Page 3 of 3 (1 2 3)

Let’s Talk Money
Most CME providers appear to be making comfortably middle-class salaries, with 32 percent reporting annual salaries in the $50,000 to $74,999 range, and 22 percent in the $75,000 to $99,999 range. Twenty percent make less than $50,000 per year, and, on the other end of the spectrum, just 4 percent make $200,000 or more. Ten percent fell into the $100,000 to $124,999 range, 8 percent in the $125,000 to $149,999 range, and less than 1 percent each made $150,000 to $174,999 and $175,000 to $199,999.

Lower salaries seem most prevalent in medical schools: 30 percent of medical school–employed respondents said they make less than $50,000, compared to 13 percent for publishing/medical education companies, 12 percent for national/international scientific or medical association CME staffers, and 19 percent of those in hospitals/healthcare delivery systems. The highest salaries were reported by those employed by hospitals, national/international medical societies, and publishing/medical education companies.

Those whose job titles fell under the executive category showed the highest mean salary, $118,478. The director/manager of education/CME/training title data showed a mean salary of $84,546, while meeting/conference planners/managers/directors had mean salaries of $60,135. The average salary for those surveyed in total was $79,496.

Happily for CME providers, their salary growth potential seems to match that of their employment outlook in general; i.e., better than can be said for many industries. More than half of the survey respondents said they got a salary increase in 2011, and an equal number expect another raise in 2012. Although just 62 percent of those who work in national/international medical societies got a raise last year, they seem to be the most optimistic about 2012, with 85 percent expecting raises this year, compared to 58 percent of those who work in hospitals/healthcare delivery systems, 42 percent of those in publishing/medical education companies, and just 30 percent of those who work in medical schools. Overall, 40 percent said their salaries remained stable last year, and 47 percent said they didn’t expect a bump in pay in 2012.

Thirty-eight percent of the total respondents even reported receiving a bonus last year, and 40 percent are expecting a little something extra in 2012, too. While they didn’t score the most bonuses—just 39 percent of medical society respondents said they got a bonus in 2011, compared to 42 percent each for hospital staff and publishing/medical education companies, and 20 percent of medical school respondents—they are again the most optimistic that a bonus will be coming their way in 2012. The least optimistic, both about the possibility of a raise or of a bonus, are those who work in medical schools, where 65 percent see no raise in sight, and 95 percent don’t see a bonus in their immediate future.

You May Also Want to Read
The First-Ever Senior Meeting Manager Survey

A Conversation on Careers in CME

The MeetingsNet Special Report on Careers, including tips on job hunting, networking, certification, self-branding, and links for job hunters