Physician Starting Salaries

Researching physician starting salaries can be tricky, since physicians spend years as interns and residents before becoming full-fledged physicians. Median physician starting salaries for physicians with less than 1 year of experience is around $120,000; keep in mind, though, that 1 year of experience is taking place after several years of residency. Would the interns on Grey's Anatomy be bringing home a physician salary in the $128,000 range? Probably not (although the actors make much more). However, from those initial physician starting salaries, the typical physician salary is given a boost in just a few short years. Looking at the Median Physician Salary by Age report, we can see that physician salaries are significantly higher for physicians age 25-44 than for those age 18-25.

Physician starting salaries are just the jumping-off point. PayScale's physician salary survey data indicates that once medical specialties are chosen, physician salaries vary quite a bit. The Physician Salaries by Specialty report highlights the wide range covered by physician salaries, with emergency room doctors among the highest paid. After choosing a specialty, a physician also needs to choose the hospital setting in which he or she wants to work. Taking a look at Physician Salary by Hospital Setting will give you an idea of what physician salaries can be expected from different kinds of hospitals and other medical institutions.

What are Average Physician Salaries?

When viewing physician reports, many people ask "what are average physician salaries?" Asking about median physician salaries will get you a far more accurate, relevant answer than asking about average physician salaries. To find out more, read the Dr. Salary article, "Why is Median Better than Mean for a Typical Salary?"