Orthopedists working in the United States earned an average annual salary of $413,000, which makes orthopedics the best paid specialty for U.S. based physicians in 2014. Orthopedist salaries have risen by 2 percent compared to the previous year according to Medscape’s Orthopedist Compensation Report: 2014.
Self-employed orthopedists earn $439,000 a year on average, while others earn an average yearly salary of $388,000. 47 percent of self-employed orthopedists and 16 percent of employed ones have started offering new ancillary services.
Orthopedists’ salaries depend on a variety of factors, including practice setting. Orthopedists employed in office-based multispecialty group practices earn the highest salaries, $459,000 a year on average, followed by those working for healthcare organisations, who make around $449,000 a year. Orthopedists working in office-based single-specialty group practices earn an average annual pay of $442,000, those employed at hospitals earn $397,000 a year, and physicians working at outpatient clinics make $388,000 a year on average.
The lowest salaries are reported in office-based solo practices, where orthopedists earn an average income of $348,000 a year, and in the academic (nonhospital), research, military, and government sectors, where they make $319,000 a year on average.
Only 44 percent of the orthopedists surveyed said that they would choose medicine as a career if they had to do it all over again. 64 percent said that they would choose the same specialty and 30 percent would also choose the same practice setting. When asked about their overall career satisfaction, 51 percent of orthopedists gave a positive response and 45 percent of orthopedists are also satisfied with their salary.
Average salary
The average annual salary for orthopedics specialists working in the United States, as reported by Healthcare-Salaries.com, is $442,450.
Image: DJFryzy at wikipedia.org
Salary range
Orthopedists employed in the United States generally earn salaries in the range from $99,569 to $500,273 a year according to Payscale, with annual bonus earnings of up to $97,444. Earnings from profit sharing range from $2,750 to $110,000 and commissions go up to $20,558 a year.
Orthopedists working in hospitals earn salaries in the range from $148,804 to $312,979 a year, while those employed by non-profit organisations make between $260,000 and $505,000 annually according to Healthcare-Salaries.com.
Starting salary
The average starting salary for foot and ankle orthopedists is $459,000 a year according to a 2011 survey by the specialist recruitment firm Orthopedic Recruiting Group.
General orthopedic surgeons reported a starting salary of $500,000 a year, and orthopedic trauma surgeons earned an average salary of $497,000 a year.
Orthopedists specialising in hands reported a starting salary of $476,000 a year.
Hourly wage
The average hourly rate for orthopedists based in the U.S. is $88 according to Payscale.
Salary by location
Orthopedics doctors’ salaries can vary significantly depending on geographical area. The best paid orthopedists are in the Northwest region, with an average annual pay of $468,000, followed by physicians working in the Great Lakes region, who earn $449,000 a year on average.
Orthopedists employed in the Southeast region make $432,000 a year on average, those working in the Northeast earn an average annual income of $410,000, while physicians in the Southwest region make $408,000 a year on average.
Orthopedics specialists working in the Mid-Atlantic region earn an average income of $397,000 a year, those employed in the North Central region make $391,000 annually on average, and orthopedists based n the South Central region earn an average annual salary of $382,000.
The lowest salaries are reported in the West, where orthopedists make $343,000 a year on average.