specializations (Optha vs General medicine for example), and hospital vs private practice, or working in a private practice.
I’m sorry @bojack, but you really shouldn’t compare her salary to a doctors salary, no matter what her level of experience is. You wouldn’t expect a dental hygienist to earn more than a dentist s/he works for, would you? Even with 20 years of experience.
I’m not putting down optometrist. But she does not have the same responsibilities, knowledge or diseases she takes care of as her boss. Here is a write up about the different jobs in medical eye care: Was ist Optometrie und was macht ein Optometrist? | Nova Optik Schwyz
Every Fielmann and similar has an optometrist (by law they are required to have one) so she might need to check what the common salaries there are in the industry. Or ask her Fachverband.
To answer your question though:
In my field (one of the worst paid fields in medicine), in private practice, the most common model is “Umsatzbeteiligung” if you are employed. 30 - 40% Umsatzbeteiligung is pretty common depending on where you work. 100k is the usualy salary residents (Assistenzärzte) start with in Zurich in the hospitals. Once you’re an attending (Oberarzt) it’s about 140k, little more in private practice. I’ve only ever worked in public hospitals where salaries were set by a Gesamtarbeitsvertrag and are available online to look into. Private hospitals like Hirslanden Group might set different salaries.
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I’m aware of that, don’t you worry.
She would slap you for such a comparison, just saying 
And that’s not who she is. Where did I say that?
Her profession you will only find in a big praxis or in a hospital, and then there is only 1. She works e.g. with little kids who have strabismus.
And that’s not who she is. Where did I say that?
But there is a title “Augenarzt” where you’re allowed to run your own praxis, and then there is “Diplomierter Optiker” or “Diplomierter Optometrist” and then you’re not allowed. This type of education is also shorter, lasts for 3 years and it’s hands-on, learning by doing.
Here you said that. But I get you now, she’s an Orthoptikerin/Orthoptistin. I send patients to them from time to time. Here is her Fachverband, you can ask about salary there.
I’m aware of that, don’t you worry.
Didn’t seem like it for a long time to be honest. So her salary shouldn’t be compared to a doctors salary then.
She would slap you for such a comparison, just saying
But it’s apt. Some opthamologists would know how to do her job too. Just the same as some dentists can clean teeth like a hygienist. But the opthamologist operates on and diagnoses a much more wide variety of diseases. Also as far as I’m aware every orthoptic examination is at least followed by a opthamologic examination and the prescription for the glasses is also done by the opthamologist (I might be wrong here though, I haven’t looked into it that much).
That wasn’t the point of this thread. The point was to survey, what income models function in healthcare. I’m a 2nd grade programmer, yet I earn more than a typical project manager. It depends on the type of your contract, level of job security etc etc.
If you think that I created this thread to complain that she is not earning as much as an eye doctor, then you have misunderstood. I was just comparing her salary to the turnover she brings through the tarmed positions that she books. There is a big discrepancy. But the same applied to me before I became a freelancer. The customer (bank) paid my employer my salary three times over.
My girlfriend has a full time job contract as an eye doctor in a private praxis.
Whatever you say. This was your first sentence.
It sure seemed like you equated her position to an opthamologist in a lot of your posts. Reading the comments I wasn’t the only one confused.
Anyways, revenue sharing is quite common in private practice among doctors. As far as I know all the hospitals that actually have an Orthoptiker/in generally also have a Gesamtarbeitsvertrag, so her salary is set by that. If she is employed by a private practice opthamologist then you have already posted what the recommended salary is by her Fachverband.
I think the difference is in the fact that an opthalmologist can open his own praxis and pocket the patient bills directly, whereas a HF is not allowed to be selbständig.
Basically this as you said. She is not allowed to open her own office or book through Tarmed without working for an opthamologist. She is not allowed to write her own prescriptions and so is bound to work for a doctor. There is precedent of professions “decoupling” themselves from doctors, most recently psychologists, who are now allowed to do psychotherapy without being employed by or being referred patients by a doctor (most oftern psychiatrists). If Orthoptiker wanted to do that too, then they would need to lobby the BAG/politicians.
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Ok, I see now what you mean. In that case, sorry for the confusion. This thread has been resurrected and I already forgot what I wrote in the beginning.
I heard that in Austria they can do it.
Not sure that’s true according to this: Häufig gestellte Fragen - FAQs - Orthoptik Verband der Orthoptistinnen & Orthoptisten Österreichs. There seem to be some “freiberufliche”, but they are not covered by health insurance.