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LBA 2. Employment and Compensation Among Early-Career Surgical Oncologists: Results of the SSO Junior Faculty Survey

Thursday, March 5, 2026
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM MST
Location: HUB Poster Park - West Hall 1-3
Introduction: Upon completing breast or surgical oncology fellowship, trainees face the unfamiliar challenge of securing their first faculty position. Time constraints and limited knowledge of contracts, compensation models, and practice economics place trainees at a disadvantage. Recognizing this gap, the SSO Fellows & Young Attendings Committee surveyed junior faculty to: 1) describe the employment landscape, particularly compensation structures, and 2) identify topics for future educational initiatives.


Methods: The committee developed a survey addressing demographics, practice characteristics, and compensation (subjective and objective measures). After iterative refinement and pilot testing with junior SSO members, a voluntary, deidentified, IRB-approved survey was distributed to SSO members self-identifying as within their first 8 years of practice from October 13 to November 12, 2025.


Results: Of 221 respondents from 37 states, 53% were female and 72% were white, with a median of 3 years in practice. Nearly 30% practiced in non-academic settings (e.g., community, private practice, integrated health systems). Median clinical FTE was 0.8. Of those reporting significant research responsibilities, median FTE committed to research was 0.2. Two-thirds (69%) attempted to negotiate aspects of their first contract, with 79% succeeding—most commonly on salary and signing bonuses. Although 66% had RVU targets, take-home pay varied substantially based on compensation models ranging from salaried to pure productivity-based.  Productivity-emphasizing models were associated with higher reports of hostile work environments (OR 1.82, p=0.02). One quarter (25%) were considering job changes within the next year, which correlated strongly with perceived compensation fairness (Figure).


Conclusions: Most junior SSO faculty hold predominantly clinical positions, even those with research responsibilities. While RVU targets are common, incentive structures vary considerably across employment types.  Compensation models and their perceived fairness may be associated with workplace hostility and surgeon retention. These findings will inform SSO educational initiatives and future research, particularly regarding workplace issues, and will be made available as a public resource for fellows and junior faculty.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the landscape of jobs that junior surgical oncologists sign up for
  • Describe standard compensation models for junior surgical oncologists across practice settings