Low Career Satisfaction and Compensation Disparities may Contribute to Vascular Surgery Assistant Professor Attrition

Objectives: We analyzed APVS satisfaction, compensation, perceived and actual gaps between academic and private practice compensation. Methods: 22 APVS completed a survey. Compensation data for APVS and private practice vascular surgeons (PPVS) was gathered from the Medical Group Management Association and Association of American Medical Colleges, respectively. Compensation was compared between APVS and PPVS in practice < 7 years. Results: 31.82% of respondents were satisfied with their career. 22.73% were dissatisfied. 22.73% of respondents were satisfied with their compensation. 59.09% were dissatisfied. APVS believed PPVS with equal experience earned compensation 30.5% greater than theirs and would relinquish their academic appointment if their compensation increased by 41.67%. There was a $70.7K inflation adjusted compensation difference between APVS and PPVS with < 7 years of experience in 2003 (P=0.043) which increased to $114.9K by 2012 (P=.001). Conclusion: APVS report low career satisfaction. There is a widening compensation gap between junior academic and private practice vascular surgeons. Among other measures to improve faculty satisfaction and retention, academic center leadership should consider utilizing non-academic compensation benchmarks to improve recruitment and retention of prospective and current APVS.