Physicians are satisfied with their jobs, but less so with their income, with only 37 percent of them reporting earning more last year than they did in 2016, a physician survey from PracticeMatch found.
PracticeMatch provides a physician recruitment marketing tool to U.S. healthcare employers. The second annual physician survey aims to help healthcare employers collect real-time data on physician salary trends and physician perspectives on pay and recruiting.
Four report findings:
1. More than half of physician respondents said they were "very" or "extremely" satisfied with their current position despite widespread reports of physician shortages and burnout.
2. Emergency medicine had the biggest increase in growth from 2016 to 2017, nearly 5 percent. Emergency medicine physicians reported an average annual income of $321,398 in this year's survey compared to $306,389 in last year's survey.
3. Average annual income for most specialties, including cardiology, family medicine and hospitalists was relatively flat year over year, with fluctuations within $2,000. Average income those specialties reported this year (based on 2017 income) were:
- Cardiology: $366,241
- Family medicine: $211,923
- Hospitalists: $265,000
4. One-fourth of respondents said they got a signing bonuswhen they accepted their current job. The average signing bonus was $15,000.