The five top-earning surgical specialties in 2017 also happened to be the five top-earning specialties, according to a survey by the medical social network Doximity.
Neurosurgery was first among all specialties with an average compensation of $663,000, followed by thoracic surgery ($603,000), orthopedic surgery ($538,000), vascular surgery ($476,000), and plastic surgery ($473,212). Cardiology was just behind plastic surgery at $473,184, which made it the highest-earning nonsurgical specialty, Doximity said in its 2018 Physician Compensation Report, which was based on data from surveys completed by more than 65,000 physicians who practice at least 40 hours a week. Gastroenterologists took in $456,000 and oncologists earned an average of $404,000.
