Pediatric Dermatology Salary Info

Pediatric dermatologists treat conditions of the skin such as birthmarks, eczema, warts, and psoriasis specifically in children. These individuals go through a four-year medical program, one year of internship, three years of residency in dermatology or pediatrics, and finally one year as a pediatric dermatology fellow before they can be certified in their field. 

In the United States, the average salary for a pediatric dermatologist is around $225,000 according to the Society of Pediatric Dermatology. These doctors are paid a higher salary in Australia at AU$410,000 which is equivalent to roughly $328,292 in US dollars. In New Zealand, a children’s dermatologist can expect to make around NZ$345,000 ($251,534 USD). 

Canadian doctors make a similar average to New Zealand docs in terms of US dollars. They make around C$297,000, which is equivalent to $244,000 in US dollars. In the UK a physician in this category can expect to make less than the others at only £157,000 or $187,970 USD. South Africa and India come in lowest at the equivalent of only $135,000 and $27,900 respectively.

What Factors Determine How Much Pediatric Dermatologists Make?

Several factors can affect the average pay of any physician, including a pediatric dermatologist. Some of those factors include their geographical region, how many years of experience they have in their field, the setting in which they practice medicine, and more. To truly see how these things can make a difference, let’s take a closer look at each. 

Geographic Area of Work

We have already discussed briefly how salaries for this position can range throughout the world, but what about more specifically within the United States? The difference in salary rate within the United States is staggering. The North Central region, which includes states like Idaho, and North and South Dakota ranks highest for physician pay, while the Mid-Atlantic rates lowest. 

The rates of pay in the Great Lakes and Northwest regions are similar at an average of $303,000 and $301,000 respectively, while the second and third lowest spots also carry similar average pay rates with the Southwest coming in at $292,000 and the West, which includes California, Alaska, and Hawaii, averaged only $290,000. Southern regions made up the middle ground. 

Outside of the US, salaries for pediatric dermatologists are just as hard to pin down. Canada sees a great fluctuation in salary depending on whether or not doctors practice within large cities like Toronto or smaller towns away from the hustle and bustle. Canadian doctors can expect up to about C$20,000 through bonuses depending on their location as well. 

In the UK, annual bonuses of £11,000 are possible for those working within the National Health System. Private practice doctors have the potential to earn more than their NHS colleagues but have a harder time if they do not live in a region that caters to the ultra-wealthy. 

New Zealand, India, and South Africa each also show potential for pediatric dermatologists to earn bonus income depending on where they practice geograp;hically and physically. In New Zealand doctors had the potential to earn NZ$23,000, in India Rs$121, 000 more, and in South Africa R$121,000 as well.;

Experience Level

The amount of experience these doctors have in their field can have a major effect on their salary. All around the world the average difference between entry-level and senior pediatric dermatologists’ salaries is about 84-85%. In the United States, entry-level positions average pay of about $207,000, while senior positions come in at more than $381,000 per year. 

In Canada, new physicians will make an average of C$201,000 while higher-level doctors will earn an average of C$369,000 per year. The UK sees this same difference with entry-level doctors making an average of £106,000, while senior-level dermatologists make more than £195,000 every year, all with the possibility of bonuses and additional income. 

Australians see similar increases over time. The average starting pay for this position in Australia is AU$277,000 while senior-level employees average well above AU$510,000 per year. New Zealand sees a slightly lower difference, although not much. The starting pay there is NZ$232,000, and senior pay is NZ$429,000 on average. 

India and South Africa are not immune to the large differences in pay between entry and senior-level doctors either. They average about an 84% increase in pay from entry to senior levels. Those gaps can become even larger when higher-level doctors earn bonus pay, while lower level doctors are less likely to do so.

Practice Setting

As a physician of any kind, the place that you work is always a determining factor in how much you make. For instance, larger medical groups tend to offer higher pay in the United States than hospitals or private practices, while in the UK working for the NHS often garners larger paychecks than working in a private practice. 

Most often, pediatric dermatologists work in private or group practice settings, although on occasion you can find them in a hospital or a research facility. Those working in non-profit research settings or hospitals typically make less than their for-profit counterparts. Self-employed doctors usually see the highest rates of pay in the US, about 50% above the rest. 

Often the setting in which these physicians practice can also affect the types of benefits and bonuses they are offered. Private practices offer the most benefits since doctors can choose their plans, but hospitals and major medical group benefits are not far behind with often free basic healthcare and bonus opportunities for the best workers.

What Hours Do Pediatric Dermatologists Work? 

Most of these positions are full-time, which means 40-50 hours a week in the United States and 37.5 hours per week in Canada and the UK. These doctors aren’t always required to be on-call, especially in private practices, but may occasionally take on such a role in a hospital setting. Aside from call, shifts are usually Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. 

These regulated hours are a bonus for individuals in this field since many doctors work long hours and on-call shifts as a part of their daily duties. The hours, along with the fact that most cases pediatric dermatologists see are non-life threatening, makes this job one with high satisfaction among professionals in the field. 

The amount of money doctors make is often seen as underpayment for the amount of work they do and their odd hours, so pediatric dermatology may be a good choice for those looking to balance the higher pay of a physician with the consistent hours of other careers. Work-life balance is important in job satisfaction and fulfillment in this industry.

What is the Job Outlook for Pediatric Dermatologists? 

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the job outlook for physicians and surgeons as a whole is expected to increase by 13% by 2026, which will create roughly 91,400 jobs over a ten-year period. Physicians working in New York, California, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Florida experience the best job outlook and the lowest unemployment rates as of 2016. 

Experts believe that the above-average growth rate of physician’s jobs is due to an ever-growing population, although there are some concerns that the rate of growth for physicians in pediatric fields may slow as fewer and fewer Americans choose to have children, or as they have children later in life. We still do not expect a decline in the number of available jobs, however. 

In other countries around the world, the trend appears to be the same, with job growth happening throughout physicians categories, even in the UK’s national healthcare system. As of a 2016 study, Canada was also seeing more jobs in dermatology as a whole, although fewer physicians were taking the time to continue their study for this specific realm of healthcare. 

Other countries such as Australia and New Zealand also expect job growth for physicians in general and did not see the decline in birth rate that we have seen in the United States in recent years, boding well for those interested in pediatric fields as well as general practitioners and physicians and surgeons across the board.

Final Thoughts

Pediatric dermatologists earn high salaries worldwide, although those salaries do fall at the lower end for physicians in general. The return on investment for the eight or more years of schooling these physicians receive is quite good, especially when you add in the additional bonuses and benefits offered to them in non-private practice settings. 

Future job opportunities seem to be looking up, although we may see a minor slow down in new job openings for all pediatric fields due to lower birth rates in the US. However, an aging population means aging physicians as well, so as older physicians in these fields retire, there will likely be plenty of room for their freshly minted counterparts to obtain work. 

This career offers doctors a work-life balance that many other physicians can only dream of, with fewer on-call shifts and much less worry about patients overall wellbeing, because a majority of cases are non-life threatening. These aspects of the job mean that fulfillment and satisfaction are both extremely high in pediatric dermatology.