How do anesthesiologists really feel about the current healthcare landscape? Would CRNAs choose their career paths again,
if given the choice? Is it possible to achieve a work-life balance in this demanding specialty?
2005 Anesthesiologist Salaries
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These were just some of the questions asked in a 2005 survey of anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists,
conducted by Alpharetta, Georgia-based recruiting firm LocumTenens.com. Read on to gain insights into what is important to these professionals and the current market for their specialties.
ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
In the Web-based survey, more than 3,200 anesthesiologists were polled, with an 8% response rate. Fifty-four percent of participants
had provided locum tenens services, while another 41.5% said they would consider the practice alternative. Fifty-one percent
of respondents were from the Northeast (25%) and Southeast (26%) and 19% hailed from the West, with the remaining 30% based
in the North-, South- and Midwest.
Reflecting the frustrations inherent in modern medical practice, survey findings showed that despite high salaries, a growing
number of anesthesiologists want more out of life. In fact, 30% of those specialists responding to the survey said they would
not choose medicine if they could decide their career paths all over again. When compared to locum tenens industry studies
asking the same question of physicians across a range of specialties, this figure represents increases of 25% since 1997 and
6% since 2003.
Work-life balance. "Anesthesiologists are among the highest-paid specialists, but considering the long hours and stress associated with the job,
a growing number of them are realizing money alone is not enough," says LocumTenens.com Vice President Lisa Kaeck. "Work-life balance is increasingly important to today's anesthesiologists—and a growing number
of them are finding that balance through locum tenens practice."
While half of anesthesiologists responding to the survey indicated they had no intention of changing jobs, half said they
planned to do so in the next 3 years—16% within 6 months. Forty-five percent of those in the job market cited lifestyle issues
("better community for self/family" or "better work environment") as their main motivation.
Generous compensation. Anesthesiologists responding to the survey pegged average annual compensation for an anesthesiologist in the United States
at $317,248. (In July 2005, Modern Healthcare compared annual anesthesiologist compensation reported by 16 organizations; the annual average among those was $309,890.)
Respondents from the Southwest reported the highest average annual compensation at $350,064—with 29% in that region noting
annual salaries of more than $400,000. Anesthesiologists in the Northeast reported the lowest average annual compensation
at $294,903, with almost a third (32%) documenting annual salaries of less than $225,000. In particular, 23% of study participants from the West, 22% from the Southeast, and 19% from the Midwest listed annual salaries
of less than $225,000 per year—as compared with only 13% of respondents from the Southwest.
CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETISTS
In the online 2005 CRNA survey, more than 3,400 of these providers were polled, resulting in an 8% response rate. Half of
the participants reported practicing anesthesia for 10 years or more. Fifty-three percent had provided locum tenens services,
and another 40% said they would consider the mobile lifestyle.
Nearly 90% of respondents commented that they would continue with their healthcare career if they could choose it all over
again. "We are in touch with almost a third of the licensed U.S. nurse anesthetists, so these results do not surprise me,"
states Ms. Kaeck. "They enjoy the responsibility and challenge of the job and, of course, the compensation."
Generally, CRNAs provide anesthesia to patients under the supervision of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and/or physicians. A
combination of the U.S. physician shortage and a rising number of inpatient surgical procedures has increased demand for these
practitioners, who typically earn less than their physician counterparts. Notes Ms. Kaeck, "Many states face such a shortage
of providers that they allow CRNAs to administer anesthesia without a supervising physician."
Rising stature and earnings. CRNAs are not complaining. The anesthesiologist shortage has resulted in higher pay for nurse anesthetists—and the numbers
keep climbing. According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the average CRNA salary in 1999 was about $102,000.
Based on its survey, LocumTenens.com pegs average annual CRNA compensation at $149,147 in 2005, a 46% increase in 6 years. (In its latest physician compensation
report, the Medical Group Management Association notes that median CRNA compensation grew 33% between 2000 and 2004.) Forty-three
percent of study respondents reported earning more than $150,000 annually. Only 12% earned less than $110,000 per year, and
just 11% reported making more than $210,000. Nearly half (45%) listed incomes between $110,000 and $150,000.
Among the 51% of CRNA respondents who said they planned to change jobs within the next 3 years, almost half (47%) indicated
lifestyle-related reasons (31%, "better community for self/family" and 16%, "better work environment"). Of those planning
to make a change, one-third said they would seek higher compensation.
IN DEMAND
Locum tenens practice offers a solution to those providers seeking better practice environments through flexible scheduling,
the opportunity to observe different approaches to care and management styles and culturally diverse patient populations and
communities nationwide. Given the expanding shortage of anesthesiologists and increasing demand for CRNA services, as well
as the desire of more providers to achieve balance in their personal and professional lives, the popularity of this career
alternative is sure to grow.
To view complete LocumTenens.com survey results for anesthesiologists, CRNAs, psychiatrists, and radiologists, go to http://www.locumtenens.com/about/surveys.
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