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2018 trends in medical specialty choice

Residency Program Insider, December 7, 2018

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Choosing a medical specialty to enter is perhaps the most important choice a medical student will make in his or her career as a physician. Many factors ultimately influence this decision, from level of compensation to the desired level of interaction with patients. With 2018 coming to a close, it’s a good time to examine trends among medical specialties for the year.

The highest-paying specialties and their average annual compensation are as follows:

• Plastic surgery: $501,000
• Orthopedics: $497,000
• Cardiology: $408,000
• Radiology: $401,000
• Dermatology: $392,000

Primary care fields were among the lowest-paying specialties. Included in the bottom five are the following:

• Internal medicine: $230,000
• Family medicine: $219,000
• Pediatrics: $212,000

According to more than 15,000 respondents in a survey regarding burnout and depression, burnout is down 9% compared to results from last year, although 15% of respondents reported experiencing depression. Physicians reported the lowest rates of burnout practice in the following specialties:

• Plastic surgery
• Dermatology
• Pathology
• Ophthalmology
• Orthopedics

Additionally, women made up the majority of residents in the specialties of obstetrics and gynecology (83% women) and pediatrics (73%) . Men made up a larger percent of the residents in orthopedic surgery (85% men) and neurological surgery (83%).  

Source: American Medical Association

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