Radiologists report highest PTO among 36 specialties, new data show
Radiology ranks near the middle of physician specialties for overall lifestyle balance, but it has one notable advantage, according to a new analysis.
Updated info from staffing firm Marit Health suggests that radiologists earn more paid time off than physicians in any other specialty. The salary and jobs platform's 2026 Lifestyle Balance Index ranks 36 medical specialties based on five factors physicians may consider when choosing a specialty: weekly work hours, schedule quality, call burden, clinical time and annual paid time off. The analysis is based on more than 24,000 physician salary reports.
Radiology ranks 16th overall on the list, with a lifestyle balance score of 1, which is exactly the midpoint among the specialties analyzed. The specialty's position in the middle of the rankings reflects a mixed bag of opinions on career-related quality of life; radiologists reported an above average call burden and below average schedule quality. But on the other hand, rads also reported the highest annual paid time off of any specialty at 9.9 weeks. That equates to nearly twice the five-week average across the 36 specialties included in the analysis.
At the top of the Lifestyle Balance Index was preventive medicine, followed by dermatology, allergy and immunology, rheumatology and psychiatry. Preventive medicine had a reported 40.5-hour workweek, below-average call burden and approximately 79% of work time classified as clinical. On the flip side, neurosurgery ranked No. 36, followed by general surgery, critical care, obstetrics and gynecology, and anesthesiology. Marit noted that some of these specialties have relatively high compensation but also longer hours and heavier call burdens.
The combination illustrates why measuring physician lifestyle can extend beyond the number of hours logged during the workweek. For medical students weighing specialties during the 2027 Match cycle, the data highlight the range of factors that can shape their day-to-day experience as physicians.
Read more from the survey here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.