Plastic surgeons have the highest annual compensation and lowest burnout rate of all specialties, while pediatricians have the lowest annual compensation and report the fifth highest rate of burnout, Medscape data shows.
Medscape released its "Physician Burnout and Depression Report" Jan. 24, which details burnout rates across 25 specialties. The report is based on survey responses from 9,226 U.S. physicians collected between July 5 and Oct. 9.
To understand how burnout rates compare to compensation across specialties, Becker's cross-referenced this data with Medscape's 2023 "Physician Compensation Report" released in April.
For the report, Medscape polled 10,011 U.S. physicians between Oct. 7, 2022, and Jan. 16, 2023. Annual compensation reflects salary, bonus and profit-sharing contributions for employed physicians, and earnings after taxes and pre-income tax-deductible business expenses for self-employed physicians. Only full-time salaries are used in calculations.
Burnout rates and annual compensation figures for 25 specialties:
| Specialty | ||
|
Emergency medicine |
63% |
$352,000 |
|
OB-GYN |
53% |
$337,000 |
|
Oncology |
53% |
$463,000 |
|
Pediatrics |
51% |
$251,000 |
|
Family medicine |
51% |
$255,000 |
|
Radiology |
51% |
$483,000 |
|
Pulmonary medicine |
50% |
$378,000 |
|
Anesthesiology |
50% |
$448,000 |
|
Gastroenterology |
50% |
$501,000 |
|
Internal medicine |
50% |
$273,000 |
|
Urology |
49% |
$506,000 |
|
Cardiology |
47% |
$507,000 |
|
Nephrology |
46% |
$312,000 |
|
Physical medicine and rehabilitation |
46% |
$306,000 |
|
Dermatology |
46% |
$443,000 |
|
Critical care |
45% |
$406,000 |
|
Surgery, general |
45% |
$412,000 |
|
Diabetes and endocrinology |
44% |
$267,000 |
|
Neurology |
44% |
$313,000 |
|
Orthopedics |
44% |
$573,000 |
|
Otolaryngology |
43% |
$485,000 |
|
Pathology |
41% |
$339,000 |
|
Psychiatry |
39% |
$309,000 |
|
Ophthalmology |
39% |
$388,000 |
|
Plastic surgery |
37% |
$619,000 |