25 of the Highest Paying Medical Specialist Jobs in 2024

The best Medical Specialist jobs can pay up to $223,000 per year.

High Paying Medical Specialist Jobs

• Psychologist

  Salary range: $87,500-$223,000 per year

  Psychologists work with individuals, couples, children, and families to help them handle and overcome all types of behavioral issues. They often collaborate with psychiatrists, physicians, and social workers, and may be instrumental in developing and carrying out treatment plans. Psychologists facilitate scientific studies on behavior and brain function, conduct tests, and run interviews and surveys to understand human psychology better. With this knowledge, they can identify patterns, diagnose mental disorders, and develop successful treatment methods.

  Some people use the terms ‘psychiatrist’ and ‘psychologist’ interchangeably, but they are different kinds of medical professionals. Psychiatrists are medical doctors and follow the same educational path as physicians, specializing in psychiatry. They often treat patients with medications. Psychologists earn doctoral degrees and focus on behavioral treatments. They need to be licensed, but are not authorized to prescribe medication.

• Midwife

  Salary range: $98,000-$170,500 per year

  Midwives are registered nurses or other health care professionals who are certified to practice midwifery with a CNM or CM credential. They support women throughout their pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Midwives educate women about labor and delivery options, help women identify the signs of conditions related to pregnancy, introduce exercises to ease discomfort associated with labor and delivery, and guide women and their partners through emotional and physical changes related to pregnancy.

• Dosimetrist

  Salary range: $99,500-$156,500 per year

  A dosimetrist is a member of a radiation oncology team. These medical professionals determine appropriate treatment options and administer calculated doses of radiation to cancer patients. Job duties include reviewing patient medical history, determining accurate treatment plans with the help of radiation oncology team members, measuring linear accelerator machine energy, and operating radiation therapy equipment on patients.

• Clinical Pharmacist

  Salary range: $118,500-$141,500 per year

  A clinical pharmacist is a highly trained healthcare professional who has all the training of a retail pharmacist plus additional training and licenses to provide direct patient care. As a clinical pharmacist, your responsibilities and duties include overseeing patients’ medications in a clinical setting and ensuring that they are as effective as possible. You work directly with patients and physicians to monitor and modify their medications as needed. You may work in a hospital, clinic, or therapy center where you have daily direct interactions with patients who report their changes in condition and side effects to you. You work as part of their healthcare team.

• Pharmacist

  Salary range: $116,500-$140,000 per year

  A Pharmacist fills orders for prescription medications and instructs patients on how to take them. They may work in community or hospital pharmacies, universities, prisons, or for pharmaceutical companies. Pharmacists are responsible for monitoring patient prescriptions to ensure there are no drug interactions or other impacts on existing conditions. They inform patients of potential side effects and may offer immunizations, and should also be aware of the potential for prescription drug abuse. Pharmacists also need to understand insurance coding and how to process claims for patients. Outside of a pharmacy, they may work in other healthcare locations providing patients with medicinal and wellness information.

• Pathologist Assistant

  Salary range: $90,500-$140,000 per year

  A pathologist assistant is a specialized health care worker who conducts tests on specimen samples and performs surgical autopsies under licensed pathologists. As a pathology assistant, you may work in a research lab, hospital, medical examiner’s office, or you may choose to be self-employed and take on jobs at multiple facilities. You dissect tissue to acquire specimens, such as biopsies, and analyze those samples to help diagnose patients or determine problems within the cells. While you can do the majority of the procedures performed by a pathologist, you are not able to diagnose patients; the pathologist reviews your observations and suggestions and determines a diagnosis.

• Nuclear Pharmacist

  Salary range: $112,500-$138,500 per year

  A nuclear pharmacist specializes in the compounding and dispensing of nuclear medicine, which involves radioactive material. Their duties include compounding, or making, the medication, as well as drug research and discover. Other responsibilities may include discussing the best nuclear medicine application with doctors. They have limited contact with patients, often working in hospitals, large medical centers, or closed-door commercial settings. They must follow safety protocols and complete compliance paperwork and records.

• Neuropsychologist

  Salary range: $105,000-$138,000 per year

  A neuropsychologist is a psychologist who specializes in the relationship between the human brain and human behavior. Not everything is known about how the brain functions, but doctors know that disorders within the brain and nervous system can cause changes in behavior and thinking. The job of a neuropsychologist is to study how the physical brain structures and systems relate to human behavior and cognitive abilities. Neuropsychologists are highly educated and have a doctorate in psychology. They also complete specialized training in neuropsychology. Most neuropsychologists work in research or in clinical offices.

