A general surgical doctor can be found in an operating room.
A general surgery doctor is in the business of saving lives. Surgeons manually mend bones, tissues and organs that have been damaged by disease or injury. Years of formal education and a heavy workload lead to six-figure salaries in this field. A variety of data exist showing how much a general surgery doctor gets paid.
National
National median salaries vary, according to each source. According to the 2009 Physician Compensation Survey by the American Medical Group Association, the median salary for general surgeons was $340,000. Salary.com states that the median salary for a typical surgeon was $294,785 in November 2009. On the other hand, the LocumTenens.com 2008 Compensation and Employment Survey reveals that general surgeons earned an average annual salary of $284,000.
Experience
According to the 2009 Physician Compensation Survey, the starting salary for general surgeons was $260,000. The 2008 Compensation and Employment Survey conducted by LocumTenens.com revealed a lower entry-level salary: a surgeon with experience of five years or less had an approximate salary of $209,700; six to 10 years, $278,800; and more than 10 years, $294,000.
Employment
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industries that employed the highest number of surgeons in May 2009 were physicians offices, with a mean annual wage of $227,860; general medical and surgical hospitals, $191,200; outpatient care centers, $214,090; colleges, universities and professional schools, $166,710; and offices of other health practitioners, $215,530. The offices of other health practitioners includes chiropractors, optometrists, mental health practitioners and more.
Top-Paying Industries
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the top-paying industry for surgeons in May 2009 was dentists offices; however, the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not list the wage data of surgeons within the offices of dentists. Other high-paying industries included the offices of physicians, $227,860; offices of other health practitioners, $215,530; outpatient care centers, $214,090; and the local government, $205,300.
Geography
According to the 2009 Physician Compensation Survey, the salary for general surgeons in the East was $316,380; West, $342,493; South, $316,184; and North $354,444. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the top-paying states in May 2009 for surgeons were Wyoming, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Oregon and New Jersey.
Gender
According to the physician LocumTenens.com and its 2008 Compensation and Employment Survey, men earned approximately $287,700, while women earned $258,000. On average, male surgeons were paid almost $30,000 more than female surgeons.
Tags: Bureau Labor, Bureau Labor Statistics, general surgeons, health practitioners, Labor Statistics, 2008 Compensation
