Top-paying jobs
Anesthesiologists take home a median $292,000 salary annually. What other great careers from Money and PayScale.com's list of Best Jobs in America offer big paychecks?
1. Anesthesiologist
Best Jobs rank: 11*
Median salary: $292,000
Top pay: $408,000
The high pay for anesthesiologists reflects inherent stress in a job that is literally about life and death. "Anesthesiologists get patients safely and intact through operations while surgeons do things that would otherwise kill them," says Roger Moore, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. The big salaries are also a payback for the 12-plus years of training required before an anesthesiologist can start practicing.NEXT: Physician/Obstetrician/Gynecologist
Last updated November 27 2009: 12:12 PM ET
Source: All pay data from PayScale.com
Note: We looked at jobs from the top 100 with the highest top pay. When there were multiple job titles from the same category, we selected the job with the most familiar job title. Median salary is for an experienced worker (at least two to seven years in field). Top pay represents the 90th percentile.
*Other highly paid M.D. positions include Emergency Room Physician, General Practitioner and General Surgeon.
Note: We looked at jobs from the top 100 with the highest top pay. When there were multiple job titles from the same category, we selected the job with the most familiar job title. Median salary is for an experienced worker (at least two to seven years in field). Top pay represents the 90th percentile.
*Other highly paid M.D. positions include Emergency Room Physician, General Practitioner and General Surgeon.
