Orthopedic Surgeon Total-Comp Calculator
Compare 10-year cumulative comp across three common orthopedic surgeon paths: hospital-employed W-2, private practice partnership (no ASC), and private practice + ASC partnership.
Assumptions
- Hospital W-2: flat annual raise as entered.
- Private practice: grows from year-1 associate comp to full-partner comp linearly over years 1-4, then flat.
- Private + ASC: same private practice comp trajectory, plus ASC distribution starting year 5 (after typical 2-4 year ASC track).
- ASC buy-in subtracted from year-2 income (typical funding year).
- All figures are gross pre-tax. Tax differences (W-2 vs K-1 vs 1099) not modeled here — get a specialist model for after-tax comparison.
What this calculator misses that the specialist captures:
- Tail malpractice on transitions (see malpractice tail)
- Retirement-plan differences (W-2 403(b) vs partner solo 401(k) + cash balance — partners usually have $100-200K more annual tax-advantaged space)
- ASC equity at exit (selling your ASC stake at a multiple of distributions — often $2-4M per surgeon at a successful exit)
- Hospital contract milestones (stipends, call pay, directorships) that can add $100K+/yr
Related reading
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