Salary

• One of the major financial benefits of being a surgeon is the high salary earned. The lowest-paid surgeons (those in the bottom 10 percentile) earned about $58.57 per hour in 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That translates to $121,830 per year. The mean hourly wage for surgeons was $105.66 per hour in 2009, translating to an annual salary of $219,770. Salaries remain sensitive to the specific industry; surgeons working for colleges and universities earned an annual mean wage of $166,710 compared with surgeons working in physician offices, who earned an annual mean wage of $227,860. Surgeons working in rural areas enjoy the opportunity to earn more. The annual mean wage for surgeons in South Dakota was $222,980 in 2009; for surgeons in Kansas, $230,090.
  
  

Demand

• Another financial benefit of being a surgeon is the high demand, increasing the possibility that surgeons will be able to find and maintain jobs without fear of layoffs or pay cuts. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment for physicians and surgeons between 2008 through 2018 will grow by 22 percent, "much faster" than average compared with other occupations. Factors attributed to increased demand include an expanding health care industry, a growing (and aging) population and a more demanding consumer base requesting the latest technological innovations and procedures for medical care, including surgery. Additionally, many surgeons are expected to retire between 2008 and 2018, creating job opportunities for newly qualified surgeons.
  
  

Partner Practices

• Surgeons financially benefit from the opportunity to form partner practices, an increasingly appealing option for surgeons and physicians, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Partner practices permit surgeons and physicians to operate group practices, reducing overhead costs for medical equipment and support staff since these resources can be shared. Other advantages for partner practices relate to traditional benefits associated with business partnerships: shared financial responsibility for advertising, marketing and insurance costs.
  
  

Benefits and Incentives

• The health care industry has begun to reward surgeons for successful completion of surgeries in a system known as "pay for performance," according to Becker's ASC Review. This system rewards surgeons who routinely achieve positive, measurable outcomes through their surgeries. Other financial incentives include generous benefits packages that permit surgeons flexible scheduling, job-sharing arrangements and increased time off to spend with families, on vacations or pursuing hobbies.