Nurses trained in administering anesthesia get higher pay, on average, than family physicians, according to a new report by Merritt, Hawkins & Associates, the physician placement division of AMN Healthcare Services Inc. (NASD: AHS).

The average salary offered to family physicians is $172,000, compared to the $185,000 for nurses trained in administering anesthesia, according to the report.

Family physicians also made less compared to other doctors, the company said. The average salary for orthopedic surgeons is $439,000, and the average salary for radiologists is $401,000.

"Demand for family physicians is through the roof and there are not enough of them to go around," said Mark Smith, president of Merritt, Hawkins & Associates. "The way doctors are paid, however, tends to favor those who do surgical procedures rather than family physicians and other primary care doctors whose role is largely consultative."