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TOP 10
HIGHEST
PAYING
MEDICAL
SPECIALTIES

No
one

ever said becoming a doctor was easy. Medical

school is competitive, rigorous and expensive.
If you’re going to invest time, effort and money
to earn your M.D. or D.O., then you want your
medical career to be rewarding enough –
financially and otherwise – to make your work
worthwhile.

The training takes persistence, and the work-

life continues to be strenuous and demanding.
Physicians and surgeons often work schedules
with long, unpredictable hours. They may also
work on-call. The hard work yields a high-
paying career, and the opportunity to provide
hope and healing to patients of all ages.

Medicine is known as a lucrative field, but even

within the industry, earnings can vary
substantially from one specialty to the next.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS) notes that all physicians earn a median
annual wage above $208,000 per year.  As a
whole, specialists make $284,000 per year on
average, Medscape reported. Our list of the top
10 highest paying medical specialties delves
into several of these rankings to show you
which specialties truly pay the most money –
and what to expect working in them.

1. Neurosurgeon

Neurosurgery is the highest-paid specialty in

the medical profession. With patients suffering
from brain-related illness or injury,
neurosurgeons must have experience and
expertise with the brain, spine, spinal cord and
nervous system. Neurosurgeons can specialize
in adult or infant and child treatment. 

Neurosurgeons will:

perform back surgery

remove tumors
care for brain and spine infections and
injury
treat strokes and degenerative disease
diagnose and treat chronic pain, seizures
and epilepsy 
interpret radiological studies

Salary.com reports neurosurgery as the top-

paid specialty in the medical field with an
annual salary of $609, 201. 

Neurosurgery impacts the life of a patient

because the nervous system affects all areas of
the body. Though the training is extensive, a
neurosurgeon provides a significant
contribution to the medical field. 

What They Do: Brain, Spine and Nervous

System Surgery 

Annual Earning: $609,201

Training: 1 year internship in general

surgery, 5-7 years in neurosurgery
residency program

2. Invasive Cardiology

If you don’t mind the pressure of holding a

patient’s heart in your hands, then this top-
paying field of invasive cardiology might be the
right medical specialty for you to
pursue. Forbes reported that doctors who
practice invasive cardiology earn an average
base salary of $525,000 per year. If you’re
interested in heart health but not necessarily
the high-stress invasive aspect of the specialty,
cardiology more generally is still a rewarding
choice. CBS News rated the specialty of
cardiology second-highest, bringing in
$376,000 in annually for patient care.

Cardiologists specialize in heart health. They

assess heart function and cardiovascular health
through blood flow, blood pressure and other
health indicators. 

Cardiologists:

order diagnostic tests

perform procedures
prescribe medication to improve
suboptimal heart health

These doctors may work with patients who are

in the advanced stages of heart failure and
even those who need transplants. Invasive
cardiologists are surgeons who carry out
procedures such as repairing damaged heart
valves, inserting pacemakers or defibrillators
and performing heart bypass operations.

What They Do: Heart health and surgery

Annual Earnings: $525,000

Training: 1 year of subspecialty training on

top of 3 years of general cardiology training

3. Orthopedic
Surgery

Orthopedic surgeons earn a base salary of

$497,000 per year, according to Forbes. Other
sources cite different earnings for the specialty,
but it consistently ranks high on the list. For
example, Medscape and CBS News listed the
average wages for orthopedic surgeons as
$421,000, but rank the field as the top-paying
specialty in medicine.

Treating the musculoskeletal system means

working on the spine, extremities, and related
structures. Orthopedic surgeons treat:

patients who suffered injuries in a trauma

congenital (from birth) conditions
infections
cancer
degenerative (progressive) diseases

Even within the specialty of orthopedic surgery,

there are numerous subspecialties. Some
orthopedic surgeons work exclusively on
procedures on the hand or foot and ankle. They
may also focus on a particular type of
condition, like cancer (oncology) or sports
injuries (sports medicine). Orthopedic
surgeons set broken bones, replace damaged
joints, repair injured tendons and surgically
remove tumors.

What They Do: Surgical procedures on the

musculoskeletal system

Annual Earnings: $497,000

Training: 5 years

4. Gastroenterology

Reporting a base salary of $455,000 per

year, Forbes statistics rank gastroenterology
the fourth highest paying specialty in medicine.
Medscape also rated the specialty equally
highly, though it listed annual earnings of
$370,000.

Gastroenterologists treat disorders that occur

in every part of the digestive system, from the
esophagus through the stomach and even the
bowels, and including organs like the liver,
gallbladder, pancreas and others within the
abdominal cavity. As part of the specialty of
internal medicine, gastroenterology focuses on
diagnosing and treating conditions like:

heartburn
diarrhea
acid reflux
ulcers
pain

These specialists play a role in preventing and

diagnosing cancers of the digestive organs,
including esophageal and colon cancer.
Gastroenterologists perform minimally invasive
procedures and diagnostic tests like
endoscopies, which allow doctors to see inside
the gastrointestinal organs.

What They Do: Digestive health

Annual Earnings: $455,000

Training: 3 years of subspecialty training on

top of 3 years of internal medicine training

5. Radiology

Radiology is the use of nuclear radiation for

medical purposes, ranging from diagnostic
tests to radiation treatments. Radiologists earn
an average of $414,090, Salary.com reported.
Radiologists work in hospitals and other
healthcare settings. 

