Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric vs Psychiatrists: $300K vs $282K Median Pay

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric vs Psychiatrists: what changes?

Consider Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric if you want to diagnose and perform surgery to treat and help prevent disorders and diseases of the eye. Consider Psychiatrists if you would rather diagnose, treat, and help prevent mental disorders. Both list doctoral or professional degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric and Psychiatrists. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric

National median pay (2025): $300,080
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.
Work to investigate: Perform comprehensive examinations of the visual system to determine the nature or extent of ocular disorders.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 200

Know before you choose

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

See the full Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric brief

Psychiatrists

National median pay (2025): $281,870
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.
Work to investigate: Prescribe, direct, or administer psychotherapeutic treatments or medications to treat mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 900

Know before you choose

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

See the full Psychiatrists brief

How the national numbers differ

Psychiatrists has the edge on projected growth

Psychiatrists is at 7.2% projected growth, compared with 4.5% projected growth for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric.

Psychiatrists has the edge on annual openings

Psychiatrists is at 900 annual openings, compared with 200 annual openings for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric.

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric has the edge on median pay

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric is at $300,080, compared with $281,870 for Psychiatrists.

48.4/ 100

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric

56.9/ 100

Psychiatrists

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric vs Psychiatrists

Dimension	Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	Psychiatrists
Median pay (2025)	$300,080	$281,870
Pay percentile	98.9 percentile	98.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	4.5%	7.2%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	200	900
2025 employment	9,700	30,000
How you qualify	Doctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements	Doctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 5
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.	Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric brief Read Psychiatrists brief

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric vs Psychiatrists: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric

Psychiatrists

How the national numbers differ

Psychiatrists has the edge on projected growth

Psychiatrists has the edge on annual openings

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric has the edge on median pay

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric vs Psychiatrists

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