# Highest Paid Doctor Specialties in 2026 (💰New Leaders) ## Метаданные - **Канал:** Med School Insiders - **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFvfF31oG6Y ## Содержание ### [0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFvfF31oG6Y) Segment 1 (00:00 - 05:00) Every doctor makes six figures, but the gap between specialties is massive. The highest paid physicians earn nearly double what some of their colleagues make. Here are the top 10 highest paid medical specialties in 2026. Dr. Jubal, medschoolinsiders. com. Starting us off at number 10 is radiology at $572,000 a year. Diagnostic radiologists interpret imaging studies, think X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs to diagnose disease. It's a five-year residency with one of the best work life balances in medicine. Regular hours, minimal call, and you're rarely running to emergencies. At number nine, and less than $1,000 more in pay is interventional radiology at $573,000. The difference is interventional radiologists don't just interpret images. They use imaging guidance to perform minimally invasive procedures, actually treating patients rather than solely diagnosing them. Despite the similar salary, training is significantly longer at six to seven years compared to five for diagnostic radiology. And the lifestyle is more demanding with call responsibilities that diagnostic radiologists don't have to deal with. Interventional radiology isn't the only subsp specialty of radiology. We've covered those in a previous video linked in the description. Coming in at number eight is vascular surgery at $576,000 a year. Vascular surgeons operate on arteries and veins throughout the body, excluding the brain and heart. Think aortic aneurysms, blood clots, and corateed artery disease. The pay is strong, but the lifestyle is tough with heavy call, long hours, and unpredictable schedules. Training is 5 years if you match directly, or 6 to 7 years if you pursue it as a fellowship after general surgery. At number seven is cardiology at $587,000 which is the highest paid internal medicine sub specialty and its most competitive fellowship to match into. Cardiologists treat diseases of the heart and vascular system like heart failure, hypertension and heart attacks. Given that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, demand is high. The lifestyle varies depending on your focus. Procedural cardiologists may get called in for emergencies, while those running heart failure or electrophysiology clinics have more predictable hours. Training requires a three-year internal medicine residency followed by a 3-year cardiology fellowship, with many choosing to subspecialize even further. For a full breakdown of all internal medicine subsp specialties, check out our subsp specialties video linked in the description. Next, at number six is radiation oncology at $589,000. Radiation oncologists treat cancer using radiation therapy, working closely with medical and surgical oncologists as part of a multid-disciplinary team. What sets this specialty apart is the lifestyle. Most radiation oncologists work 45 to 50 hours a week with minimal call. It's a 5-year residency, making it one of the better combinations of high pay and work life balance in medicine. At number five is plastic surgery at $621,000 a year. Plastic surgery covers both reconstructive and aesthetic procedures. Everything from cleft pallet repairs to rhinoplastes and breast augmentations. Aesthetic plastic surgeons typically earn more than their reconstructive colleagues. The lifestyle is solid. Call usually isn't bad and most surgeries aren't emergencies, but getting here is another story. Plastic surgery consistently ranks in the top three most competitive specialties year after year. Based on our latest competitiveness index, it currently sits at number three after holding the number one spot in both 2020 and 2022. Stay tuned for our updated list coming summer 2026 when new data is released and view current and historic rankings at specialty. com. There are two training paths. the integrated route, which is six years straight out of med school, or the independent route, which requires completing a 5-year general surgery residency before three additional years of plastic surgery training. And here's the thing, plastic surgery isn't alone. Many of the highest paid specialties are also the most competitive, including the number one spot on this list, which we'll get to shortly. If you're serious about matching into one of these highpaying, high competition fields, you need to start preparing years in advance. That means strong step two scores, extensive research lists, and standout letters of recommendation. Want to know if you're actually competitive for your dream specialty? Go to specialtyptypictor. com. It uses official match data to show you where you stand and what you need to improve before you apply to that specialty. At number four is pediatric surgery at $648,000. This is the first time pediatric surgery has appeared on our highest paid list, not because compensation jumped dramatically, but because Doximity only recently began including it in their salary reports. Pediatric surgeons operate on infants, children, and adolescence, treating everything from congenital anomalies to tumors to trauma. The stakes are high and the lifestyle is demanding. Training is lengthy, requiring a 5-year general ### [5:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFvfF31oG6Y&t=300s) Segment 2 (05:00 - 07:00) surgery residency, followed by a two-year pediatric surgery fellowship, which makes seven years total after medical school. And the number three spot is orthopedic surgery at $680,000 a year. Orthopedic surgeons treat the muscularkeeletal system, so their focus is on bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Whether it's trauma, sports injuries, or joint replacements, ortho covers it all. The paycheck is substantial, but lifestyle varies by subsp specialty. Call can be unpredictable and hours are often long. Ortho consistently ranks in the top five most competitive specialties. Training is a 5-year residency with many surgeons pursuing additional fellowship training. At number two is thoracic surgery at $690,000. Thoracic surgeons, also known as cardiothoracic surgeons, operate on the heart, lungs, aorta, esophagus, and other structures in the chest cavity. They perform heart transplants, lung resections, and coronary artery bypass graphs. The compensation reflects the difficulty. Surgeries routinely last 4 to 8 hours, and complications can push that to 12. Work life balance is essentially non-existent. Training takes 5 to 7 years depending on your pathway. Integrated, independent, or combined tracks are all options. At the top of the list is neurosurgery at $749,000 a year, making it the highest paid specialty in medicine. Neurosurgeons operate on the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. The work is technically demanding, and the stakes couldn't be higher. There's a saying in medicine, neurosurgeons make the most money, but they have no time to spend it. The lifestyle is brutal, as trauma call, long surgeries, and unpredictable hours are the norm, not the exception. Neurosurgery also has the longest residency in medicine at 7 years and it's consistently one of the top five most competitive specialties to match into. It's currently ranked number two on our competitiveness index with applicants averaging 37. 4 research items, the highest of any specialty. You can access the most up-to-date NRMP specialty data at specialty rank. com to ensure you're prepared no matter the specialty you choose. It's the most comprehensive specialty competition breakdown available, and it's completely free. Look back at prior years to see how competitiveness has shifted and manipulate the data to align with your priorities. To explore the specialties you're most curious about, check out our So You Want to Be playlist right up here. --- *Источник: https://ekstraktznaniy.ru/video/39865*