Anaesthetist salary: What does an anaesthetist earn in Germany?

Your salary as an anaesthetist depends on various factors, such as your professional experience, position, place of work and possible additional income opportunities. In this article, you will find out what earning opportunities are available to you as an anaesthetist in Germany and how your salary is made up depending on your place of work, collective agreement and additional benefits.

The tasks of an anaesthetist

As an anaesthetist, you bear great responsibility for the well-being of your patients. Your duties include assisting with diagnostic and surgical procedures, providing information about anaesthesia, monitoring vital signs during the procedure and providing care in the recovery room. In addition to planned routine procedures and operations in the intensive care unit, you will also look after cases in the emergency room. As an anaesthetist, you will mainly work in a clinical environment, but you will also have the opportunity to practice as an anaesthetist in private practice. This can shift your area of responsibility, e.g. to pain therapy or assisting with anaesthesia in surrounding (dental) practices or affiliated clinics with a focus on paediatric anaesthesia.

Anaesthetist salary: influencing factors and earning potential

As an anaesthetist, you can earn an attractive salary in Germany. But how much you actually earn depends on various factors. Professional experience, position, place of work and additional services play a decisive role in your income as a specialist in anaesthesiology.

Salary according to professional experience and position

An important factor for your salary as an anaesthetist is your professional experience. As a junior doctor in anaesthesiology, you will earn around €4,939 per month or €59,268 gross per year at a university hospital and around €4,695 at a municipal hospital. Once you have completed your specialist training, your salary will increase significantly: at a university hospital it will be around €5,800 to €6,000 per month, at a municipal hospital around €5,600 to €5,800. This means you can earn between 74,000 and 78,000 euros a year as a specialist in anaesthesiology.

Your position also has a significant influence on how much money you earn as an anaesthetist. Senior physicians and chief physicians often earn six-figure gross annual salaries and are often paid above the standard pay scale. According to a study, the average annual gross salary for a specialist in anaesthesiology in Germany is 97,900 euros, with women earning an average of 92,400 euros and men 101,300 euros.

Differences in earnings between clinics and practices

The place of work also affects your salary as an anaesthetist. Although you bear a certain entrepreneurial risk in a practice, the step into self-employment can be worthwhile. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the average monthly salary for anaesthetists with their own practice was around 15,000 to 18,000 euros gross, which corresponds to an annual salary of between 180,000 and 216,000 euros. This puts the income of self-employed anaesthetists at a similar level to that of senior doctors in hospitals. By managing your own practice cleverly, you can improve your work-life balance in addition to your salary by having more free time.

Additional earning opportunities through on-call duty and overtime

In addition to your basic salary as an anaesthetist, you have the opportunity to earn extra money through on-call duties and overtime. These services are usually remunerated separately and can significantly increase your income. Exactly how much you will receive depends on your individual situation and the agreements with your employer. Overall, however, it is clear that as an anaesthetist you have a good chance of earning an above-average salary and thus securing a high standard of living.

Collective agreements and salary development for anaesthetists

As an anaesthetist in Germany, you will generally receive a salary in accordance with a collective agreement. Depending on whether you work in a university hospital (TV Ärzte TdL), a municipal hospital (TV Ärzte VKA) or a private institution (e.g. TV Ärzte Asklepios or TV Ärzte Helios), different collective agreements apply. Your salary as a specialist in anaesthesiology depends on the pay group (assistant doctor, specialist, senior doctor, senior consultant or senior consultant) and increases within this group with increasing professional experience. According to a 2017 salary report, the average salary for anaesthetists was €92,063 gross per year, including variable components such as social benefits.

As a junior doctor in anaesthesiology, you can earn a gross salary of between 55,000 and 70,000 euros. A specialist in anaesthesiology earns between 70,000 and 95,000 euros gross per year at a university hospital. Senior physicians earn an annual salary of between 100,000 and 160,000 euros. The highest earners are chief physicians and senior consultants with an annual salary of between 165,000 and 290,000 euros. The share of variable remuneration for doctors in senior positions can account for up to 45 per cent of the total salary. Anaesthetists who are paid according to the collective agreement are therefore among the top earners among doctors.

In addition to the basic salary, many collective agreements for anaesthetists also offer attractive social benefits such as company pension schemes, holiday pay or allowances for further education and training. So here's a tip: pay attention to the social benefits and training costs. On-call duties and overtime can also increase the salary of a trained anaesthetist. Overall, it is clear that as an anaesthetist you not only have a varied and responsible profession, but can also earn an above-average salary - especially with increasing professional experience and in managerial positions.