Physician pay averaged $294,000 in 2016, increasing for the seventh consecutive year, yet only about half of physicians — 54 percent — were satisfied with their compensation, according to Medscape's seventh annual "2017 Physician Compensation Report."
Some specialties reported greater contentment than others with their pay. Here, ranked from least to most satisfied, is how specialties stacked up when asked if they felt fairly compensated.
Nephrology — 41 percent felt fairly compensated in 2016 (earned an average $280,000)
Endocrinology — 44 percent ($220,000)
Urology — 47 percent ($400,000)
Infectious disease — 47 percent ($228,000)
Allergy and immunology — 48 percent ($257,000)
Orthopedics — 48 percent ($489,000)
Obstetrics and gynecology — 48 percent ($286,000)
Pulmonary medicine — 48 percent ($310,000)
Rheumatology — 48 percent ($235,000)
General surgery — 48 percent ($352,000)
Internal medicine — 49 percent ($225,000)
Neurology — 50 percent ($249,000)
Cardiology — 50 percent ($410,000)
Gastroenterology — 51 percent ($391,000)
Pediatrics — 52 percent ($202,000)
Plastic surgery — 52 percent ($440,000)
Ophthalmology — 53 percent ($345,000)
Family medicine — 53 percent ($209,000)
Anesthesiology — 57 percent ($364,000)
Oncology — 57 percent ($330,000)
Critical care — 59 percent ($324,000)
Otolaryngology — 60 percent ($398,000)
Pathology — 62 percent ($293,000)
Radiology — 62 percent ($396,000)
Psychiatry — 64 percent ($235,000)
Dermatology — 65 percent ($386,000)
Emergency medicine — 68 percent ($339,000)
Medscape surveyed more than 19,200 physicians across 26 specialties. Compensation for employed physicians includes salary, bonus and profit-sharing contributions. For independent physicians, compensation includes earnings after taxes and deductible business expenses, but before income tax.
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