Find a Job You Really Want In
Yes, medical specialties are a good career path. These doctors spend years studying a segment of the medical field until they become experts in it. This allows them to not only make more money but it also allows them to conduct more research and help patients in a more specific way than they’d often be able to without a specialty.
People find these jobs highly fulfilling, as they get to work in something they’re passionate about and help patients through unusual or severe medical diagnoses.
The 8 Best-Paying Jobs in Medical Specialties
Since medical specialists have to go through a significant amount of schooling and are vital to the health of our society, virtually all of the professions within this industry pay well. However, some pay even more than the rest.
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Average Annual Salary: $368,000
When many people think of plastic surgery, they often think of nose jobs and Botox. While plastic surgeons do conduct these cosmetic procedures, they also help reconstruct people’s bodies after a significant injury, helping them to achieve some degree of normalcy in their appearance after they heal.
Plastic surgeons have to go through extensive education and training to begin practicing, and since their procedures are almost always unique, they need to be excellent creative problem-solvers. They also need to be conscientious and attentive to the tiniest details.
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Average Annual Salary: $266,000
The nervous system is a powerful and delicate thing, and your health depends on it being in working order. When your brain, spinal cord, or nerves are damaged, you may need a neurosurgeon to do the delicate repair work.
Because the slightest misstep can have catastrophic results, neurosurgeons undergo rigorous training – five to seven years’ worth after their four years in medical school. If you enjoy a challenge and are detail-oriented and steady-handed, you might enjoy neurosurgery.
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Average Annual Salary: $377,000
Orthopedic surgeons help prevent, diagnose, and treat bone, joint, and muscle injuries and diseases. They’re the ones who perform knee surgeries on athletes and treat hip and back pain, among other things.
Within orthopedic surgery, you can choose to further specialize in different parts of the body, such as hands, feet, or knees. Some even specialize in sports injuries. If you enjoy learning about the bigger-picture mechanics of the body, you might enjoy orthopedic surgery.
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Average Annual Salary: $227,000
Cardiologists specialize in the heart and blood vessels. They diagnose and treat conditions ranging from high blood pressure to heart failure. Within cardiology, you can also become a cardiovascular surgeon, which requires a different training path than other cardiologists need.
If you find the cardiovascular system interesting, enjoy problem-solving, and are attracted to a mix of emergency and routine procedures, you might enjoy cardiology.
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Average Annual Salary: $286,000
The skin needs doctors too, and dermatologists do everything from treating rashes and conditions like rosacea and acne to checking for and treating skin cancer.
Since there are rarely dermatology emergencies that need addressing outside of regular work hours, most dermatologists enjoy a high quality of life. So, if you enjoy helping people, problem-solving, and studying new findings and techniques but still want a healthy work-life balance, dermatology might be the career for you.
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Average Annual Salary: $221,000
Ophthalmologists can test your vision and prescribe glasses, but beyond that, they also diagnose and treats eye conditions such as cataracts, diabetic eye disease, or even simple styes or dry eye syndrome. They also perform surgeries on the eyes to help correct vision or treat disease.
If you find the complexity of the eye fascinating, are detail-oriented, and want to help people be their healthiest, you might want to become an ophthalmologist.
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Average Annual Salary: $226,000
When you have surgery, an anesthesiologist comes in and gives you the right amount of medicine to numb the area being operated on and, if necessary, put you to sleep during the procedure.
Because this takes a lot of precision and training, and because anesthesiologists are needed at all times of the day or night, they get paid well. If you have a penchant for numbers and thrive under pressure, you may enjoy anesthesiology.
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Average Annual Salary: $222,000
Oncologists diagnose and treat various cancers, and within oncology, you can specialize further in different types of cancers, different ages of patients (pediatric oncologists treat children, for example), and even different specialties like surgery.
If you enjoy studying new treatments and scientific discoveries and helping people through difficult times, oncology may be a good career choice for you.
7 Entry-Level Jobs in Medical Specialties
While establishing a career in any of these medical specialties requires a significant amount of education and training, there are a few fields that are easier to get a job in before graduating from medical school.
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Emergency Medicine
Average Annual Salary: N/A
Emergency rooms and EMS teams need large teams of people to triage and treat patients. As a result, you can work in this field with an easier-to-obtain certification such as an EMT, Licensed Practical Nurse, or Certified Nursing Assistant.
If you enjoy helping people and working in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment and are good at thinking on your feet, you’ll likely enjoy working in emergency medicine.
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Average Annual Salary: $176,000
Pediatric medicine focuses on treating kids with all kinds of ailments. There are whole hospitals dedicated to this specialty, and it takes all kinds of professionals to keep it running.
