What is a Breast Surgeon Worth? A Salary Survey of the American Society of Breast Surgeons

Background Breast surgeons negotiating employment agreements have little national data available. To reduce this knowledge gap, the Education Committee of the American Society of Breast Surgeons conducted a survey of its membership. Methods In 2014, survey questionnaires were sent to society members. Data collected included gender, type of practice, percentage devoted to breast surgery, volume of breast cases, work relative value units, location, benefits, and salary. Descriptive statistics were provided, and a multinomial logistic regression was performed to analyze the impact of various potential factors on salary. Results Of the 2784 members, a total of 843 observations were included. Overall, 54 % of respondents dedicated 100 % of their practice to breast surgery, 64.3 % were female, and 40 % were fellowship-trained in breast surgery or surgical oncology. The mean income in 2013 was $330.7k. Results from a multinomial model showed gender ( p < 0.0001), ownership ( p = 0.03), years of practice ( p < 0.0001), practice setting ( p < 0.0001), practice volume ( p < 0.0001), and geographic location ( p = 0.05) were statistically significant. After adjusting for other variables, the expected income was higher for males ($378k vs. $310k). The lowest expected income by practice setting was in solo private practice ($249.2k), followed by single-specialty private practice ($285.8k), and academic ($308.5k), with the highest being multispecialty group private practice ($346.6k) and hospital-employed practice ($368.0k). Practice 100 % dedicated to breast surgery had a lower than expected income ($326k vs. $343k). Conclusions Salary-specific data for breast surgeons are limited, and differences in salary were seen across geographic regions, type of practice, and gender. This type of breast-surgeon-specific data may be helpful in ensuring equitable compensation.