• Many careers in the medical field are highly lucrative.stethoscope image by Bartlomiej Nowak from Fotolia.com
  
  The medical field offers an extraordinary amount of high-paying positions, in large part due to the expertise and extensive education many of them require. Among the top-paying jobs in this career field are those as a surgeon, anesthesiologist or obstetrician. All of these careers are for medical doctors who must complete a rigorous residency in order to practice medicine in that specific area (some of these residencies may take longer than others for less competitive specialties).
  
  

Surgeon

• Surgeons, especially those who specialize their skills (such as neurosurgeons, who are among the highest-paid surgeons) can expect to make, on average, nearly $200,000 per year. Surgeons are rewarded handsomely for their skills, but deal with a great deal of pressure in their day-to-day work---surgeons must often complete the most dangerous and uncertain medical procedures, such as heart bypasses, spine procedures, and emergency medicine-related surgeries. Once a surgeon gains a reputation for having a good track record and happy patients, their salaries may climb as hospitals bid to obtain the best surgeons for their staff.
  
  

Anethesiologist

• Right next to the surgeon in the operating room is the anesthesiologist, and though they don't assist in the actual surgery procedures, anesthesiologists are crucially important to the success of surgeries going safely and smoothly. Responsible for administering just the right amount of anesthetic to ensure that a patient is unconscious and does not experience pain or slip into a coma during surgery, anesthesiologists experience fairly high levels of stress in their daily work, which explains---in part---why these specialists make about $175,000 per year on average.
  
  

Obstetrician/Gynecologist

• Obstetricians and gynecologists (OB/GYNs) are medical doctors who help to ensure female reproductive health. OB/GYNs often work in private practice and also have affiliations with hospitals, and can deal with issues such as pregnancy; sexually transmitted diseases; reproductive system-related cancers (such as ovarian cancer and uterine cancer); and a host of other disorders or illnesses contracted by women. OB/GYNs make an average annual salary of about $175,000 and often have less stress associated with their day-to-day work than do surgeons and anesthesiologists.