- Medicine is a field that’s supposed to promise high salaries.
- That’s a popular line of thinking, anyway.
- But some roles tend to rake in higher pay than others.
- LinkedIn looked through its salary data to figure out which healthcare jobs earn the most money.
Medicine is a lucrative field.
It is true that highly skilled people working in an in-demand industry like healthcare tend to make a lot of money. But which positions really earn the most?
In order to find out, LinkedIn provided Business Insider with data collected through the site’s salary tool over the past year, which asks verified members to submit their salary and collects data on wages. Of course, since the data is self-reported by users, it might be subject to some variation.
The jobs are all from the healthcare industry, but c-suite titles were eliminated from the search. LinkedIn calculated median base salaries, as well as median total salaries, which included additional compensation like annual bonuses, sign-on bonuses, stock options, and commission.
The top gigs all went to physicians. These 15 positions all make a median base salary of at least $225,000 a year.
Here are the highest-paying jobs in healthcare:
15. Hospitalist
Hospitalists are physicians who provide general medical care to hospitalized patients.
Base median salary: $225,000
Total median salary: $240,000
14. Pathologist
Pathologists focus on diagnosing diseases.
Base median salary: $240,000
Total median salary: $250,000
13. Medical director
Medical directors are typically physicians who occupy a senior role in a hospital or health clinic.
Base median salary: $238,000
Total median salary: $258,000
12. Ophthalmologist
Ophthalmologists are physicians who focus on disorders and diseases of the eyes.
Base median salary: $285,000
Total median salary: $285,000
11. Emergency physician
Emergency physicians work in emergency room and provide rapid care for patients.
Base median salary: $350,000
Total median salary: $350,000
10. Radiologist
Radiologists are physicians who use medical imagining to diagnose and treat patients.
Base median salary: $350,000
Total median salary: $368,000
9. Anesthesiologist
Anesthesiologists are physicians who are trained to provide anesthesia and pain relief to patients.
Base median salary: $353,000
Total median salary: $370,000
8. Urologist
Urologists diagnose, treat, and help prevent benign and malignant medical and surgical disorders of the genitourinary system and the renal glands.
Base median salary: $395,000
Total median salary: $395,000
6 (tie). Surgeon
A surgeon is a physician who operates on patients in order to treat diseases and injuries.
Base median salary: $385,000
Total median salary: $400,000
6 (tie). Gastroenterologist
Gastroenterologists study and treat illnesses and diseases of the digestive system.
Base median salary: $400,000
Total median salary: $400,000
5. Plastic surgeon
Plastic surgeons are physicians who restore and alter parts of the body for cosmetic and reconstructive reasons.
Base median salary: $410,000
Total median salary: $410,000
4. Interventional cardiologist
Interventional cardiologists treat heart conditions through catheterization.
Base median salary: $438,000
Total median salary: $438,000
3. Department chair
Department chairs helm a specific department of medicine in an academic medical institution.
Base median salary: $465,000
Total median salary: $465,000
2. Orthopedic surgeon
Orthopedic surgeons are physicians who treat musculoskeletal system injuries and disorders.
Base median salary: $450,000
Total median salary: $500,000
1. Neurosurgeon
Neurosurgeons specialize in performing surgical operations on the nervous system.
Base median salary: $575,000
Total median salary: $575,000
