How Much Money do Physicians REALLY Make These Days?
Last week, Medscape published their Physician Compensation Report for 2015. Their surveys got responses from over 19,500 doctors in 25 different specialties. This year in particular, a lot of people have been dying to know how medical professionals have fared as a result of the healthcare reform changes. Salaries depend of course on the particular density of physicians, cost of living in certain areas, and whether an area is undeserved. Salaries tend to be higher in poorer regions that typically have fewer physicians.
Overall, the only physicians that seem to be earning less than in the past is rheumatologists who have seen a 4% decrease in income since Medscape surveyed 4 years ago. However, there were some pretty impressive increases in earnings with other specialties. For example, infectious disease physicians income has gone up by 22%. Hospital-working physicians like pulmonologists saw a 15% salary increase and emergency medicine physicians went up 12%.
Where Do Physicians Make The Most Money? The Northwest region of the US (including Alaska) had the highest average salaries with $281,000. The second best-paying region for physicians to work in was South Central. Therefore….broke doctors should consider heading to Oregon or Texas to practice if they want to be earning the big bucks. Physicians earned the least in the Northeast with $253,000 and the Mid-Atlantic $254,000.
“How Much Do Physicians Earn Overall?”
- Specialists: $284,000
- Primary Care Physicians: $195,000
Physician Compensation by Practice Situation
Self-employed specialty physicians earn significantly more than their employed counterparts at $329,000 and $258,000 respectfully. The wage gap was not as drastic in primary care, however. Employed primary care physicians earned about $189,000 compared to self-employed ones that brought home $212,000 on average.
“How Much Do Physicians Earn for Patient Care?”
Highest 3 Earners:
1. Orthopedists: $421,000
2. Cardiologists: $376,000
3. Gastroenterologist: $370,000
Lowest 3 Earners:
1. Pediatricians: $189,000
2. Family Physicians: $195,000
3. Endocrinologists and Internists: $196,000
“How Much Do Physicians Earn for Non-Patient Care Activities?”
Highest 3 Earners
1. Orthopedics: $29,000
2. Urology, Plastic Surgery, and Dermatology: $26,000
3. Neurology: $24,000
Lowest 3 Earners
1. Radiology: $6,000
2. Pediatrics: $7,000
3. Anesthesiology: $8,000
Top 10 Highest-Earning States vs Top 10 Lowest-Earning for Physicians Overall:
1. North Dakota: $330,000 vs District of Columbia: $186,000
2. Alaska: $330,000 vs Rhode Island: $217,000
3. Wyoming: $312,000 vs Maryland: $237,000
4. Wisconsin: $309,000 vs New Mexico: $243,000
5. Oklahoma: $304,000 vs Massachusetts: $248,000
6. New Hampshire: $300,000 vs New York: $249,000
7. Minnesota: $288,000 vs Delaware: $250,000
8. West Virginia: $287,000 vs Virginia: $251,000
9. Washington: $286,000 vs Utah: $251,000
10. Indiana: $ 286,000 vs Pennsylvania: $255,000
Want to get a locum tenen assignment in one of these states? Browse some here today!
