Net present value of lifetime salary compensation in orthopaedic spine surgery: academic versus non-academic careers

Career selection in orthopaedic spine surgery is shaped by professional, academic, and financial considerations, yet studies comparing long-term salary compensation between academic and non-academic careers remain limited. This study compared lifetime salary compensation between academic and non-academic spine surgeons.

This was a net present value analysis of projected lifetime salary compensation of orthopaedic spine surgeons using American Medical Group Association (AMGA) and Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) data. Primary outcomes consisted of annual and lifetime salary compensation in academic and non-academic practice settings. Secondary outcomes included sensitivity analyses across variable discount rates and career lengths, Monte Carlo simulations, and exceedance probability scenarios.

Academic practice yielded lower annual compensation than non-academic practice under MGMA (15.4%-18.1%) and AMGA (12.2%-12.6%) benchmarks. Academic spine surgeons earned $2.3-3.2 million less in lifetime salary compensation under MGMA benchmarks and $1.8-2.3 million less under AMGA benchmarks, requiring 6.7 to 11.3 additional years of academic practice to achieve financial parity. Sensitivity analyses confirmed that academic practice yielded lower lifetime compensation across discount rates and career lengths. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrated lower median lifetime salary compensation for academic practice under MGMA ($13.4 million vs. $16.3 million; P < 0.001) and AMGA ($15.8 million vs. $18.0 million; P < 0.001) benchmarks.

Annual salary differences between academic and non-academic spine surgeons translate into profound differences in lifetime salary compensation. These findings may have important implications for trainee career counseling, institutional compensation strategies, and workforce sustainability in academic spine surgery.