Salary by Years Experience for People with Jobs as Physicians / Doctors

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 one year of experience are around $130,000. Keep in mind, though, that the first 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. After 20 years of experience or more, median salaries get close to $200,000. Comparing Physician Salaries by Specialty also shows that physician salaries can be significantly higher depending on a physician's area of expertise. Physician starting salaries are just the jumping-off point. 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. To find out more, read the Dr. Salary article, "Why is Median Better than Mean for a Typical Salary?"