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Medicine (and Compensation) Matters: the AAMC

In many ways the Department of Medicine operates like a very large multi-specialty group practice with a wide range of expertise from primary care to high-end procedural specialties. This heterogeneity in our practice contributes to a complex salary structure where variation in clinical salaries are driven by market differences. These differences are why our salary equity analysis had to include division and, in some cases, subspecialty-based adjustments. The standard we use to benchmark salaries, along with many other academic medical centers across the country, is the Association of American Medical College’s (AAMC) “Report on Medical School Faculty Salaries.” This annual report provides compensation data for each subspecialty by academic rank. The most recent report was published in January 2015.

The board for Johns Hopkins Medicine has tasked our leaders with moving compensation to the 25th percentile of the AAMC database for each specialty, and the DOM is actively working to meet this goal. In an effort to create greater transparency in our conversations about compensation, a snapshot of the most current AAMC 25th percentile data is copied below. Later this summer, you can expect additional data about your personal compensation including an annual salary letter and a report that outlines compensation in the Part A, B & C format. This information is meant to show our commitment to salary equity and create a pathway to address potential cases where compensation is misaligned compared to peers or to individual performance. In addition to developing documentation about salary, division directors will meet with DOM leadership throughout the summer to review individual salaries as well as the division-specific results from the salary equity analysis.

The table below reports benchmarks for total compensation. AAMC defines total compensation to include fixed/contractual salary, supplements and bonus/incentive pay, so when comparing benchmarks to your own compensation, you should consider all salary and incentive payments you receive through JHU payroll. This may include:

  • Part A & B salary paid semi-monthly
  • All part C payments including, but not limited to:
    • Incentive payments for clinical productivity
    • Contractual incentives
    • Payments for extra clinical work like moonlighting or international activity

However, total compensation does not take into account the rich benefit structure we enjoy as Johns Hopkins University employees, such as tuition assistance and up to 12 percent employer contribution towards retirement.

These data represent compensation for faculty with an “MD or Equivalent Degree.” These benchmarks are not applicable for our PhD faculty or faculty with clinical degrees but not engaged in any patient care activities.

If you have additional questions about how to interpret these data, please contact your division administrator for guidance. He or she also has access to more detailed information and the full survey methodology. Thank you for your continued participation in this important process to learn more about our compensation structure as a primer to implement a comprehensive DOM compensation model.

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Mark Anderson