The salaries of doctors are a topic that often comes up in debates, with junior doctors going on strikes regarding their pay. But what exactly do doctors earn and how does it differ throughout your career? In this guide, I will be giving you a guide to what to expect to be paid as a doctor.
Written by Ayma Ahmed
How much do doctors earn?
The answer to this question is not simple. There’s a number of factors which influence the figure:
Career Progression
The first is how far into your career you have progressed. Those who are much further into their careers are more likely to be paid more than those who are less experienced.
Your Speciality
Another factor is the speciality you are in. For example, a GP will tend to earn less than doctors who have undertaken a surgical speciality. Surgical specialities tend to also earn more than their medical counterparts, however this will vary depending on the speciality.
Location
Doctors working in London are subjected to a higher wage than those working elsewhere in the country. This is due to the increased cost of living that can be found in the capital.
Working Hours
Certain hours will earn you more money as a doctor, for example, junior doctors working on a night shift can be expected to earn more than they will for a normal working day.
Private Practice
Doctors may choose to work privately, which will often mean they earn more than their counterparts in the NHS.
These all play a role in the wages that doctors earn through work. However here are the typical annual salaries of doctors in the NHS:
NHS Salaries
- In your first year as a doctor, the average annual salary is around £29,000. This is designed to reflect your level of knowledge as a newly qualified doctor. However, this is being debated through strikes and talks with the government.
- As an FY2, this increases to around £34,000 per year.
- Doctors completing their speciality training can be expected to earn between £40,000 to £53,000. The exact value of this differs between speciality and stage of training.
- Consultants are often paid the highest amongst the doctors, with a salary between £84,559 to £114,003 per year depending once again on stage as well as specialty.
- GP’s have a different salary structure. For example, GP’s can earn between £60,000 to £90,000 per year if employed by a practice or even between £100,000 to £150,000 if owning part of a practice
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Medical Speciality Salaries
As said earlier your salary will also differ depending on your speciality. Here are some examples of how it can vary:
Research
A researcher’s salary can vary due to company to project, however a typical salary ranges from £50,000 to £70,000.
Surgery
Surgeons’ salaries can be expected to be between £84,000 to £114,003 per year as a consultant. However certain surgical specialities such as cardiothoracic surgery and orthopaedic surgery can be expected to be in the higher range, often earning over £120,000 per year.
Psychiatry
Psychiatrist consultants can be expected to earn between £93,666 to £126,281 per year, due to the high demand for the job in the UK.
Cardiology
Cardiologist consultants earn around £90,000 to £114,000 a year.
Neurology
Neurologist consultants can earn between £93,666 to £126,281 per year, which is dependent on the length of the service they have been providing.
As you can see throughout your career, the wage you as a doctor can differ significantly depending on the stage of your medical practice and speciality. These figures are just estimates and do not include other potential lines of work that may be pursued alongside your career.
Additional Income For Doctors
There are a number of additional ways of earning money as a doctor such as:
- Research
- Consultancy
- Writing and Publishing
- Teaching as a Lecturer
- Locum Work
- Medical Law
Each of these can potentially bring in tens of thousands of pounds each year, though consider that this will be an even greater time and energy commitment on top of an already demanding job. If you’re passionate about pursuing an extra role then there are certainly options available, but don’t feel that you have to.
While the potential salaries here are high, remember that there are also many costs associated with becoming a doctor, especially during medical school. The process can be a time, emotional and financial strain, so check out our guide to the Costs of Becoming a Doctor to learn more about this.
That concludes my guide to medical salaries. I hope that this information has been helpful to you in deciding whether or not you want to apply to medicine. Remember, money is only one consideration when becoming a doctor as the best practitioners have a genuine drive to help people and actually care about their patients.
With that being said, if you’re set on applying to medical school, 6med is here to support you. Whether it’s through our extensive library of free application guides or our UCAT, Interview and Complete Tuition Bundles, we’ve got the know-how to drastically boost your chances of earning an offer to study medicine. Thank you for reading and best of luck with your application!
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