General Surgery · Evidence depth: moderate

Colorectal Surgery

Moderate-High.

Ownership-sensitivity model

The 10 vectors of a physician career.

Every path is scored 0-100 across 10 critical dimensions using public-data signals, modeled assumptions, and verification prompts. Modeled estimate. Not a salary survey. See methodology.

65/100

Income ceiling

Income ceiling

Solid, but highly dependent on endoscopy volume and ownership.

The reality

Routine screening colonoscopies are highly efficient and generate consistent RVUs.

The signal

Major bowel resections (cancer, IBD) take significant time and are less financially efficient per hour.

The catch

Reaching the absolute peak requires ownership in the endoscopy center to capture facility fees.

The verdict

A moderate wealth builder compared to heavy orthopedics, but excellent for general surgery.

75/100

Lifestyle control

Lifestyle control

High control, offering a significant upgrade over pure general surgery.

The reality

The practice is heavily weighted toward elective, scheduled cases and colonoscopies.

The signal

The primary lifestyle lever is negotiating a contract that exempts you from the general surgery ER trauma pool.

The catch

If you only take dedicated colorectal call, your schedule becomes highly predictable.

The verdict

A great lifestyle choice for a surgeon who still wants to do major abdominal cases.

35/100

Sleep / call burden

Sleep / call burden

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65/100

Ownership / facility upside

Ownership / facility upside

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80/100

Geography flexibility

Geography flexibility

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50/100

Innovation / industry adjacency

Innovation / industry adjacency

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40/100

Training opportunity cost

Training opportunity cost

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85/100

Job-market density

Job-market density

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55/100

Malpractice / litigation pressure

Malpractice / litigation pressure

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30/100

Burnout-mismatch risk

Burnout-mismatch risk

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DoctorCalculator modeled income structure

Derived model. Directional

Modeled base range

$430k - $545k

Anchored to Doximity 2025 Physician Compensation Report subspecialty row (Doximity 2025 public specialty table row 'Colon & Rectal Surgery').

Production upside

Moderate–high

Mix of major resections (hospital) and high-volume scopes/office procedures (ownable).

Ownership upside

Moderate

Endoscopy ASC equity (screening volume) plus anorectal office procedures.

Salary-only gap

Moderate

Employed colorectal forgoes scope facility fees; the anchor survey row reflects mostly employed settings.

Modeled estimate. Not a salary survey. Derived model. Directional only. Verify against real offers, contracts, and local mentors. Income scales with payer mix, ownership, and geography. See methodology.

Want the code-level view behind numbers like these? Open the RVU calculator for this specialty's procedures, CMS times, and locality-adjusted Medicare rates.

External benchmark reference

Verify independently

~$450k

External benchmark reference - verify independently. Not ingested DoctorCalculator source data.

Private groupHospital-employed

Best fit

  • The Lifestyle-First Clinician. A good life on sane hours, and the math actually works.
  • The Metro Wealth-Builder. Big-city life now, serious wealth later. Powered by discipline, not just income.

Poor fit

  • The Acute-Care Identity Seeker. Energized by intensity, emergencies, and high-stakes work.

Common regrets on this path

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This path is described at validated confidence (Evidence depth: moderate). Detailed evidence cards are added as the module is validated; we will not manufacture precision before then.