The specialty with the lowest pay growth in the last five years increased by only $2,000 while the specialty with the highest pay bump increased by more than $100,000, according to Medscape's "Physician Compensation Reports" for 2023 and 2018.
Emergency medicine specialists earned an average of $350,000 in 2018. In 2023, that figure increased to $352,000, an increase of 0.57 percent. This was the lowest five-year salary increase among 29 specialties; the other 28 ranged from $133,000 to $10,000.
Here are the 10 specialties with the lowest pay increases in the last five years, starting with the specialty with the lowest increase:
|
Specialty |
Avg. pay in 2018 |
Avg. pay in 2023 |
Difference |
|
Emergency medicine |
$350,000 |
$352,000 |
$2,000 |
|
Allergy and immunology |
$272,000 |
$282,000 |
$10,000 |
|
Nephrology |
$294,000 |
$312,000 |
$18,000 |
|
Rheumatology |
$257,000 |
$281,000 |
$24,000 |
|
Ophthalmology |
$357,000 |
$388,000 |
$31,000 |
|
Infectious diseases |
$231,000 |
$262,000 |
$31,000 |
|
Psychiatry |
$273,000 |
$309,000 |
$36,000 |
|
Family medicine |
$219,000 |
$255,000 |
$36,000 |
|
Obstetrics and gynecology |
$300,000 |
$337,000 |
$37,000 |
|
Physical medicine and rehabilitation |
$269,000 |
$306,000 |
$37,000 |