• Sonographer

  Salary range: $81,000-$137,000 per year

  A sonographer (also referred to as a diagnostic medical sonographer) administers ultrasounds. The sonographer sets up the sonography equipment, performs the diagnostic ultrasound, then shares the findings with the physician. In most cases, the sonographer will also communicate the findings to the patient. Sonographers most frequently administer ultrasounds to provide updates on fetal development, but may also administer the ultrasound for other purposes. Regular duties in this role include analyzing the ultrasound images, reviewing patient health history, and preparing the examination room.

• Physician Assistant

  Salary range: $100,000-$135,500 per year

  Physician Assistants, or PAs, work in hospitals and medical practices in routine and emergency situations. The duties of a Physician Assistant vary from obtaining patient histories to performing medical procedures and assisting in surgical operations. Their scope of practice varies depending on the state; however, in general, Physician Assistants perform many of the same job duties as medical doctors. They may conduct physical exams, diagnose conditions, and prescribe medication.

• MRI Technologist

  Salary range: $83,500-$135,000 per year

  A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist, or MRI Tech, operates the MRI machine which captures images of the body’s internal organs. MRI Technologists prepare patients to undergo the process successfully by answering their questions and explaining the procedure. They also operate the MRI machine to produce usable images and collaborate with physicians to take next steps in diagnosing and treating patients.

• Nuclear Medicine Technologist

  Salary range: $81,500-$130,000 per year

  A nuclear medicine technologist is a radiology health care professional who specializes in administering radioactive drugs used for medical diagnosis and treatments. As a nuclear medicine technologist, you do not diagnose patients; your responsibilities and duties include explaining procedures to patients and answering their questions, with the goal of putting them at ease and providing compassionate, competent care. Because these treatments use radioactive materials, you must ensure that they are conducted safely and precisely. Before you begin the procedure, carefully review the instructions provided by the prescribing physician. During and after the treatment, document any requested data and forward it to the patient's doctor for review.

• Radiation Therapist

  Salary range: $76,500-$129,000 per year

  A Radiation Therapist administers radiation treatments to patients who have cancer or other diseases. As part of the oncology team, Radiation Therapists collaborate with doctors, nurses, and medical physicists to treat patients. The additional duties of a Radiation Therapist include explaining treatment plans to patients and answering questions, calibrating and operating machinery to deliver radiation treatment, monitoring patient reactions to treatment, and keeping detailed records of patient care.

• Vascular Technologist

  Salary range: $81,000-$126,000 per year

  A vascular technologist performs imaging and diagnostic exams, such as x-rays and ultrasounds, to assess vascular health. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, vascular technologists focus exams on the cardiovascular system and may check blood flow, lung capacity, or blood pressure. Vascular technologists often work in a hospital, clinic, or medical institute. They train in vascular health and education, explaining the diagnostic process to patients, operating diagnostic equipment, and performing the diagnostic exam that a physician uses to take next steps in medical care.

• Research Psychologist

  Salary range: $79,500-$122,500 per year

  A research psychologist performs studies and research at an academic institution, business, or on a freelance basis. The duties of a research psychologist include coming up with hypotheses to test, developing research plans, creating experiments to test their ideas, analyzing the data derived from their experiments, and writing reports and papers explaining the results. They may travel to conferences to present findings. A research psychologist must also be able to write grants or seek funding from outside sources, such as foundations, research institutions, or government agencies.

• Clinical Psychologist

  Salary range: $88,500-$122,000 per year

  A clinical psychologist works in the mental health field, usually in a clinic, directly diagnosing, treating, and helping patients, in both group settings and individually, with mental disorders. Clinical psychologists specialize in abnormal psychology. Typically, a clinical psychologist does not and cannot prescribe medication. Psychiatrists, by law, are able to prescribe psychiatric medication, however, new laws have been passed in a number of states that allow some clinical psychologists to prescribe medication. A clinical psychologist’s primary objective is to understand the patient and help them recover from their struggles and problems. They use the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) to guide and reinforce their diagnoses, and subsequent treatment plans. Clinical psychologists have to tailor treatment to the individual patient since each person has unique needs and will respond differently to therapies and coping tools.

• Surgical Tech

  Salary range: $73,000-$120,000 per year

  Surgical technologists are the first people to enter the operating room before a surgery. They prepare and sterilize the location and layout all needed equipment, taking a careful count of everything being used. Once everything is sterile and prepared, the surgical tech acts as an aid for the surgeon and surgical assistant. While continuing to maintain the sterility of the room, they may also be asked to help prep and give medications, assist with retraction of tissues from the patient, and pass instruments to the surgeon as needed. Postoperatively, surgical techs count every tool and device used once again, to ensure nothing was left inside the patient. They may also help with sutures and to disinfect the incision site. Finally, they help with the proper disposal of all gauzes, drapes, and syringes.