Diagnostic radiologists read and interpret

diagnostic imaging tests such as:

 X-rays
ultrasounds
computed tomography (CT) scans
magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs)

Radiologists may also serve interventional

roles, such as taking part in image guided
therapy and administering radiation to cancer
patients. Radiologists often specialize in
imaging different regions of the body, like chest
and cardiac imaging, abdominal imaging and
performing mammograms to screen for breast
cancer

What They Do: Diagnostic testing and

radiation treatments

Annual Earnings: $414,090

Training: 5 years

6. Urology

Urologists make an annual base salary of

$412,000, Forbes reported. Medscape ranked
the specialty lower on the list, with earnings of
just $344,000 per year, but even on this list
urology still made the top 10.

Urology is the medical specialty that focuses

on the health of the urinary tract of both
genders and the reproductive system of male
patients. Several organs and structures fall
under the domain of urologists, including the
bladder, kidney, prostate and urethra as well as
male genitals. Urologists diagnose and treat:

urinary tract and bladder infections

difficulty urinating
incontinence
kidney stones
enlarged prostate
male infertility

What They Do: Urinary tract

Annual Earnings: $412,000

Training: 5 years

7. Dermatology

As the largest organ of the body, it’s no wonder

skin gets its own specialist. Forbes lists a base
annual salary of $412,000 for dermatologists,
while Medscape reports earnings of $339,000.

Dermatologists diagnose and treat skin

disorders of all kinds, from acne to cancer.
They may perform routine skin examinations to
screen for signs of melanoma or other forms of
skin cancer, tracking any changes in the
appearance or location of moles. They may
perform diagnostic tests like biopsies on
unusual skin conditions and changes.
Dermatologists treat skin allergies, infections,
eczema and other conditions. Many
dermatologists also perform cosmetic
procedures, ranging from laser surgery and
excisions of unwanted skin conditions and
markings to liposuction, chemical peels and
injections of dermal fillers like Botox.

What They Do: Skin health

Annual Earnings: $412,000

Training: 4 years

8. Plastic/
Reconstructive
Surgery

Dermatologists may do some cosmetic

procedures, but plastic surgeons are the
physicians who devote their careers to medical
aesthetics and
reconstruction. Salary.com reports annual
earnings of $393,073 for plastic surgeons.
Earnings for plastic surgeons have increased
consistently over the past 10 years.

Plastic surgeons may work on virtually any

visual body part, from the appearance of the
skin to the shape of the torso, breasts, and
limbs and even external reproductive
structures. While the goal of cosmetic surgery
is often to enhance the aesthetic appearance
of the body, some plastic surgery procedures
are reconstructive, intended to repair damage
done by an injury, congenital defects or disease
that affects function as well as appearance.
Plastic surgeons typically use skin grafts,
implants, liposuction techniques, tissue
transfers and other methods to achieve the
appearance improvements desired by their
patients. As with other specialties, plastic
surgery includes subspecialties like surgery on
the head and face (craniofacial surgery), the
hand and serious burns.

 What They Do: Cosmetic procedures

Annual Earnings: $393, 073

Training: 2 years

9. Emergency
Medicine Physician

Emergency medicine is what it sounds like –

the specialty that focuses on caring for and
stabilizing patients during medical
emergencies. Forbes lists the annual base
salary for specialists in the field of emergency
medicine as $345,000. Medscape puts the
salary somewhat lower, at $306,000 per year,
but within its ranking of the top 10 highest
paying specialties.

In a medical emergency, doctors have to act

fast. Making the wrong decision could
endanger the patient’s life or leave them with
permanent disabilities, but so could waiting too
long to take action. Specialists in emergency
medicine work in both emergency department
and pre-hospital settings to recognize and
treat acute diseases and severe injuries. Quick
and accurate decision-making is essential to
saving the lives of emergency patients., These
physicians need a strong background in clinical
and technical skills and a breadth of medical
knowledge to draw from when evaluating
patients and planning patient care.

What They Do: Emergency care

Annual Earnings: $345,000

Training: 3 years

10.  Anesthesiology

Anesthesiologists are the doctors responsible

for keeping patients pain-free, sedated or
unconscious during surgical procedures. The
important job comes with a high earning
potential – $261,730 according the Bureau of
Labor and Statisics– though salaries for
specialists like urologists and dermatologists
overshadow that of anesthesiologists in other
publications. 

Though not surgeons themselves,

anesthesiologists work primarily with patients
undergoing surgery. They prepare the patient
for diagnostic procedures and operations that
would be painful or uncomfortable by
administering anesthetics, pain relief
medications. During surgery, anesthesiologists
observe the patient’s pulse, blood pressure,
breathing, body temperature and other vital
signs for any signs of pain or stress and adjust
pain medications accordingly. They monitor
patients after surgery and contribute to
postoperative care. Anesthesiologists also use
their expertise in pain medications to help
patients with chronic pain, those in the
intensive care unit (ICU) and mothers going
through childbirth find effective and safe pain
relief.

What They Do: Pain relief during surgery

Annual Earnings: $261,730

Training: 4 years

Also Note: General

Surgery