make bank. I know a guy in L.A. who is pulling in crazy money doing this
Yes and No.
If they work for a boutique hospital that provides many out-of-pocket and private insurance patients, while allowing for very long work hours, then yes. Likewise, if they work out of a plastic surgeon's office and work long days, then yes again. These particular groups can make upwards of 500K-1 Million/year. That said, it is a very small group of Anesthesiologists that fall into this category. I'd give a rough guess and say less than 10% in the nation.
If they work for an academic institution (which constitutes the vast majority, probably about 90% of hospitals throughout the USA), then no. This group, which constitutes roughly around 90% of US Anesthesiologists make around 250K-400K tops.
How do I know this? I used to work as an auditor for most of the major top, private hospitals in New York State. By way of that occupation (which I held for over 5 years), I was able to see all the salaries of most medical specialists and also the nationwide trends.
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P.S. While some might say that even if the vast majority of Anesthesiologists make around 250-400K and that's technically great money, you have to consider the effect of that salary after taxes due to their falling within the upper tax bracket.
If you made $300,000 last year as an Anesthesiologist in NYC, then your take home after taxes was probably along the lines of $180,000.
