Pediatric neurosurgeons perform intricate procedures and other treatments on young patients facing brain damage, developmental challenges, cerebral palsy and other disorders of the brain and nervous system. Few major salary sites contain earnings specific to pediatric neurosurgeons. Instead, earnings figures for neurosurgeons afford a fair guide to the pay of pediatric surgeons. In the United States, a pediatric neurosurgeon salary is around $360,455. The figure for pediatric and other neurosurgeons stands at C$309,958 ($242,769 USD) in Canada, £100,577 ($141,693 USD) in the United Kingdom, AU$267,563 ($205,376 USD) in Australia, and NZD$205,082 ($145,255 USD) in New Zealand.
How Much Does a Pediatric Neurosurgeon Salary Make?
Pediatric Neurosurgeon Salary | US | Canada | UK | Australia | New Zealand |
Annual Salary | $360,455 | C$309,958 | £100,577 | AU$267,563 | NZD$205,082 |
Pediatric Neurosurgeon Salary Determinant Factors
Children’s hospitals and university medical centers employ pediatric neurosurgeons especially in the United States, Canada and Australia. Pediatric neurologists may also run their own private practices. Overall, salaries may run higher than in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, which provide health care primarily through public funding. Even in these countries, private practitioners can expect to earn more.
Depending on the country, experience can significantly augment earnings or only to a particular level.
1. How Much Does a Pediatric Neurosurgeon Salary Make by Country?
Pediatric Neurosurgeon Salary in US
The mean salary for pediatric neurosurgeons in the United States stands at $360,455, according to PayScale. Earnings span a significant gulf, starting at $97,092 and reaching $948,686.
Pediatric Neurosurgeon Salary in Canada
According to PayScale, neurosurgeons as an overall group earn on a mean basis C$309,958 in Canada. These specialists earn between C$101,711 and C$550,516.
Pediatric Neurosurgeon Salary in UK
PayScale places the neurosurgeon mean pay in the United Kingdom at £100,577. Earnings in the specialty begin at £39,208 and rise to £361,661.
Pediatric Neurosurgeon Salary in Australia
PayScale reports a mean salary of AU$267,563 for neurosurgeons in Australia, with the pay range running from AU$98,759 to AU$573,698. In Australia, salaries and other benefits for pediatric neurosurgeons and other physicians are set by government regulation.
As estimated by International Medical Recruitment, pediatric neurosurgeons, who are paid as specialists, generally have a base salary from AU$150,000 to AU$300,000. Accounting for mean overtime, pay spans from AU$170,000 to AU$450,000. Through “salary packaging,” which allows pediatric neurosurgeons to earn some pay tax free, salaries can run from AU$195,000 to AU$515,000.
Pediatric Neurosurgeon Salary in New Zealand
According to PayScale, neurosurgeons have a mean pay of NZD$205,082 in New Zealand.
2. How Much Does a Pediatric Neurosurgeon Salary Make According to Experience?
Neurosurgeons overall in Canada fetch C$299,000 on average at entry-level in the speciality. At five to ten years of experience, neurosurgeon mean pay peaks at C$388,000. Thereafter, pay declines, resting at C311,000 for those with ten to 20 years and C$239,000 for neurosurgeons in the late career stages.
According to PayScale, entry-level neurosurgeons in the United Kingdom average £96,000. Mean pay dips to £88,000 for those with five to ten years experience. Beyond ten years of experience, pay resumes an upward direction, resting at £117,000 for those with ten to 20 years of experience. Late-career neurosurgeons in the United Kingdom have a mean pay of £125,000.
For Australia neurosurgeons, experience leads to dramatic rises in pay. The entry-level mean as reported by PayScale is AU$213,000, while the figure stands at AU$247,000 at the five to ten-year level. Neurosurgeons with ten to 20 years reach a mean of AU$295,000 and those who achieve beyond 20 years see mean pay of AU$497,000. In fact, the late-career mean hovers 86 percent above the Australian national mean.
3. How Much Does a Pediatric Neurosurgeon Salary Make According to Work Environment
In the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, pediatric neurosurgeons hold the designation of consultants. At this level, salaries in the National Health Service go from 76,761 to 103,490.
Pediatric neurosurgeons in New Zealand who work for one of the country’s district boards of health are “qualified surgeons” and earn between NZD$151,000 and NZD$212,000. Outside of a district board of health, a pediatric neurosurgeon can earn upwards of NZD$600,000.
Working Hours
The work schedules for pediatric neurosurgeons prove irregular and lengthy. Surgeries may last several hours, depending on the specific procedures and the level of complication. Emergency surgeries may be required due to incidents or events that involve brain trauma. With fair probabilities for emergency procedures also come on-call time for pediatric neurosurgeons.
According to the Canadian Medical Association, neurosurgeons in Canada logged 56 hours per month in on-call time in 2014.
Full-time work predominates the field of pediatric and other neurosurgery. These specialists averaged 51.5 hours per week in Canada. Although Australian law normally limits regular work hours to 38 hours a week, pediatric neurosurgeons may exceed that level and collect overtime.
Bonuses and Benefits
According to PayScale, bonuses for pediatric neurosurgeons in the United States run from a reported $1,006 to $207,261. Earnings from profit-sharing programs range from $400 to $458,000. For neurosurgeons in Canada, reported bonuses run from C$1,316 to C$110,000. Those in Australia collect bonuses between AU$2,000 and AU$51,395.
Approximately 87 percent of pediatric neurosurgeons in the United States tell PayScale that they have medical coverage. Six out of every ten enjoy dental coverage, while dental benefits go to 53 percent of pediatric neurosurgeons in the United States.
In Canada, the medical coverage rate for neurosurgeons stands at 84 percent. Nearly 59 percent of neurosurgeons in Canada have dental benefits, while 52 percent enjoy vision coverage.
Career Prospects
Pediatric neurosurgeons undergo training after their residencies, through fellowships at hospitals. These programs operate at children’s hospitals, privately-run hospitals with pediatric departments, and academic hospitals. In the United States and Canada, fellowship applicants must have first completed a residency training program in neurosurgery.
In the United Kingdom, pediatric neurosurgeons follow the training track for neurosurgeons rather than pediatric surgeons. According to the National Health Service, approximately 6.5 aspiring neurosurgeons apply for every one spot in the first year of specialist training. In the third year, the competition ratio registers at 3.67.
The Canadian Medical Association reports that Canada had 324 neurosurgeons in 2016, translating to a ratio of just below one for every 100,000 Canadians.
The extensive educational and training requirements contributes to the small number of pediatric neurosurgeons. As an indication of the generally small number of pediatric neurosurgeons, the National Health Service states that England had 301 neurosurgeons in 2016, representing three percent of the surgeons in England.
Conclusion
Pediatric and other neurosurgeons enjoy high earnings due to the skill, knowledge and training they possess for these procedures. These factors also explain why, despite the demand for neurosurgeons generated by childhood brain and developmental disorders, the field for pediatric neurosurgery proves to be small compared to other fields.
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