Here's how much money doctors actually make
Ever wondered how much money doctors make in various specialties? Well, you're about to find out.
The online medical resource Medscape, which is owned by WebMD, just came out with its 2016 Physician Compensation Report, which features data from more than 19,200 doctors in 26 specialties. All the data is self-reported and based on information collected for Medscape's yearly survey.
The five highest-paid doctors, by specialty, were orthopedists, cardiologists (doctors who deal with heart issues), dermatologists (doctors who deal with skin issues), gastroenterologists (doctors who deal with stomach and intestinal issues), and radiologists (doctors who use things like X-Rays and ultrasounds to diagnose or treat disease).
The five lowest-paid doctors were pediatricians (child physicians), endocrinologists (doctors who specialize in hormonal imbalances), family physicians, HIV and infectious disease specialists, and allergists.
Take a look at the graphic below to see the average earnings for doctors from each specialty:
Doctors are making more overall, but a few are making less
Overall, all doctors made more on average this year than they did last year, according to the survey. Yet there were some exceptions. Compared with average salaries from last year, for example, allergists and pulmonologists (who specialize in lung conditions) saw their incomes dip by an average of 11% and 5%, respectively. Two other specialities saw no change: pathologists and plastic surgeons. Interestingly, rheumatologists and internists (doctors who treat autoimmune conditions and chronic conditions, respectively) made significantly more money this year (their averages increased by a whopping 12%), while nephrologists and dermatologists saw increases of 11%.
Travis Singleton, senior vice president of national physician search firm Merritt Hawkins, told Medscape he thought one of the reasons internists are making more is simply because their demand is increasing as baby boomers reach retirement. "Over 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day, driving demand for internists, and their compensation, higher," Singleton said.