Surgeon Salary In Germany; Surgeons generally receive a salary directly from their hospital. Many hospitals base their surgeons’ salaries on experience and qualifications, such as their professional degrees, certifications, and job performance.
The average neurosurgeon salary in Germany is around $86,000 per year. However, this varies depending on where you work, your experience, and the specifics of your contract.
Neurosurgeons are paid an average of $89,000 per year in Germany. The most experienced neurosurgeons can earn from $95,000 to $136,000 per year.
The highest-paid neurosurgeons are usually employed by major hospitals or universities. On average, doctors working for hospitals and universities earn more than those who work in private practice.
Neurosurgeons can also make a good living by working abroad. In the United States and Canada, they can earn up to $200,000 per year; in Australia they can earn up to $300,000 per year; and in Singapore they can earn up to $500,000 per year!
Most important factors in the salary of doctors in Germany
In addition to specialization, there are many other factors impacting a physician’s salary, e.g., regional differences. Here are some of them:
1. Self-employed vs Employee
Not surprisingly, self-employed doctors earn more on average than their employed colleagues. Well, taking the leap and becoming an entrepreneur is always worth it!
2. Seniority of position
The higher the rank, the better the salary. Chief physicians earn above 200,000 EUR per year!
3. Collective work contract or non-tariff payment
If a doctor works in a public organization or classic hospital, his salary is regulated by the company’s collective agreement. The numbers are strictly regulated and aren’t negotiable. However, the salary level gets upgraded with the work experience.
After three years of work, a physician gets a salary raise of about 500 EUR per month.
On the other hand, chief physicians are hired on non-tariff payment contracts, which means their wage isn’t limited or regulated by any agreement.
4. Experience
As with any profession, experienced workers get paid better. The salary gap is particularly high for doctors, where the more years you work, the higher your income. In contrast, fresh graduates earn just an average wage.
1. Doctor’s salary and experience
The salary of physicians is directly correlated with their experience. Here are some statistics about the average wage of German doctors and their experience:
| Experience | Annual salary (gross) EUR |
|---|---|
| less than 3 years | 59,864 |
| between 3 years and 6 years | 64,806 |
| between 7 years and 9 years | 71,415 |
| over 9 years | 90,087 |
Source: gehalt.de
2. Doctor’s salary in German hospitals
Employed doctors usually work in hospitals. They get paid according to the collective agreements, their professional experience, and their position. Those contracts include regulations on salaries for assistants, specialists, senior physicians, or senior physicians.
In Germany, most public hospitals regulate employees’ salaries within set ranges and limits; hence, doctor’s wage is pretty much capped by the contract.
The further advanced doctors in their career, the more they earn. A specialist doctor at a local hospital earns 5,656.92 EUR gross per month when freshly hired, and after three years, their salary increases to 6,131 EUR.
Moreover, there are several types of collective agreements:
- University hospitals (e.g., Charité Berlin, University Hospital Frankfurt).
- Municipal hospitals (e.g., Hospital of city Köln, Hospital of Dortmund)
- Private hospitals and clinics (e.g. Helios, AMEOS or Asklepios).
All of them dictate the salary of medical workers, yet the amount can range from agreement to agreement.
| Position | Average annual salary (gross) |
|---|---|
| Chief physician | 150,000 – 450,000 EUR |
| Chief physician | 90,000 – 165,000 EUR |
| Specialist | 70,000 – 95,000 EUR |
| Assistant | 55,000 – 70,000 EUR |
Here is the doctor’s salary in the hospital based on the position and experience:
| Physician’s position | Monthly salary (gross) |
|---|---|
| Assistant | 4,700 – 6,300 EUR |
| Specialist | 6,200 – 8,100 EUR |
| Chief physician | 7,700 – 10,600 EUR |
| Chief physician | Above 11,000 EUR |
Salary in medicine: Earnings in medical practices and clinics in Germany
Doctors who prefer to be their own boss open or take over a practice. However, more and more young physicians are shying away from entrepreneurial risk. The leap into self-employment is worthwhile in terms of salary. The net income of a practice in 2011 was €181,000 for general practitioners and as much as €297,000 for ophthalmologists.
Doctors in German clinics are mainly employed on the basis of a collective bargaining agreement and are assigned to one of the pay bands assistant, specialist, senior physician or senior physician. Within these pay bands, physicians; salaries increase as they gain professional experience. A specialist at a municipal hospital earns €5,656.92 gross per month when hired, and after only three years this amount increases to €6,131.23.
Working alongside medical staff, the administrative staff in hospitals ensure that everything is running smoothly. On average, their income is significantly lower than that of physicians – even if a managing director is compared a the chief physician: The average chief physician earns €285,000 gross per year, while a clinic’s top management will earn €194,000. In many hospitals, it has also become customary to link part of workers’ salary to performance and success factors.
Salary of physicians in university hospitals in Germany
Doctors have their own collective agreement with the 34 university hospitals in Germany, which involves higher standard working hours but also stipulates higher salaries for university physicians compared to colleagues who are paid on the basis of the TdL (federal states’ collective agreement). Physicians at university hospitals often divide their day-to-day work between the caring for patients, research and teaching. If their research work predominates for longer than twelve months, they fall into the TdL category. Medical representatives have been denouncing this situation for years, as it reduces physicians’ motivation to do research.
The tripartite division of physicians activities gives them more variety and interdisciplinary contacts, but they often sacrifice their free time as a result. According to a survey, three-quarters of physicians at university clinics work more than 48 hours a week, of these 23% more than 60 hours a week.
Salary in medicine: Differences between disciplines
As in the case of clinics, the salaries of physicians range widely depending on their specialist area. While the average surgeon earns a six-digit gross annual salary at €103,000, a general practitioner earns almost €40,000 less at €65,944. Although collective agreements treat all specialists equally, additional pay for night and on-call services or personnel responsibility result in salary differences.
