While physicians are some of the highest paid professionals in the U.S., with an average yearly salary of nearly $400,000, many specialists still report feeling underpaid, according to Medscape's 2024 "Physician Compensation Report," published April 12.
While orthopedic surgeons topped the list of highest paid specialists for 2024, less than half of them are happy with their compensation amount, according to the report.
The percentage of specialists happy with their compensation:
Public health and preventive medicine: 65%
Dermatology: 62%
Psychiatry: 61%
Oncology: 60%
Neurology: 60%
Radiology: 57%
Pathology: 55%
Physical medicine and rehabilitation: 54%
Allergy and immunology: 54%
Anesthesiology: 54%
Otolaryngology: 53%
Emergency medicine: 52%
Family medicine: 50%
Cardiology: 48%
Critical care: 47%
Rheumatology: 47%
Pulmonary medicine: 47%
Nephrology: 46%
General surgery: 46%
Internal medicine: 45%
Orthopedics: 44%
Gastroenterology: 44%
Pediatrics: 42%
OB-GYN: 42%
Plastic surgery: 39%
Urology: 37%
Ophthalmology: 36%
Diabetes and endocrinology: 36%
Infectious diseases: 34%