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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