The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and Association of Academic Chairs in Emergency Medicine 2009–2010 Emergency Medicine Faculty Salary and Benefits Survey
Authors: Watts Susan H. , Promes Susan B. , Hockberger Robert 
Published: July 2012

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19:852–860 © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Objectives: The objective was to report the results of a survey conducted jointly by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) and the Association of Academic Chairs in Emergency Medicine (AACEM) of faculty salaries, benefits, work hours, and department demographics for institutions sponsoring residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Residency Review Committee for Emergency Medicine (RRC‐EM).

Methods: Data represent information collected for the 2009–2010 academic year through an electronic survey developed by SAEM and AACEM and distributed by the Office for Survey Research at the University of Michigan to all emergency department (ED) chairs and chiefs at institutions sponsoring accredited residency programs. Information was collected regarding faculty salaries and benefits; clinical and nonclinical work hours; sources of department income and department expenses; and selected demographic information regarding faculty, EDs, and hospitals. Salary data were sorted by program geographic region and faculty characteristics such as training and board certification, academic rank, department title, and sex. Demographic data were analyzed with regard to numerous criteria, including ED staffing levels, patient volumes and length of stay, income sources, salary incentive components, research funding, and specific type and value of fringe benefits offered. Data were compared with previous SAEM studies and the most recent faculty salary survey conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

Results: Ninety‐four of 155 programs (61%) responded, yielding salary data on 1,644 faculty, of whom 1,515 (92%) worked full‐time. The mean salary for all faculty nationwide was $237,884, with the mean ranging from $232,819 to $246,853 depending on geographic region. The mean salary for first‐year faculty nationwide was $204,833. Benefits had an estimated mean value of $48,915 for all faculty, with the mean ranging from $37,813 to $55,346 depending on geographic region. The following factors are associated with higher salaries: emergency medicine (EM) residency training and board certification, fellowship training in toxicology and hyperbaric medicine, higher academic rank, male sex, and living in the western and southern regions. Full‐time EM faculty work an average of 20 to 23 clinical hours and 16 to 19 nonclinical hours per week.

Conclusions: The salaries for full‐time EM faculty reported in this survey were higher than those found in the AAMC survey for the same time period in the majority of categories for both academic rank and geographic region. On average, female faculty are paid 10% to 13% less than their male counterparts. Full‐time EM faculty work an average of 20 to 23 clinical hours and 16 to 19 nonclinical hours per week, which is similar to the work hours reported in previous SAEM surveys.