Physician Salaries In Florida

The Sunshine State sometimes gets a bad rep for some of its strange happenings. But you know one thing you can’t offer criticism for? The cost of living there is still manageable despite the recent increase in personal expenditures, which makes it appealing for physicians.

Yet, not everything is sunny in Florida, especially when it comes to physician salaries. Florida isn’t highly ranked when it comes to a good healthcare system, at an abysmal 41st among all 50 states.

However, Florida is not the worst regarding its physician workforce, and the salary isn’t too bad. But where are the big bucks in medicine if you’re practicing in Florida, and is it worth it? Let’s take a look at:

• What an average physician’s salary looks like in Florida
• The number of active physicians in popular specialties
• How is healthcare faring, on the whole?

Florida: More Money, More Hassle?

Florida actually has some of the best salaries for physicians in the country. While it isn’t in the top three, the annual mean wage for physicians in Florida is up to $288,670.

This is a step above other states, such as California, which boasts the same gorgeous climate and beaches as Florida but at a much higher cost of living and tax situation. So that salary actually lasts longer rather than being used up in an instant. And with Social Security reporting a 2.5% cost of living adjustment…

Of course, that depends on whether you’ve been settled in your career for two years after graduation. Younger, entry-level doctors earn almost less than half the pay, starting around $100,000 and capping at $130,000 at the most.

But we all know that the real money lies in becoming a specialist.

Getting a residency in a specialty or sub-specialty is the natural course of action for any physician looking to increase their salary. And while a pay increase can depend on other factors such as geographical location, experience and skill set, specializing is usually the safest bet. Here are the top-earning specialties in Florida.

Anaesthesiologists are sought all over the country, so it’s not surprising to see them ranking high here. But the pathologist demographic is newer to see, likely due to a 41% workload increase for pathologists in the U.S.

Overall the salaries are pretty good for physicians looking to practice in Florida, but are they good enough?

Floridian Doctors: Crumbling Under The Pressure?

The healthcare sector in Florida is leaving a lot to be desired, both for patients and doctors alike.

Doctors tend to move to Florida for its amazing weather and diverse opportunities and also because it’s simply a reasonable state to live in. When it comes to finding said opportunities, Florida ranks 16th. The Alligator state also has virtually no income tax, and you can get regular goods without too much of a markup.

And despite a physician shortage, Florida does have plenty of active physicians where they matter. Here are a few of the fields with the most active physicians.

But the problem is, those figures aren’t rising. Florida has an issue where it can’t seem to keep its medical graduates at home and work locally. Simply put, it doesn’t have nearly the number of residency programs it needs to cater to all of them, leaving young Florida graduates to look for greener pastures elsewhere.

This means that a huge margin overworks the doctors that do exist in the system. Much like the rest of the country, Florida also has a huge burnout problem with its physicians, and while there is an EAP program set up, the demands far outweigh the resources.

Florida is running out of doctors, and the fields with the most active numbers are diminishing before they can retire. There isn’t a short-term solution here.

However, physician salaries are on the higher end of the spectrum, and Florida is a beautiful state to reside in. If that can sustain you, then maybe Florida could be your new work destination!