LAST week, The New York Times reported that US medical students were increasingly opting for profitable specialities in 'lifestyle' fields such as plastic surgery, resulting in a dearth of applications for fields like internal medicine.

The Sunday Times checked with doctors in private practice from different disciplines, who provided a range of salaries for a typical specialist practising privately.

WHAT DOCTORS IN DIFFERENT FIELDS EARN A MONTH

Plastic surgeons: $30,000 to $70,000

Cardiologists: $30,000 to $70,000

Ophthalmologists: $25,000 to $70,000

Gynaecologists: $20,000 to $70,000

Oncologists: $15,000 to $60,000

Psychiatrists: $15,000 to $50,000

General practitioners: $8,000 to $10,000

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