Physician compensation increased for these 8 specialties 

Physician assistants saw the biggest average increase in salary among all specialists in 2021, according to a recent report by physician search and consulting firm Merritt Hawkins. 

Here are the eight specialties for which average starting salaries increased over the past year, ranked by percent increase:

Note: Figures are based on 2,458 permanent physician and advanced practitioner search assignments that were ongoing or conducted by Merritt Hawkins/AMN Healthcare's physician staffing companies from April 2020 to March 2021. 

1. Physician assistants: +14 percent — from $112,000 to $128,000
2. Neurology: +13 percent — from $295,000 to $332,000
3. Nurse practitioners: +12 percent — from $125,000 to $140,000
4. Noninterventional cardiology: +9 percent — from $409,000 to $446,000
5. Pediatrics: +7 percent — from $221,000 to $236,000
6. Certified registered nurse anesthetists: +3 percent — from $215,000 to $222,000
7. Family medicine: +1 percent — from $240,000 to $243,000
8. Psychiatry: +1 percent — from $276,000 to $279,000