Orthopedic surgeons are one of the happiest careers in the United States.
At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, orthopedic surgeons rate their career happiness 3.8 out of 5 stars which puts them in the top 15% of careers.
To put this into perspective, we compared how happy orthopedic surgeons are to similar careers in the industry. Take a look at the results below:
Salaries and satisfaction ratings in similar careers
| Career | Satisfaction | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Neurosurgeon | 4.1 | N/A |
| Dermatologist | 4.1 | $201k |
| Pediatrician | 4.0 | $171k |
| Neurologist | 4.0 | $201k |
| Anesthesiologist | 4.0 | N/A |
| Orthopedic surgeon | 3.8 | N/A |
| Nurse anesthetist | 3.8 | $213k |
| Radiologist | 3.7 | $201k |
| Orthodontist | 3.6 | N/A |
| Naturopathic physician | 3.5 | $74k |
So what does it mean to be happy in your career? Let’s break it down into different dimensions:
- Salary: Are orthopedic surgeons happy with their salary?
- Meaning: Do orthopedic surgeons find their jobs meaningful?
- Personality fit: How well suited are people’s personalities to their everyday tasks as orthopedic surgeons?
- Work environment: How enjoyable are orthopedic surgeon’s work environments?
- Skills utilization: Are orthopedic surgeons making the best use of their abilities?
Are orthopedic surgeons happy with their salary?
Orthopedic surgeons rated their satisfaction with their salaries 4.2/5. The majority of orthopedic surgeons are quite happy with their salaries, with very few having complaints about their income level.
We asked orthopedic surgeons how fairly compensated they are for their work.
Their response was:
4.2 out of 5 stars
15 orthopedic surgeons
53% of orthopedic surgeons rated their compensation 5 stars
20% of orthopedic surgeons rated their compensation 4 stars
20% of orthopedic surgeons rated their compensation 3 stars
7% of orthopedic surgeons rated their compensation 2 stars
Do orthopedic surgeons find their jobs meaningful?
On average, orthopedic surgeons rate the meaningfulness of their work a 3.9/5. Unlike many careers, orthopedic surgeons have little difficulty finding meaning in their work, and it likely constitutes one of the main reasons people become orthopedic surgeons.
We asked orthopedic surgeons how meaningful they found their work.
Their response was:
3.9 out of 5 stars
14 orthopedic surgeons
29% of orthopedic surgeons rated how meaningful they found their career 5 stars
43% of orthopedic surgeons rated how meaningful they found their career 4 stars
21% of orthopedic surgeons rated how meaningful they found their career 3 stars
7% of orthopedic surgeons rated how meaningful they found their career 2 stars
How well are people’s personalities suited to everyday tasks as orthopedic surgeons?
Orthopedic surgeons rated their personality fit with their work an average of 4.5/5. The majority of orthopedic surgeons find their personalities quite well suited to their work, with relatively few having complaints about their fit.
We asked orthopedic surgeons how well their personalities fit into their careers.
Their response was:
4.5 out of 5 stars
15 orthopedic surgeons
60% of orthopedic surgeons rated their career fit 5 stars
27% of orthopedic surgeons rated their career fit 4 stars
13% of orthopedic surgeons rated their career fit 3 stars
How enjoyable is an orthopedic surgeon’s work environment?
As a whole, orthopedic surgeons rated their enjoyment of their work environment 4.1/5. A solid majority of orthopedic surgeons enjoy their work environment, probably contributing to overall higher satisfaction with working as an orthopedic surgeon.
We asked orthopedic surgeons how much they enjoyed their work environment.
Their response was:
4.1 out of 5 stars
14 orthopedic surgeons
43% of orthopedic surgeons rated their work environment 5 stars
36% of orthopedic surgeons rated their work environment 4 stars
7% of orthopedic surgeons rated their work environment 3 stars
14% of orthopedic surgeons rated their work environment 2 stars
Are orthopedic surgeons making the best use of their abilities?
Former orthopedic surgeons on CareerExplorer have rated their skills utilization 3.8/5. Most orthopedic surgeons surveyed find that they manage to use their abilities to their fullest as an orthopedic surgeon, which helps contribute to higher career satisfaction in the long term.
We asked orthopedic surgeons how well their abilities were used in their careers.
Their response was:
3.8 out of 5 stars
14 orthopedic surgeons
43% of orthopedic surgeons rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 5 stars
29% of orthopedic surgeons rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 4 stars
21% of orthopedic surgeons rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 3 stars
7% of orthopedic surgeons rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 2 stars