In which medical specialty are physicians

happiest?
Consider your happinessboth at and outside of workwhen choosing a
medical specialty.
Lily Martis, Monster staff

Saving lives, job security, high wages and respect among your peers are probably
just a few of the many good reasons why you chose to pursue a career in
medicine. But when choosing a medical specialty, your overall happiness should
be at the top of your list of things to consider.
 Youll know youve chosen the right specialty when youre just as happy going to
work as you are after youve left for the day. Thats what we call achieving work-
life balance. (And yes, it is possible to obtain within the medical field.)

When fielding their annual Lifestyle Report, global medical news

site Medscape asked physicians in the U.S. to rate their happiness on a scale of 1
to 7, with 1 being extremely unhappy and 7 being extremely happy. The study
found that well over half of the physicians surveyed said they are extremely happy
at work and about three-quarters are happy outside of work, too.

But how does happiness break down by a physicians specialty? Lets take a
deeper look at the survey and try to sort out which physicians whistle while they
work and which ones grumble incoherently.

The highest percentages of physicians who said they are extremely happy at work
were seen among dermatologists (43%), closely followed
by ophthalmologists (42%). People in these two medical specialties were also the
top two happiest at work in Medscapes 2016 and 2014 reports.

Outside of work, urologists (76%) topped the list, though ophthalmologists,

dermatologists and even allergists and immunologists, placed high, with all three
specialties tied for second place at 74%.

Working in any specialty in medicine, though, youll constantly be putting your

patients first, which is why now is the timebefore youve chosen an area to
pursuefor you to make you and your future happiness a top priority.

Below is a list of medical specialties ranked by happiness at work (from smiles to

frowns), according to the study.

1. Dermatology (43%)
2. Ophthalmology (42%)
3. Allergy and immunology (41%)
4. Orthopedics (37%)
5. Psychiatry and mental health (37%)
6. Pulmonary medicine (37%)
7. Pediatrics (36%)
8. Pathology (36%)
9. Oncology (36%)
10. Gastroenterology (35%)
11. Surgery (35%)
12. Otolaryngology (34%)
13. Neurology (34%)
14. Anesthesiology (33%)
15. Radiology (33%)
16. Obstetrics and gynecology (32%)
17. Plastic surgery (32%)
18. Urology (31%)
19. Diabetes and endocrinology (31%)
20. Infectious disease (31%)
21. Cardiology (31%)
22. Critical care (30%)
23. Family medicine (29%)
24. Emergency medicine (28%)
25. Internal medicine (28%)
26. Nephrology (24%)
27. Rheumatology (24%)