6 HIGHEST Paid Doctor Specialties by Hourly Rate

we all know that some specialties make more money than others but are they actually making more money per hour or are they just working more hours let's dive into the data and find out dr jabal med schoolinsiders.com when discussing which specialties make the most money the conversation usually starts and ends with annual salaries although this is a good place to start it overlooks one crucial component the time that it takes to make that salary we took the average salary for each specialty in 2021 and divided it by the average number of hours worked per week

multiplied by the number of weeks worked in a year to give us the average hourly wage we'll also discuss factors like competitiveness on-call responsibilities and length of training to give you a better understanding of the price you pay to earn that high hourly wage number one on our list is plastic surgery which focuses on the repair reconstruction replacement and alteration of soft tissue this should come as no surprise as plastic surgery is known for being one of the more lucrative specialties it is often in the top three four highest paid specialties plastic surgeons have an

average annual salary of 526 000 and work an average of 52 hours per week giving us an hourly wage of approximately 202 dollars per hour it is important to note that this number includes both reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgeons plastic surgeons working in aesthetics well in general make more than their reconstructive colleagues that being said to achieve this compensation you will first have to match into plastic surgery which is no easy feat it is currently ranked number two on the msi competitiveness index neck and neck with dermatology in first you will have to commit a

great deal of time and effort during medical school to be competitive for plastics and even then there is no guarantee that you will match the training to become a plastic surgeon is also longer than most specialties at six to eight years depending on the pathway you take so while many of your peers during medical school are already receiving an attending salary you will still be completing your training once you begin practicing as a plastic surgeon however the lifestyle is often pretty good plastic surgeons work an average of 52 hours per week which is less than

many of the other surgical specialties but middle of the pack when looking at all specialties most surgeries are also non-urgent so call typically isn't terrible keep in mind though that if you choose to do microsurgery or handle face trauma your call obligations can be more taxing number two is orthopedic surgery which focuses on the surgical management of the musculoskeletal system including the extremities spine and associated structures orthopedic surgeons have an average annual salary of 511 000 and work an average of 57 hours per week yielding an average hourly wage of 179 dollars per hour much

like plastic surgery orthopedic surgery is consistently in the top three highest paid specialties right in the mix with plastics and neurosurgery similarly it is also one of the more competitive specialties to match into as your usmle step one score and one rep match on bench press will have to exceed 500 which can be a big barrier to entry for prospective applicants all jokes aside it is ranked number four on the msi competitiveness index which means more time and effort spent during medical school to make yourself a competitive applicant ortho residency is five years which is

standard for most surgical specialties but longer than many non-surgical specialties longer residency programs do exist which include additional research experience orthopedic surgeons work an average of 57 hours a week which is in line with many other surgical specialties but on the higher end compared to all specialties on-call obligations will vary depending on your choice of sub-specialty if you choose to sub-specialize in trauma for instance be prepared for a heavier call schedule number three is dermatology which focuses on the management of diseases involving the skin hair and nails dermatologists have an average annual salary of 394

000 per year and work an average of 45 hours per week averaging 175 dollars per hour dermatology is currently ranked number one on the msi competitiveness index as it is known to have a great lifestyle and is the only specialty in the top five that is non-surgical to become a dermatologist you will have to complete a one-year internship followed by three years of dermatology residency for a total of four years of training after medical school which puts dermatology in the middle of the pack when it comes to length of training dermatologists work 45 hours per

week which is toward the lower end of all specialties given the outpatient nature low acuity of medical conditions limited call and flexible work days dermatology is known for having a cush lifestyle relative to other medical specialties number four is cardiology which focuses on diseases of the heart and blood vessels cardiologists have an average salary of 459 000 per year and work an average of 58 hours a week yielding an average hourly wage of 158 dollars per hour cardiology is the first specialty on our list that does not have a dedicated residency instead you must first

complete three years of internal medicine residency followed by three years of cardiology fellowship for a total of six years of training after medical school although it is difficult to compare the competitiveness of cardiology to other specialties on our list due to the fact that it is a fellowship and not a residency it should be noted that cardiology is one of the most competitive internal medicine fellowships to get into cardiologists work an average of 58 hours per week which is toward the higher end when compared to most other non-surgical specialties this time is split between clinic

cath lab performing procedures general rounds and research of note 30 to 40 of emergency admissions are cardiac related so there is certainly no shortage of work if you're a cardiologist on-call responsibilities will vary depending on your sub-specialization if you choose to sub-specialize in interventional cardiology for instance you can expect lots of call with long days in the cardiac cath lab number five is otorhinolaryngology or ear nose and throat which focuses on the surgical management of diseases of the head and neck region ear nose and throat doctors or ents have an average salary of 417 thousand

dollars per year and work an average of 53 hours per week averaging 157 dollars per hour ent is a highly competitive specialty consistently ranking number five on the msi competitiveness index right after dermatology plastic surgery neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery ent residency is five years which is the standard for most surgical specialties but longer than many non-surgical specialties longer residency programs do exist which include additional research experience ents will work an average of 53 hours per week which is middle of the pack when looking at all specialties work is typically split between surgery and clinic with

clinic days generally having regular 9 to 5 hours and or days being half days or full 12 hour days depending on complexity of the cases given the greater proportion of time in the clinic coupled with the fact that ent typically splits face call with plastics and omfs on-call obligations are typically less than other surgical specialties this can vary though depending on the hospital or institution you work for number six is emergency medicine which focuses on the treatment of acutely ill patients with urgent health care needs emergency medicine physicians have an average salary of 354 000

and work an average of 46 hours per week averaging out to 154 dollars per hour in terms of competitiveness emergency medicine is at the lower end of the msi competitiveness index at number 17. it is also at the shorter end of residency lengths at just three to four years of training after medical school emergency medicine physicians will work on average 46 hours per week which is towards the lower end of all specialties they are also unique in that they do shift work meaning that they clock in and clock out and don't take work home with

them which is something you can't say about many medical specialties emergency medicine is not without its downsides though although many people view shift work as a positive it also means that you might end up working irregular hours depending on your shifts so a regular circadian rhythm can be hard to come by emergencies don't take days off either so it is not uncommon to miss important events or holidays particularly when training or when you are a freshly minted attending em physicians also experience some of the highest rates of burnout despite working fewer hours than most other

medical specialties which can be attributed to working on the front line consistent high intensity and stress unpredictability increasing charting demands and irregular circadian rhythm as you can see even the highest earning specialties are not without their downsides this is why money although important should not be the only factor when choosing a specialty it is much more important to find a specialty that is a good fit and you enjoy doing if you have your eyes set on a particular specialty but find yourself getting discouraged because it's highly competitive don't fall into the trap i've seen many

succumb to i've come across many who wanted to do a different specialty but ultimately decided they weren't competitive enough for the specialty they truly desired if you think you're not the smartest and that you're doomed stop right there your ability to crush your mcat usmle and have dozens of research articles is less a function of your intelligence and more a function of working smarter at sufficient intensity having a stellar medical school or residency application and crushing the interviews is no different even if you don't consider yourself a natural people person or gifted writer at med

school insiders our mission is to empower a generation of happier healthier and more effective future doctors from medical school or residency application help to crushing your mcat or usmle we've got your back and our results speak for themselves we've become the fastest growing company in the space with the highest satisfaction ratings see for yourself and learn more at medschoolinsiders.com thank you all so much for watching if you enjoyed this video check out the top 10 highest paid doctor specialties or my video going over the best doctor lifestyle specialties much love and i'll see you guys

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