Edited by Manasi Talwadekar
Medscape Medical News
TOPLINE:
Cardiac anesthesiologists experienced a rise in nominal income from 2020 to 2024. However, their inflation-adjusted income and work patterns remained mostly unchanged. Meanwhile, their satisfaction with compensation decreased over time.
METHODOLOGY:
- Researchers analyzed data from the cross-sectional Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists Salary Surveys conducted in 2020, 2022, and 2024, querying gross taxable income, compensation structure, work patterns, training, and demographics to assess changes in income, work patterns, and satisfaction among clinicians.
- Participants comprised 1295 US-based members of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists who provided responses to the surveys distributed via email: 526 in 2020, 416 in 2022, and 353 in 2024. Responses were categorized by the year they were provided and combined.
- The primary outcomes were the continuously compounded rates of change in nominal and inflation-adjusted incomes from 2020 to 2024, with inflation adjustment via the Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator; respondents also indicated their salary changes over the past 24 months.
- Secondary outcomes were the annual proportions of those reporting more than 150 cardiac cases per year and supervision intensity with a care delivery ratio ≥ 1:2.
- Whether respondents were satisfied with their compensation relative to their work effort was also assessed.
TAKEAWAY:
- Nominal income rose, with the median income increasing from $425,000 (IQR, $365,000-$500,000) in 2020 to $525,000 (IQR, $450,000-$600,000) in 2024 (P < .001). In 2024, median nominal income varied by practice from $396,000 (IQR, $386,000-$400,000) for government positions to $570,000 (IQR, $505,000-$626,000) for nonacademic employed roles.
- Inflation-adjusted income, adjusted to 2024 dollars using the Consumer Price Index, showed no significant change: median, $517,000 in 2020 vs $525,000 in 2024; the adjusted continuously compounded growth rate was 0.1% (P = .84).
- Increases in nominal income were reported by 41% of respondents in 2020 and 62% in 2024. The likelihood of respondents reporting salary growth increased across survey years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.22 per year; P < .001). No significant changes were observed in the proportion reporting high annual cardiac anesthetic volumes (more than 150 cases) or high supervision ratios from 2020 to 2024.
- The proportion of respondents satisfied with their compensation fell significantly from 57% in 2020 to 47% in 2024, despite a rise noted in 2022. Satisfaction with compensation decreased over time, with or without considering inflation-adjusted income. Exploratory analyses linked increased supervision intensity (aOR, 0.75; P = .04) and increased call frequency (aOR, 0.36 per level; P for trend = .004) to reduced satisfaction.
IN PRACTICE:
“Understanding sources of cardiac anesthesiologist motivation and dissatisfaction may reduce attrition and stabilize workforces necessary for institutionally critical, revenue-generating cardiac surgery programs,” the researchers of the study reported.