Need to know what I am worth (i.e., average annual salary in
Philadelphia PA).  I am board certified anesthesiologist and will be
negotiating a contract with my employer soon.  Here is some data that
may help you get the most accurate estimate:  board certified in
anesthesia for 8 years; practicing physician for 16 years; have
secondary board certification in internal medicine; I have no pending
law suites;  I have no subspecialty training within the specialty of
anesthesia; I will be on call every 5th day; I will have 6 weeks
vacation; I will work (roughly) 40 hours per week; I will work for an
academic institution (not private practice); I am male, 41 years old;
I will supervise nurses rather than do cases alone; I don?t do cardiac
or obstetric anesthesia or pain management.  Please give estimated
salary with references to data source.

The median annual salary for anesthesiologists in Philadelphia is $270,644:

Salary.com Salary Wizard: Anesthesiologist/Philadelphia
http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_compresult.asp?narrowcode=HC03&jobcode=HC07000045&metrocode=132&metro=Philadelphia&state=Pennsylvania&geo=Philadelphia,%20Pennsylvania&jobtitle=Anesthesiologist&narrowdesc=Healthcare%20--%20Practitioners

From a 2004 American Medical Group Association survey:

Anesthesiology
------------------
All       $300,564 
Starting  $225,000
Eastern   $264,862 
Western   $268,363 
Southern  $336,951 
Northern  $330,008
 
CEJKA Search: Medical Group Compensation & Financial Survey
http://www.cejkasearch.com/content.asp?intSubNavID=38&intPageID=264

"A typical Anesthesiologist working in the United States earns a
median base salary of $252,938, according to our analysis of data
reported by corporate HR departments. Half of the people in this job
earn between $202,898 and $290,108."

Salary.com: Job Valuation Report 
https://secure.salary.com/jobvaluationreport/docs/jobvaluationreport/jobsellhtmls/Anesthesiologist-salary-job-description.html

In this survey of physicians in practice for three or more years,
hospital-based anesthesiologists averaged $278,802 in base salary,
with the lowest respondent reporting a salary of $219,850, and the
highest, $392,960:

Physicians Search: Physician Salary Survey
http://www.physicianssearch.com/physician/salary2.html

If you're interested in comparing Philadelphia salaries to earnings in
other cities in Pennsylvania, this will be useful:

Salary.com Salary Wizard: Pennsylvania Anesthesiologist Salaries 
http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layouthtmls/PA/swzl_compresult_state_PA_HC07000045.html

"According to an April 2001 article in the American Society of
Anesthesiologists newsletter, by Gifford Eckhout, M.D. and Armin
Schubert, M.D, 'a curtailed supply of anesthesiologists and a growing
demand for surgical health care have brought about a national
anesthesiologist shortage that could continue well into the next
decade.' This research was updated and the findings confirmed by Alan
W. Grogono, M.D. in a November 2003 article for the American Society
of Anesthesiologists newstletter. The annual salary for
anesthesiologists ranges from $242,886 to $334,121.

Source: The American Board of Medical Specialties, the American
Society of Anesthesiologists and the "2003 Physician Compensation
Survey," Modern Healthcare. August 21, 2003. (Based on surveys
conducted by American Medical Group Association; Goddard Healthcare
Conslting; Hay Group; Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service;
Martin, Fletcher; MD Network; Medical Group Management Association;
Merritt, Hawkins & Associates; Sullivan, Cotter & Associates; and
Warren Surveys.)"

Careers in Medicine: Specialty Information
http://www.aamc.org/students/cim/pub_anesthesiology.htm

Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: anesthesiologist median salary OR earnings OR compensation
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=anesthesiologist+median+salary+OR+earnings+OR+compensation

Google Web Search: anesthesiologist philadelphia
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=anesthesiologist+philadelphia

Google Web Search: "physician compensation"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22physician+compensation

I hope this is precisely the kind of information you need. If anything
is unclear, or if a link does not function, please request
clarification; I'll be glad to offer further assistance before you
rate my answer.

Best of luck in your salary negotiations. 

