Medical Specialties

One important step in the journey of medicine is choosing which specialty one wants to pursue. There are many subfields in medicine ranging from dermatology to oncology. Pursuing a career in medicine allows one to treat people of any age and any health condition. It is recommended that students choose a specialty before applying for a residency in order to gain an experience that is relevant to one's desired field of study. However, it is okay to explore different specialties and change specialties at any point in one's medical journey.

There are many factors to consider when choosing a specialty. Often times, people are inspired by personal experiences involving themselves, their family members or other close ones. Sometimes, people consider the years of schooling and training their chosen specialty requires. Some specialties, such as those involving surgery, require more training than specialties like dermatology. People may also consider the salary of their chosen major.

Here is a complied list of common medical specialties:

Allergy & Immunology

Average Salary: $263,000 Average Length of Residency: 2 years (after completion of 3 year internal medicine/pediatrics residency)

Anesthesiology

Average Salary: $405,000 Average Length of Residency: 3 years plus 1 post graduate transitional/preliminary year

Cardiology

Average Salary: $454,000 Average Length of Residency:​ 3-4 year fellowship (after completion of 3 year internal medicine residency)

​Dermatology

Average Salary: $455,000 Average Length of Residency: 3 years + 1 post graduate transitional/preliminary year

Emergency Medicine

Average Salary: $336,000 Average Length of Residency: 3-4 years

Endocrinology

Average Salary: $246,000 Average Length of Residency: 3 years

Family Medicine

Average Salary: $242,352 Average Length of Residency: 3 years

Gastroenterology

Average Salary: $432,000 Average Length of Residency: 3 years (after completion of 3 year internal medicine residency)

General Surgery

Average Salary: $403,000 Average Length of Residency: 5 years

→ Plastic Surgery

Average Salary: $433,000 Average Length of Residency: 6 years

→ Vascular Surgery

Average Salary: $484,740 Average Length of Residency: 6 years

→ Colon & Rectal Surgery Average Salary: $373,000 Average Length of Residency: 1 year (after completion of general surgery residency)

→ Thoracic Surgery Average Salary: $584,287 Average Length of Residency: 2 years (after completion of general surgery residency)​

→ Orthopaedic Surgery Average Salary: $526,385 Average Length of Residency:​ 5 years (includes 1 year of general surgery)

→ Neurosurgery Average Salary: $616,823 Average Length of Residency:​ 7 years

Geriatrics

Average Salary: $259,000 Average Length of Residency:​ residency in internal/family medicine

Infectious Disease

Average Salary: $262,000 Average Length of Residency:​ two years (after completion of a 3 year internal medicine residency)

Internal Medicine

Average Salary: $264,000 Average Length of Residency:​ 3 years

Neonatal/Perinatology

Average Salary: $317,000 Average Length of Residency: 3 year fellowship (after completion of pediatric residency)

Neurology

Average Salary: $303,000 Average Length of Residency:​ 3 years plus 1 post graduate transitional/preliminary year

Obstetrics & Gynecology

Average Salary: $335,000 Average Length of Residency: 4 years

Occupational Medicine

Average Salary: $278,000 Average Length of Residency: 2 years

Oncology

Average Salary: $383,000 Average Length of Residency:​ 3-5 year fellowship (after completion of 3 year internal medicine/pediatrics residency)

Ophthalmology

Average Salary: $371,000 Average Length of Residency:​ 3 years plus 1 post graduate transitional/preliminary year

Otolaryngology (ENT)

Average Salary: $398,000 Average Length of Residency:​ 5 years

Pathology

Average Salary: $280,425 Average Length of Residency: 4 years

Pediatrics

Average Salary: $222,942 Average Length of Residency:​ 3 years

Physical Medicine/Rehab

Average Salary: $315,000 Average Length of Residency:​ 3-4 years

Psychiatry

Average Salary: $281,000 Average Length of Residency:​ 4 years

Pulmonology

Average Salary: $344,000 Average Length of Residency:​ 2-3 year residency (after completion of 3 year internal medicine residency)

Radiology

Average Salary: $429,000 Average Length of Residency: 4 years plus 1 post graduate transitional/preliminary year

Rheumatology

Average Salary: $270,000 Average Length of Residency:​ 2-3 years (after completion of 3 year internal medicine/pediatric residency)

Urology

Average Salary: $427,000 Average Length of Residency:​ 5 years + 1 year general surgery​

Sources: https://blog.nomadhealth.com/complete-list-of-average-doctor-salaries-by-specialty-locum-tenens/ ​https://residency.wustl.edu/residencies/length-of-residencies/ ​https://www.acponline.org/about-acp/about-internal-medicine/subspecialties-of-internal-medicine/allergy-and-immunology https://www.globalpremeds.com/blog/2016/07/01/so-you-want-to-be-a-cardiologist/ ​https://medschoolinsiders.com/medical-student/so-you-want-to-be-a-cardiologist/ ​https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-become-an-endocrinologist-1736293 ​https://www.nrmp.org/fellowships/colon-and-rectal-surgery-match/ ​https://www.facs.org/Education/Resources/Medical-Students/FAQ/Training https://www.salary.com/tools/salary-calculator/physician-pathology https://www.americangeriatrics.org/geriatrics-profession/training-requirements/training-geriatricians https://www.acponline.org/about-acp/about-internal-medicine/subspecialties-of-internal-medicine/infectious-disease https://www.pedsubs.org/about-cops/subspecialty-descriptions/neonatology/ https://erc.ucla.edu/omiresidency/ https://medschool.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=1158&action=detail&ref=1045 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5607616/ ​https://www.rheumatology.org/I-Am-A/Student-Resident/Explore-Rheumatology

Published: 12/22/2020