• Doctors are among the highest-paid professionals in the workforce.doctors desk image by Keith Frith from Fotolia.com
  
  The medical profession dominates the top of the Forbes "25 Best- and Worst-Paying Jobs" list year after year---most recently 2007 through 2009. While it's difficult to objectively gauge what constitutes "the best career," salary is a widely accepted measuring tool. Here are several of the best careers for doctors in the U.S. based on salary.
  
  

Anesthesiology

• Anesthesiologists are doctors who administer anesthetics during surgeries and procedures. These doctors have spent years learning about, administering and educating themselves in anesthetics. Anesthesiology requires a bachelor's degree, four years of medical school, at least three years of residency and national board certification. These doctors are fully functional doctors, though, and provide medical care to patients before, during and after surgery. In 2009, the average annual wage for anesthesiologists was just below $200,000 per year with higher and lower variations based on demand and city.
  
  

Surgery

• Surgeons are responsible for treating diseases, deformities and injuries through invasive surgical methods using a variety of instruments. The job has a large level of stress involved, especially in neurosurgery and cardiology. Surgeons undergo rigorous training, residencies and education because of the delicacy of the job. Whether a neurological, cardiovascular, plastic, or ear, nose and throat surgeons, these individuals hold the power to correct major skeletal and internal problems with their hands. In 2009, average annual income for surgeons in the U.S. was about $195,000 per year with higher and lower variations based on demand and city.
  
  

Obstetrics and Gynecology

• Doctors who specialize in obstetrics and gynecology diagnose, treat and prevent diseases in women, mostly pertaining to the reproductive system and childbirth. Reproduction and childbirth are an ever-present part of society, so the demand for obstetrician gynecologists is always there. In addition to treating more serious problems and issues and delivering babies, obstetricians and gynecologists provide general care to women as a preventative measure to catch reproductive issues early. In 2009, average annual income for obstetricians and gynecologists was just above $190,000 per year with higher and lower variations based on demand and city, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.