How Much Do Doctors Make A Year?

Salary is one of the main factors when choosing a job or profession.

In the case of health professionals, although the vocation of service is the essential element to select and perform in this type of career, the truth is that one of its main attractions is the economic remuneration that they can receive throughout their professional life.

Analyzing and comparing this topic is an exciting and, at best, controversial subject.

However, below we will tell you how much doctors earn in the United States and in Latin America, the differences between the two, and other comparative points to consider: 

 

How much do doctors make in America? Top paid specials and other considerations

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Several factors revolve around the excellent salary of doctors in the United States.

First, the lawsuit. The United States has a significant demand for physicians, making it a substantial and active economic sector.

For example, it is estimated that one in ten job offers are not fulfilled in the United States due to the lack of doctors and that one in four were not born in the United States, so they have additional legal obstacles to perform professionally.

In any case, according to data provided by the Medscape Physician Compensation Report, the salary of a doctor in the United States is around $ 299,000 per year, rising to $ 329,000 per year if only specialist doctors are taken into account.

This figure corresponds to the gross salary received, without counting discounts for taxes or extraordinary compensation that they may obtain in some cases, which fluctuate between $ 3,000 and $ 128,000 annually.

Other companies have made these estimates: ZipRecruiter, for its part, estimates about $ 204,000 a year for doctors, while Glassdoor estimates about $ 250,000 a year.



The figures from the Medscape Physician Compensation Report were obtained around the salary information of some 200,000 doctors in 44 specialties, thus discovering the five best-paid.

In the first place, we find plastic surgery, whose specialists receive an annual salary of about $ 500,000.

Second is orthopedics, with a yearly salary of approximately $ 497,000.

Next, we find cardiology with roughly $ 423,000 a year, gastroenterology with $ 408,000 a year, and, finally, radiology, with approximately $ 401,000 a year. Similarly, the "worst" paid specialties include salaries above $ 100,000 per year.

In any case, the truth is that globally the annual salary received is higher than in the rest of the world's countries.

In Europe, for example, doctors can earn between $ 60,000 and $ 70,000 annually, depending on the country that we take for this analysis.

However, while working as a doctor in the United States offers essential benefits at the monetary level, the truth is that there are some legal obstacles for foreign doctors. 

Obtaining the license, admission to residency programs, and getting the necessary certifications can take a couple of years.

These are aspects that have prevented, to a greater or lesser extent, from meeting the demand for these professionals within North American territory.