Emergency medicine saw the lowest pay increase in the last five years — an increase of only $2,000 — while the specialty with the highest pay bump increased by more than $100,000, according to Medscape's "Physician Compensation Reports" for 2023 and 2018.
Emergency medicine specialists earned an average of $350,000 in 2018. In 2023, that figure increased to $352,000, an increase of only 0.56 percent. This was the lowest five-year salary increase among 29 specialties; the other 28 ranged from $133,000 to $10,000.
Here are three notes on changes in emergency medicine in the last five years:
1. Fifty-one percent of emergency medicine specialists surveyed in 2023 indicated they feel fairly compensated, compared to 74 percent in 2018.
2. Women accounted for 21 percent of emergency medicine specialists in 2018, compared to 26 percent in 2023.
3. In 2018, 85 percent of emergency medicine specialists indicated they would choose the same specialty again, if given the chance to go back. In 2023, 74 percent reported they would.