OBJECTIVES

The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) commissioned an emergency medicine (EM) faculty salary and benefits survey for all 1998 residency review committee (RRC)-EM-accredited programs using the SAEM fourth-generation survey instrument. Responses were collected by SAEM and blinded from the investigators.

METHODS

Blinded program and individual faculty data were entered into a customized version of FileMaker Pro, a relational database program with a built-in statistical package. Salary data were sorted by program region, faculty title, American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) certification, academic rank, years postresidency, program size, and whether data were reported to the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). Demographic data were analyzed with regard to numerous criteria, including department staffing levels, ED volumes, ED length of stay, department income sources, salary incentive components, and specific type and value of fringe benefits offered. Data were compared with those from previous SAEM studies.

RESULTS

Seventy-three of 120 (61%) accredited programs responded, yielding usable data for 70 programs and 965 full-time faculty among the four AAMC regions. Mean salaries were reported as follows: all faculty, $167,478; first-year faculty, $140,616; programs reporting data to the AAMC, $161,794; programs not reporting data to the AAMC, $165,724. Mean salaries as reported by AAMC region: northeast, $167,876; south, $160,586; midwest, $190,957; west, $148,977.

CONCLUSIONS

Reported salaries for full-time EM residency faculty continue to rise. Significant regional differences in salaries have been present in all four SAEM surveys. Nonclinical hours are compensated at approximately one-half the rate paid for clinical hours. The demographic data indicate that EM residency faculty are working at the upper extremes of numbers of patient encounters per physician, patient acuity levels, and department lengths of stay.