2026 ANSPA Compensation & Needs Survey Overview

This survey can be completed in less than 10 minutes. Please choose answers that best fit your particular situation. Your responses will remain confidential. Thank you for contributing to this current and useful guide for PAs working in neurosurgery. Results will be available in early November. We hope you will find the report useful in your own negotiations and professional decisions.

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1. What year did you graduate from PA school?

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2. How many years have you worked as a NEUROSURGICAL PA?

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3. In which state do you primarily practice?

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4. Which type of practice do you work in?

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5. Please indicate your primary subspecialty:

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6. Which of the following job responsibilities do you have?
Please check all that apply.

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7. How many days per week do you spend in clinic?

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8. How many days per week do you spend first assisting in the O.R.?

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9. What best describes your inpatient responsibilities?

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10. How many practitioners are in your department or practice?

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11. Do you have residents and/or fellows in your practice?

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12. How many PAs are in your practice?

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13. Do you supervise other PAs?

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14. Do you supervise or precept PA students?

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15. How much compensation do you receive for supervising or precepting PA students?

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16. How many Nurse Practitioners are in your practice?

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17. What are your prescribing duties?

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18. How many patients do you typically see in a week?

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19. How many hours per week do you work on average?

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20. What is your BASE salary?

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21. Do you receive CALL PAY, and, if so, what is your PAY RATE per HOUR or per SHIFT for call?

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22. How many hours of call per MONTH do you take on average?

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23. Do you typically receive BONUS pay, in addition to your base and call pay?

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24. Do you receive increased pay for working on holidays?

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25. Do you receive other compensation outside of your base salary, call pay, holidays and bonuses?

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26. What is your TOTAL gross annual income as a neurosurgical PA, including base salary, call pay, bonuses, holidays and other pay?

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27. How did your pay rate change in the past year?

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28. Which best describes your primary work model as a neurosurgical PA? Please select the one that most closely matches your role.

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29. Do you have an employment contract?

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30. What is your identified gender?

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31. What is your total number of PTO days per year including vacation, sick, holiday, personal and bereavement days?

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32. Please check ALL insurance plans that apply to you.

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33. Do you currently use a telemedicine platform in your practice?

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34. If you do have a flexible work schedule, how many days can you work from home?

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35. Which of the following benefits are provided by your employer? Please check all that apply.

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36. How many CME days per year are offered by your employer?

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37. Does your employer contribute to a retirement account for you, regardless of whether you contribute and, if so, how much?

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38. Does your employer match contributions that you make to your retirement account?

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39. Do you receive profit sharing from your employer?

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40. If you do receive profit sharing, what percent of profit do you typically receive?

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41. How much of your CME cost does your employer cover?

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42. Do you have any of the following educational opportunities available to you through your job? Please check all that apply.

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43. How would you rate your job satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest satisfaction.

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44. The Distinguished Fellow of ANSPA (DFANSPA) designation requires five total years of ANSPA Fellow Membership; continuing Fellow Membership in ANSPA and AAPA; a recommendation from a supervisor or colleague; your letter of contributions to neurosurgery PAs; and a $50 one-time application fee. Do you expect to apply for this designation?

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45. Would you be willing to share a sample PA contract from your organization with ANSPA members?

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46. Have you given neurosurgery-based lectures?

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47. Would you be interested in giving a lecture or workshop at an ANSPA meeting or a webinar? If yes, please leave your name, specific topic(s), and contact information.

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48. Would you be interested in becoming more involved in ANSPA leadership opportunities? If yes, please provide your name, contact information, and specific interest(s) below.

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49. Are you a member of AANS (American Association of Neurological Surgeons)?

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50. Are you a member of CNS (Congress of Neurological Surgeons)?

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51. Do you currently utilize artificial intelligence (AI) as an aid in your neurosurgical work?

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52. What neurosurgical and/or professional development topics would you be interested in learning more about from ANSPA?

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53. Please list general comments in the box below. Thank you for your time!

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