Because of this, you can often find an entry-level job that will allow you to get your feet wet in pediatrics before you commit to becoming a full-fledged pediatrician or pediatric surgeon. If you’re passionate about helping kids and supporting families going through a difficult time, this might be a good career choice for you.
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Average Annual Salary: $169,000
The mind is a part of the body too, and psychiatrists specialize in treating its various ailments with therapy and medical treatments. Within psychiatry, there are further specializations such as addiction psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and even forensic psychiatry.
If studying the mind and helping people work through their challenges in this area sounds interesting to you, you might enjoy a career in this area. Many psychiatrists’ offices have positions available that don’t require a medical degree, so you can get a feel for the field before you complete your schooling.
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Average Annual Salary: $239,000
These professionals specialize in all things pregnancy. From reproductive health to caring for a new mother and baby right after birth, obstetricians, and gynecologists do it all.
Since these professionals often work in offices or specific hospital wings, they need receptionists and medical assistants, which are often great entry-level roles. If you find the process of birth interesting and want to support mothers and babies, look into these jobs as ways to help you decide if you want a medical degree in this area or not.
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Average Annual Salary: $219,000
Your body’s endocrine system is not often talked about, but it’s vital to your health. It produces hormones that control everything from your body temperature to your metabolism, and endocrinologists study, diagnose, and treat disorders in this system.
If this sounds interesting to you and if you enjoy problem-solving and helping people, you might want to look into medical assistant or receptionist roles for endocrinologists to see if you want to pursue a full-fledged career as an endocrinologist.
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Pain Medicine
Average Annual Salary: N/A
The pain medicine specialty focuses on helping prevent, relieve, and manage patients’ pain. Whether it’s pain after surgery or chronic pain, these doctors study and use the best treatments available to help their patients.
Pain specialists can work in dedicated pain centers, hospitals, and any number of other medical facilities, making the opportunities in this field numerous. A job at a pain center may be a good place to start your career before you’re a full-fledged pain specialist, as you can get a feel for the field before you fully commit to it.
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Average Annual Salary: $104,000
Pathologists do more behind-the-scenes work than the typical doctor does, as they’re the ones who study diseases and how they affect the body and how to treat them. Pathologists are also full-fledged doctors with medical degrees and residencies, but they do much of their work in a lab rather than with patients.
If you enjoy lab research and thrive when you’re in the background helping others succeed, pathology might be an excellent career choice for you. Check out entry-level positions such as a lab assistant or data processor if you want to get a feel for the field before you complete your education.
Why Choose a Career in Medical Specialties?
There are a lot of opportunities in the medical specialties industry, to say the least, making this a highly desirable field to enter. It takes determination, hard work, and a certain amount of toughness to make it through all of the school and training, but once you do, it’s usually a highly rewarding career.
If any of these aspects of working in medical specialties sounds appealing to you, you may want to look into pursuing this area.
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There is no shortage of work. Unfortunately, illness and injury aren’t going anywhere, so there will always be a need for doctors of different specialties. Not only that, but virtually every community needs these professionals, making it relatively easy to get a job wherever you want to live.
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You get to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives. Medicine is one of those careers that offer a very obvious, tangible way to help people. This is even more true of specialized medicine, as your in-depth expertise allows you to go even farther to improve people’s lives than you would be able to otherwise.
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It’s an exciting career. While some specialties are more fast-paced than others, there will rarely – if ever – be two days in the office that are the same. You get to use your problem-solving skills and study new information every day as a medical specialist, which many people find highly rewarding.
Education and Certification Requirements for a Career in Medical Specialties
It isn’t easy to become a medical specialist, and each specialty has its own set of requirements. However, here are the general ones that you’ll typically need to meet in some form across the board:
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Bachelor’s degree. You’ll need to start with a bachelor’s degree in a field related to medicine. Many people study biology or chemistry with a premedical concentration to set them up for success in medical school.
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Medical school. This is typically a four-year program that will certify you as an M.D. You’ll have plenty of book and classroom work, but you’ll also rotate in clinical settings to get hands-on experience in a variety of specialties.
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Residency. Even after you graduate from medical school, you won’t be allowed to practice medicine independently just yet. You’ll need to complete a residency program in your chosen specialty, which can take anywhere from three to seven years, depending on your field.
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Fellowship. Fellowships aren’t required, but they allow you to specialize after you’ve completed your residency further. These programs usually last about one to three years, and while they’re a lot of work, they’ll set you up to be a highly trained medical specialist.
What Do People Working in Medical Specialties Do?
People working in medical specialties treat a specific type of patient, disease, or condition. They also may research or study a certain topic to help further medicine in that area.
Professionals working in medical specialties have usually gone through the basic training required of doctors but then have gone through additional training to further specialize.
Examples of people working in this industry include pediatric surgeons, oncologists, and pathologists.
Author
Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.