~pinkfreud

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 18 Sep 2004 09:44 PDT

Considerably more specific detail is available in this survey report.
But, as is generally the case with sources of highly detailed data,
the information is rather expensive:

MGMA: Physician Compensation and Production Survey
http://www3.mgma.com/ecom/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=itemDetail&prod_number=6196

---

Request for Answer Clarification by utopia_us-ga on 19 Sep 2004 06:18 PDT

The information you have provided is very helpful.  However, aside
from the expensive paid sources you have referenced, are there any
sources that comment specifically on the effect of board certification
in
Anesthesia; having no subspecialty training within the specialty of
anesthesia (such as pain management, pediatric anesthesia, cardiac
anesthesia, etc); the number of days of vacation (above); the # of
hours per week I will work (above); academic practice rather than
private practice; my gender or age; that I will supervise nurses
rather than do cases alone.  If it?s not on the web, fine?my goal is
accomplished.  I just thought I would use your expertise to flush out
any specifics so my negotiations would have teeth.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 19 Sep 2004 10:36 PDT

I wish I could offer more, but I'm afraid the kind of detailed salary
information that you'd like to have is not available from free or
inexpensive sources. Such data typically comes from privately-financed
surveys. The firms that create and administer the surveys expect to
profit from their efforts, and reports containing these kinds of data
are usually very expensive.

The selling of statistical information has become a major industry in
our modern age. Some information that used to be available for free is
now only obtainable for a hefty fee or subscription. Often the target
market is other businesses, not private individuals. The upside of
this is that great amounts of detail can be gotten; the downside is
that the price for obtaining the detail is more than a single
individual is usually willing to pay.

The best option that I can suggest is that you consider purchasing a
"Premium Report" from Salary.com. To do this, click the first link in
my answer, above. Scroll down the page, select your company size, and
click on "Personalize Your Report."

This is what Salary.com says about its Personal Salary Report:

"To determine how an individual?s skills and experiences might
influence his or her pay, Salary.com customizes each Personal Salary
Report by adjusting the data to reflect eight 'personal variables,'
what human resources professionals sometimes call 'compensable
factors.' These are the eight factors that are known to have the
greatest potential impact on pay.

Years of experience 
Education (up to 2 credentials or degrees) 
Last performance rating 
Person to whom you report 
Number of people reporting to you 
Professional organizations and designations 
Shift 
Hazardous working conditions 

The data is presented in a 12- to 14-page, easy-to-understand report.
The Summary can serve as a quick tear sheet for someone preparing to
negotiate a salary. The User?s Guide explains how to get the most out
of your Personal Salary Report. The meat of the report is in the
Market Data, Company, and Personal Variables sections, which explain
the market compensation data and offer invaluable 'Point/Counterpoint'
negotiation advice. The Worksheets are included to help you prepare
for an upcoming negotiation - whether at a performance review, at a
job interview, or when you're up for a promotion.

The Resources section of the Personal Salary Report explains where the
data comes from, defines important compensation terms, and provides
information human resources professionals can use in interpreting the
findings."

I hope this is helpful.

~pinkfreud

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 19 Sep 2004 10:53 PDT

Payscale.com also offers a reasonably-priced and somewhat customized
compensation report. I have no way to evaluate how worthwhile this may
be, since I don't know of anyone who has used this service. I've had
two acquaintances who were pleased with the report from Salary.com
(mentioned above).

https://www.payscale.com/signup.asp?subtype=2&tk=hm2

---

Request for Answer Clarification by utopia_us-ga on 19 Sep 2004 18:33 PDT

I turned to google answers after clicking my way around salary.com. 
It was apparent by the type of questions the site asked to build a
customized salary report they knew nothing with the hierarchical
systems or salary basis standards of anesthesiologists.  The questions
seemed more appropriate for businessmen or MBA?s.  That web site did
not have a paradigm for the valuations of workers in the
anesthesiologist ?industry?.  In any case, the generalized data you
have gathered should be sufficient for my purposes.  Thank you.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 19 Sep 2004 18:55 PDT

I think you're quite correct that salary.com isn't the ideal place to
find your info; the site uses a boilerplate approach that is not well
suited to medical practitioners. I mentioned this site (and the
similar payscale.com) as examples of the kinds of reasonably-priced
options that exist. The best, most profession-specific data,
unfortunately, is likely to be in very expensive reports such as the
MGMA's "Physician Compensation and Production Survey."

Networking with your peers can be quite useful, if you know them well
enough to feel comfortable asking about salaries. Another good source
of information is medical recruiters or headhunters. If you have an
existing relationship with such a person, it may not be difficult to
get some ballpark figures of greater specificity than those that I was
able to find.

Pinkfreud,
The numbers that you presented are good general regional estimates.
However, the customer may be seeking (per the question) numbers that
account for factors such as 8 / 16 years of experience, expected
hours, working for an academic institution, supervising nurses, and
not doing obstetrics etc.

research_help..

I think you are being a bit presumptious to speak for the customer. 
Should he need clarification on Pink's excellent answer, I am sure
that he will ask it of Pink and she will provide the clarification as
needed: "I hope this is precisely the kind of information you need. If
anything is unclear, or if a link does not function, please request
clarification"

If you, however, are looking for more detailed information regarding
this subject, I suggest you may want to post a question here.

Regards,

-THV