Chief Surgeons are the Generals of the surgery department. They work closely with hospital staff, physicians, and department heads to ensure that the highest standards of safety and quality of service are maintained at all times in the surgery department. As such, a high level of experience and expertise is required to hold this position. What can a chief surgeon expect in terms of a salary?
Responsibilities of a Chief Surgeon
A Chief Surgeon, also known as a hospital Chief of Surgery, is a physician tasked with managing the department of surgery at a hospital. Essential functions of a hospital Chief of Surgery may include:
– Plan, organize, control, and direct hospital staff and activities within the department of surgery
– Develop and monitor performance metrics to maintain department quality control
– Participate in departmental activities as needed to comply with accreditation and administrative policies
– Arrange and facilitate department meetings
– Ensure positive customer relations within the department of surgery
– Provide clinical direction in surgical procedures, as needed
Educational Requirements of a Chief Surgeon
In order to become a Chief Surgeon, an individual must first obtain a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, attend graduate school to obtain a Doctorate level degree in medicine, complete an approved residency, and obtain a license to practice medicine. Generally, a hospital will look for a candidate with a minimum of five years of experience as a practicing surgeon at a large, acute care hospital.
Certification by the American Board of Surgery is also generally preferred, though not always required as a condition of employment as a Chief Surgeon. For information on accreditation of post-MD medical training programs, click here.
How Much Do Chief Surgeons Make?
The national median salary of Chief Surgeons in the United States is $409,549 annually. The top 10 percent earn more than $694,931 while the bottom 10 percent earn less than $166,000 per year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median annual salary of Physicians and Surgeons nationwide was just $166,400 as of 2010. The median salary of physicians practicing in specialty areas, by contrast, was $356,885 as of 2010. Chief Surgeons earn considerably more due to the greater amount of responsibility the position entails.
Job growth for physicians and surgeons is projected at 24 percent between 2010 and 2020, which is considerably faster than the average job growth of all other occupations. Job prospects are projected to be especially good for physicians and surgeons willing to work in low-income areas. 168,300 positions are expected to be created for physicians and surgeons between 2010 and 2020 throughout the United States. No statistics are available on job growth of Chief Surgeon positions from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
With responsibilities ranging from planning activities in the surgery department to providing clinical direction during complex surgical procedures, Chief Surgeons require a great deal of experience and expertise above and beyond what is expected of physicians and surgeons. The median income of a Chief Surgeon in the United States is $409,549 but varies from hospital to hospital.
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