On average, physicians made $352,000 last year. However, that number ranges across specialties and, unfortunately, demographics like gender. In fact, on average, male physicians earned $86,000 more than female physicians.
This gap widens with specialists. Male specialists made an average of $415,000, while their female counterparts made $327,000, a 27% difference. The good news? For locum tenens compensation, the pay gap narrows to just about zero. Here are all the details on the average payment across six specialties and how it differs across gender and job type.
Anesthesiology
Anesthesiology is one of the highest-paying specialties, and it’s increasing. Last year, the average compensation for anesthesiology jumped up 10%. Men earned an average of $459,000, while women earned $419,000. There’s a pay discrepancy among male and female anesthesiologists, but it’s among the smaller differences in the medical industry, and it’s shrinking. Last year, the income gap was 17%, but it was only 10% this year. That’s the lowest it’s been in five years.
The pay gap was even smaller for locum tenens anesthesiologists. Women earned an average of $298 an hour, while men earned $310 an hour, a percentage difference of just under 4%.
Cardiology
Cardiologists are the third-highest-paid specialty, behind plastic surgery and orthopedics. They earned an average of $507,000, and although Medscape doesn’t have gender pay gap data, if we assume that it’s similar to the cross-specialty average of 19%, that’s a nearly $100,000 difference.
Locum tenens compensation for cardiologists is much more equal. Women earned an average of $246 an hour, while men earned $247. This also equates to a higher salary for both men and women, adding up to approximately $512,000.
Family medicine
Men working in family medicine earn an average of $282,000, while women make $230,000. That’s a 23% difference. On the bright side, this difference is decreasing, as it was at 26% last year. Meanwhile, the locum tenens compensation for family medicine doctors is the same, at an average of $117 an hour.
General surgery
Medscape found that general surgeons made an average of $412,000 last year, but it didn’t collect data on the disparity between male and female surgeons. However, women working as locum tenens general surgery made more than their male counterparts. The average locum tenens compensation for female general surgeons was $179 an hour, while it was $159 for male surgeons.
OB/GYN
Physicians working in obstetrics and gynecology experience one of the smallest pay gaps in the industry. The difference is just 6%, but men still earn more, with an average of $349,000, while women made $329,000.
Locum tenens reversed that again, with women making just a bit more than men. The average locum tenens compensation for OB/GYNs was $164 per hour for women and $161 per hour for men. In addition, that $164 an hour equates to $341,120 in a standard salary, so female OB/GYNs have the potential to make significantly more by working locum tenens jobs. And keep in mind that this assumes a standard 40-hour week, so both male and female doctors could make even more.
Neurology
Medscape doesn’t have data on the pay gap for male and female neurologists, but the average compensation was $313,000. This was a 4% jump from last year. For locum tenens roles, men made about 5% more than women, with an average hourly rate of $255, compared to $242.
*Numbers based on Medscape salary report and internal locum agency data
How to decrease the pay gap
It’s important to note that these numbers are averages; many women make more than men, and the range within specialties dramatically varies. However, there are a couple of ways women and men alike can increase their compensation:
- Work locum tenens jobs. As noted, the hourly rate for locum tenens physicians can be much higher than traditional roles, especially for women.
- Know what you’re worth. The compensation for a physician coming right out of residency is going to be very different from that of a physician 20 years in their career, but any physician should know their value. “Coming out of residency, any amount of compensation seems incredible,” says orthopedic surgeon Dr. Nicholas Kusnezov. “However, your time as a trained and skilled professional is worth a certain amount of money.”
- Negotiate. Regardless of the type of role, all compensation is up for negotiation. “I figure out what I think my time, per hour, is worth, find out from the locum agency roughly how long physicians work on average at the facility, and then run the numbers,” said Dr. Nicholas Kusnezov.