Despite being one of the lowest-earning specialties, physicians in family medicine would be the most likely to choose medicine as a career again, according to the 2015 Medscape Physician Compensation Report.
In fact, the survey found relatively little association between physician compensation levels and whether physicians would choose medicine as a profession again, if given the opportunity.
The specialties most likely to choose medicine again are:
- Family medicine — 73 percent would choose medicine again
- Rheumatology — 72 percent
- Internal medicine — 71 percent
- Critical care — 70 percent
- Pulmonary medicine — 69 percent
Interestingly, while family physicians and internists were among the most likely to choose medicine as a profession, they were the two specialties least likely to choose the same specialty again. Only 25 percent of internists and 32 percent of family physicians would want to be primary care physicians again.
The specialties least likely to choose medicine again are:
- Radiology — 49 percent
- Orthopedics — 50 percent
- Plastic surgery — 51 percent
- Dermatology — 55 percent
- Gastroenterology — 55 percent
- General surgery — 55 percent
Despite being less likely to choose medicine as a career than other specialties, orthopedists and dermatologists were the most likely to choose their same specialty again, at 67 percent and 73 percent, respectively.
The Medscape report includes responses from more than 19,500 physicians across 26 specialties.
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