seems high, but if you include moonlighting and locums…
Both IB and Med is hard to get into, though for different reasons. Pre-meds have to take much harder undergrad courses- BioChem, Organic, Zoo, and Biology, have a great GPA (>3.5 min), then nail the MCAT with a top score. Most med students get the MD, but then have to bid on internship programs, which is like applying to med school all over again. But, top internships are pyramid programs, like heart surgery, they take in 15 students/yr, but only 3 of those 15 graduate in five years, and the other drop into general surgery. All of this and not making serious money until 10yrs after entering med school. IBs have a less rigorus undergrad curriculum, but still have to nail the GMAT (>680 min for top-5 MBA). The key is getting into a top MBA program, from there the advantages of the school network kick in, where the first job out of MBA is all important in the path toward a top IB position. I would say the expected value of an ave MD is higher than the ave MBA, but the top IB jobs pay way more than the ave MD. A better comparison would be heart surgeons/radiologists to top IB.
at VP at a boutique IBANK vs a Primary Care Physician? wouldnt’ that be comparable in terms of pay and competitiveness?
Jackson & Coker’s 2008 Physician Compensation Survey http://www.jacksoncoker.com/newsletter/Surveys/compensation-2008.aspx