Radiologist salaries slid about 3% in 2020, knocking the specialty out of the top 5 highest paid, according to the results of a new salary survey released Friday.
Physicians in imaging earned roughly $413,000 in full-time pay last year, down from $427,000 in the previous survey, Medscape reported. Plastic surgeons led the way at $526,000, followed by orthopedists ($511,000) and cardiologists ($459,000).
Radiology wasn’t alone in suffering salary setbacks during the pandemic as physicians grappled with job losses, fewer hours and reduced patient volumes. Otolaryngologists and allergists/immunologists saw the biggest pay drop at 9%, Medscape found, while pulmonologists, physical medicine specialists and gastroenterologists all matched radiologists’ 3% drop.
“Physicians experienced a challenging year on numerous fronts, including weathering the volatile financial impact of lockdowns," Leslie Kane, senior director, Medscape Business of Medicine, said April 16. “COVID took a terrible emotional toll on physicians and healthcare workers, and many are still struggling financially. But our findings showed that physicians will innovate and change quickly to meet the needs of patients through extremely difficult times,” she added later.
Among radiologists and other physicians who saw pay decreases, 92% blamed the pandemic. The other 17% cited factors unrelated to COVID-19 including maternity leave or voluntarily decreasing hours to gain more free time. Among respondents, 22% said they suffered a reduction in hours, 15% received no annual raise, and 13% worked reduced hours. About 65% of specialists said their original hours and pay had been restored at the time of the survey.
More than half of specialists surveyed said they were eligible for an incentive bonus in 2020. Radiologists scored roughly $69,000 in extra pay on average, good for sixth place among physician types, with orthopedists topping the list at $116,000.
A few other findings of note related to radiology:
- Radiologists on average spent about 11.6 hours per week on paperwork and administrative duties, placing the specialty near the bottom. Infectious disease specialists led the way at 24.2 hours per week.
- About 65% of radiologists surveyed said they felt fairly compensated last year, good for sixth place. Oncologists were No. 1 at 79%, while internal medicine placed last at 52%.
- Roughly 93% of radiologists said they would choose the same specialty again (sixth place). Dermatology landed highest at 96% and public health/preventive medicine was last at 67%.
Medscape conducted the 10-minute online survey between October and February. Nearly 18,000 physicians from 29-plus specialties responded, including more than 700 radiologists. You can find the full survey for free here.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.