Female heart surgeons take home much lower salaries
Women in the field of cardiac surgery earn considerably less than men, according to a new analysis published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.[1]
Researchers reviewed data from more than 800 respondents to the 2023 Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Compensation Survey. While 48% of respondents were cardiac surgeons, another 23% were thoracic surgeons, 18% were hybrid surgeons, 9% were congenital surgeons, 1% were transplant surgeons and 1% were vascular surgeons.
“The 2023 STS Compensation Survey is the first to focus on compensation among practicing cardiothoracic surgeons, providing a unique opportunity to comprehensively examine and understand compensation in the field,” wrote Cherie P. Erkmen, MD, a professor of thoracic medicine and surgery with Temple University, and colleagues. “This is also the first study of cardiothoracic surgeons to report total compensation, encompassing performance-based and quality-based compensation, stipends, payment for medical and program directorships, education, call coverage and other sources.”
Overall, the group identified gender disparities in both base salary and total compensation for each and every subspecialty. The single greatest disparity was seen in cardiac surgeons with 11 to 20 years of experience; women in that group earn just 63-70% of what men earn.
Diving deeper into the data, Erkmen et al. found that women earn $0.82, $0.84 and $0.64 for every dollar of base salary earned by their male counterparts in the fields of cardiac, thoracic and congenital surgery.
“Interestingly, the disparity in total compensation is even greater among cardiac and thoracic surgeons, suggesting that gender impacts various compensation components beyond base salary,” the group wrote.
The authors acknowledged that gender disparities in pay remain common in healthcare. They hope that this new analysis, as well as data shared by groups such as the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), can help women feel more comfortable discussing their compensation with managers.
“Our study provides context for individuals in the specialty to understand their own compensation,” the authors wrote. “It can empower women in the field to initiate an informed conversation regarding compensation by citing the STS Compensation Survey and the AAMC data to demonstrate the specialty-wide gender disparity. Using assertive statements like, ‘I want to make sure that this is not the case with me,’ may feel less confrontational than asking, ‘Am I being fairly compensated?’ Though our focus is on gender disparity, all cardiothoracic surgeons can invoke these data to ensure fair and transparent compensation models for themselves and their colleagues. Transparency fosters collegiality, teamwork and productivity among teams of cardiothoracic surgeons.”
Click here to read the full analysis.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.