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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
Are physicians top earners throughout the world? Where do doctors have it best? Medscape's US and international sites surveyed their physician members to learn about salary, job satisfaction, daily work challenges, and the impact of COVID on income. This slideshow compares information from Medscape's Compensation Reports 2021 from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, and Italy. Currencies have been converted to US dollars using an exchange rate date of December 22, 2020.
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
US physicians earned the most last year and physicians in Mexico earned the least. Actual purchasing power is related to that country's cost of living. Of the countries listed, the United States and France have the highest cost of living index (70.1 and 74.6, respectively). Mexico and Spain have much lower salaries and also a lower cost of living index (34.3 and 54.7, respectively).
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
Male/female pay disparity exists worldwide. Male physicians earn more than female physicians in all reporting countries. The income disparity was highest in Mexico and lowest in the United States and Spain.
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
Primary care physicians earn the most in the United States and Germany, similar to the results of our 2019 International Physician Compensation Report. Primary care physicians in Mexico earned the least, also similar to the 2019 report.
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
Specialists, like primary care physicians, in the United States and Germany earn the most. The highest gender disparity occurs in France, where male specialists earn 63% more than women. The United States has the lowest specialist pay disparity, with male specialists earning 33% more than women. The United Kingdom and Spain are closer to the United States in gender pay disparity (42% and 43%, respectively).
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
The COVID pandemic rocked the world in 2020 and is still making its terrible effects felt. COVID cases and deaths had an overwhelming impact on physicians and other medical professionals — both personally and regarding income — as many practices closed for a time and physicians struggled to see patients. (The chart shows values as of July 18, 2021.) "Spain has been the country with the highest number of infected healthcare professionals in the world — around 20%, well above other European countries," says Javier Cotelo, MD, advisor, Medscape Spain. "This meant that a large number of professionals have been isolated or quarantined, causing an overload of care burden for practicing physicians."
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
Overall, at least one quarter (26%) of physicians saw their income drop in 2020 compared with the prior year, with US physicians most often seeing a decline. (Many physicians reported that their income remained the same.) The United Kingdom had one of the largest percentages of physicians (34%) who saw an income increase. UK physicians cited career progression, increments (pay increases through bands based on years of service), and a national pay raise. One attributed it to "working extra shifts for COVID," and another said, "Simple hard work."
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
At least 77% of physicians whose income dropped said that COVID was responsible for the decline. Physicians from Spain were the least likely to blame COVID compared with their peers in the other countries.
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
US physicians have a much higher percentage of physicians who are satisfied with their compensation, followed by Germany, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Among US physicians, oncologists, psychiatrists, plastic surgeons, and dermatologists were more likely to be happy with their compensation. Physicians in Italy, Spain, and France are most likely to feel dissatisfied.
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
US physicians are way ahead of those in other countries in terms of net worth, which is the sum of all your assets minus your debts (such as a mortgage). In the United States, the average net worth for all families was $746,820 and the median net worth was $121,760, according to the Federal Reserve.
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
A mortgage on one's primary home is the most common debt for physicians in the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, and Italy. Credit card debt is the leading debt in Mexico (52%). In Brazil, childcare (35%) was most often named. Car loan payments rank second for physicians in the United States, United Kingdom, and Spain, whereas for physicians in Mexico, medical expenses (35%) rank second. German physicians cited graduate school tuition (26%), physicians from Italy named tuition for children (21%), and physicians in Brazil named private school tuition for children (30%) as major expenses. (This question was not asked in France.)
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
Being very good at what they do is one of the key motivators for physicians in the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, and Mexico. For physicians in France and Italy, it's gratitude/relationships with patients, and for Brazilian physicians it's making good money at a job they like. US physicians equally name gratitude/relationships with patients and making the world a better place.
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
Having so many rules and regulations most annoy physicians in Germany, Italy, France, and the United States; long hours most plague those in Spain, Brazil, and Mexico. Other top challenges for physicians include dealing with difficult patients, difficulties in dealing with insurers to get payment, and worry about getting sued.
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
Telemedicine soared into popularity last year owing to COVID, and many physicians are grateful that it kept them bringing in payments. Physicians in Spain and the United Kingdom are most likely to be using telemedicine compared with their peers in the other countries. (* US data come from a prior Medscape report.)
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
Physicians everywhere voiced complaints about the nightmare of too much unending paperwork.
"This is no longer medicine, but a business managed by administrators." —French cardiologist
"This has become administrative slavery, with total disrespect and daily humiliations." —French orthopedic physician
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
In the United States, Germany, Italy, and Mexico, physicians are not yet back to seeing the same number of patients per week as they did before COVID. However, physicians in Brazil and France appear to be seeing the same number of patients weekly as before the pandemic. (The "before" question was not asked in the UK.)
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
Overwhelmingly, most physicians would choose medicine again, although physicians in the United Kingdom were comparatively less likely.
"It's still the best and the worst job in the word." —UK physician
"It is an intellectually enriching and humanely irreplaceable profession." —French physician
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
Most physicians would choose the same specialty, with the United States and the United Kingdom having the greatest percentage of physician respondents choosing this option. Responses from each country were very similar to those from 2019.
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
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International Physician Compensation Report 2021: Do US Doctors Have It Better?
Leslie Kane, MA; Bernardo Schubsky, MD; Tim Locke; Veronique Duqueroy; Claudia Gottschling; Mariana Lopez-Mejia, MD; Leoleli Schwartz; Daniela Ovadia, MD; Javier Cotelo, MD | August 20, 2021 | Contributor Information
Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2021: The Recovery Begins
Physician compensation was atypical in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. Almost 18,000 physicians told us about their income, bonus, hours worked, and greatest work challenges.Slideshows, April 2021
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Authors
Leslie Kane, MA
Senior Director
Medscape Business of Medicine
Bernardo Schubsky, MD
Global Senior Editorial Director
Medscape
Tim Locke
Managing Editor
Medscape UK
Veronique Duqueroy
Director
Medscape Editorial
France
Claudia Gottschling
Editorial Director
Medscape Germany
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