Salary figures recently released by Forbes may discourage medical students who are in debt up to their eyeballs from becoming pediatricians or family practitioners, who typically earn around $180,000 a year. While that figure may seem high, it pales in comparison to salaries of orthopedic surgeons or invasive cardiologists, who can easily clear half a million dollars per year.
Primary drivers for salary disparities may be capacity and reimbursement – specific monetary values are placed on every service a physician provides. Needless to say, a hip replacement racks up a higher tab than a consultation to discuss high blood pressure management. This has led to an increasing shortage of primary care doctors. Health reform law focuses on increasing Medicare reimbursements for primary care doctors by 10% as an incentive to persuade medical students to choose that field.
The average 2010-2011 salaries for the best and worst paying jobs for physicians listed by Forbes are:
11 BEST Paying Medical Fields
11. Dermatology – $331,000
10. General Surgery – $336,000
9. Anesthesiology – $355,000
8. Otolaryngology – $359, 000
7. Hematology/Oncology – $369,000
6. Radiology – $402,000
5. Cardiology (non-invasive) – $420,000
4. Gastroenterology – $424,000
3. Urology – $453,000
2. Orthopedic Surgery – $521,000
1. Cardiology (invasive) – $532,000
11 WORST Paying Medical Fields
11. Pulmonology – $311,000
10. OB/GYN – $282,000
9. Neurology – $256,000
8. Emergency Medicine – $255,000
7. Psychiatry – $220,000
6. Endocrinology – $218,000
5. Hospitalist – $217,000
4. Internal Medicine – $205,000
3. Family Practice With Obstetrics – $197,000
2. Pediatrics – $183,000
1. Family Practice – $178,000
Physician’s Weekly wants to know…
- Is the physician income disparity fair?
- Is preventing a heart attack by prescribing medication less valuable than surgically repairing a heart that has failed?