• Radiology Technician

  Salary range: $65,500-$120,000 per year

  Radiology technicians set up the x-ray machines and prepare patients for their imaging appointment. Preparing the patient includes explaining the procedure, having the patient remove jewelry, and covering the body with protection devices so that only the area that needs to be pictured is exposed to radiation. They take the images requested by the radiologist, positioning the machine and the patient correctly to ensure accurate images. Radiology technicians forward the images to the radiologist for examination and interpretation. Radiology technicians are different from radiology technologists; radiology technologists are trained to use more advanced machinery, such as CT and MRI machines.

• Industrial Psychologist

  Salary range: $117,500-$117,500 per year

  An industrial psychologist researches the psychology of individuals in the workplace. As an industrial psychologist, your duties may involve determining how to improve interactions between workers and their environment, creating new ways for employees to work together, and suggesting office changes to improve efficiency, productivity, and job satisfaction. After performing research and analysis at a workplace, you typically report your findings to management, human resources, or other members of your team. You may also help develop policies for companies to reach their organizational goals.

• Cytotechnologist

  Salary range: $69,000-$114,000 per year

  A cytotechnologist, also called a cytologist, analyzes slides of human cells under a microscope to check for abnormalities. You work with a pathologist to identify diseased or infected cells, such as pre-cancerous or cancerous lesions or inflammatory indications. As a cytotechnologist, your job duties include preparing samples from different areas of the body, such as the lungs, skin, or reproductive tract, examining the slides with a microscope, and document and noticeable changes in the cells that may indicate disease or illness. Your responsibility is to find these potential problems, but you do not provide a diagnosis; you forward your report to a pathologist for final analysis.

• Respiratory Therapist

  Salary range: $63,000-$111,500 per year

  Respiratory therapists are medical workers and typically work in a hospital or similar healthcare facility setting. They care for patients with emphysema, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, chest trauma, and cardiac failure. When working with patients, they conduct an examination to gain an understanding of any existing breathing issues that the patient may have. This examination may be as simple as a conversation-style interview, or it may be slightly more in-depth with various diagnostic tests. Once they have an understanding of the potential respiratory issues or risks, the respiratory therapist works with a physician to develop a patient treatment plan. Similar to other medical professionals, respiratory therapists are expected to work with their patients throughout the entire treatment process: monitoring, recording, and evaluating their progress.

• Licensed Psychiatric Technician

  Salary range: $76,000-$106,000 per year

  A licensed psychiatric technician provides care for patients who have mental health and behavioral health issues. As a licensed psychiatric technician, your job duties include conducting patient intake interviews, monitoring patient behavior, evaluating medical needs, administering medication, and collaborating with doctors and nurses on patient treatment plans. Licensed psychiatric technician jobs are most commonly found in hospitals, mental health clinics, and long-term care facilities.

• Genetic Counselor

  Salary range: $63,000-$95,000 per year

  A genetic counselor assesses and counsels families and individuals on their genetic risk for diseases and health defects. You can work with couples who are experiencing fertility problems or who have a family history of genetic disease, individuals who need to confirm whether they have a genetic disorder or possess the genes to pass them along, and people who experience health problems, birth defects, developmental delays, or other issues related to genetic factors. You will examine research findings and test results, and communicate with patients and family members regarding medical history or health conditions.

• OB Tech

  Salary range: $46,000-$92,000 per year

  An OB/GYN (obstetrics/gynecology) technician, or simply OB tech assists doctors, nurses, and midwives during labor and delivery. As an OB tech, your duties include preparing and cleaning the delivery room and assisting in procedures involved in birth. You may also be required to perform basic clerical work and update patient records. Your job is to assist the medical professionals present during a birth in whatever ways necessary.

• Anesthesia Technologist

  Salary range: $43,000-$85,500 per year

  As an anesthesia technologist, your job is to help monitor a patient and some associated equipment during surgery. In this context, surgery is any procedure that requires local or total anesthesia and monitoring by an anesthesia technologist. You usually work with patients who are under sedation, but this is not the only scenario where your services may be needed. As part of your duties, you may help clean and maintain medical devices, provide advice to the rest of the surgical team, help transport patients, and operate simple equipment. Anesthesia technologists frequently keep logs of equipment inspections and servicing, take vital signs from patients, disinfect surgical sites, monitor supplies, and perform other tasks as necessary.

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