How Much Money Does A Physician Make

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How Much Can I Earn as a Doctor?

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Orthopedists are the highest-paid doctors, according to new research from Medscape which lists the average annual salaries for over 25 medical specialties.

If you're studying medicine and yet to decide about which field you'd like to specialize in, the $489,000 orthopedic physicians earn every year might be enough to tempt you. Orthopedists – doctors who treat bone and muscle problems – make over twice as much money per year as pediatricians, the lowest-paid group of doctors included in Medscape's Physician Compensation Report.

Want to know how much your chosen specialism earns? Check the table below for a complete rundown.

How Much Money Can I Earn as a Doctor?
Orthopedics (bones/muscles)	$489,000
Plastic surgery	$440,000
Cardiology	$410,000
Urology (urinary system)	$400,000
Otolaryngology (ear/nose/throat)	$398,000
Radiology	$396,000
Gastroenterology (stomach)	$391,000
Dermatology	$386,000
Anesthesiology	$364,000
General surgery	$352,000
Ophthalmology (eyes)	$345,000
Emergency medicine	$339,000
Oncology (tumors)	$330,000
Critical care	$324,000
Pulmonary medicine (respiratory)	$310,000
Pathology (bodily fluids)	$293,000
Ob/Gyn	$286,000
Nephrology (kidneys)	$280,000
Allergy & immunology	$257,000
Neurology	$249,000
Rheumatology (joints)	$235,000
Psychiatry	$235,000
Infectious disease	$228,000
Internal medicine	$225,000
Endocrinology (hormones)	$220,000
Family medicine	$209,000
Pediatrics	$202,000

Medicine students will be delighted to learn these figures are likely to rise even higher by the time they graduate. Annual income for doctors has increased steadily over recent years, with the biggest increases occurring in the fields of plastic surgery and allergies. Other specialties, such as pediatrics and oncology, have seen little wage growth, although medicine students interested in these fields can at least take comfort from the fact they'll be out-earning most graduates on other degree courses.

Now just to decide what you'll spend all that money on.

This article was originally published in May 2017 . It was last updated in August 2021

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As Head of Content, Craig is responsible for all articles and guides published across TopUniversities and TopMBA. He has nearly 10 years of experience writing for a student audience and extensive knowledge of universities and study programs around the world.

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