Please confirm that you would like to log out of Medscape.
If you log out, you will be required to enter your username and password the next time you visit.
Log outCancel
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022
| Contributor Information
Swipe to advance
1 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Residents' training has certainly been challenged since COVID in ways that were not experienced before the pandemic, and the path to becoming a practicing physician has seen its ups and downs. Earnings continued to rise, but not by much lately, and one quarter of those surveyed for Medscape's Residents Salary & Debt Report for 2022 still have more than $300,000 in debt, similar to the past few years.
Medscape surveyed 1376 US medical residents about their compensation, hours, relationships, the effect of COVID on their training, and their prospects for a future as a doctor.
2 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Residents' salaries rose 16% between 2015 and 2022. But salaries remained stagnant since the pandemic began, a pattern seen in the 2021 report, with 3% annual growth between 2017 and 2020.
3 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
As would be expected, residents earn progressively more as they continue through training, with those who are in their sixth to eighth year making 17% more than those who are in their first year.
4 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Health insurance and paid time off topped the list of benefits that residents received in addition to their salaries, followed by dental insurance.
More than half received a retirement plan and professional liability coverage, and at least half of those who are second post-MD year or above have a travel allowance. They are also more likely to have this benefit compared with first–post-MD–year residents (34%).
Male residents are more likely to have life insurance benefits compared with female residents (42% vs 33%). Male residents are also more likely to have childcare benefits compared with female residents (5% vs 1%). The chart doesn't show the 19% who listed commuter assistance, 10% housing allowance, 3% childcare, or 2% "other" benefits.
5 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Just over a quarter of residents said that they feel fairly compensated, with fourth-, fifth-, and sixth- to eighth-year post-MDs more often satisfied with their compensation than are first-year post-MDs. Residents also were more often satisfied with their compensation in 2015 (62%) than in 2022 (27%).
6 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Of the nearly three quarters of residents not feeling fairly compensated, the top reasons are that the earnings don't reflect the amount of time that they put in and that their compensation is not in line with that of other medical professionals. Slightly more than one quarter of respondents cited lack of benefits as a reason for their dissatisfaction, and 5% cited "other" reasons (data not shown).
"For the number of hours and amount of responsibility we have, I do not believe we are fairly compensated," said Kolin Meehan, a rising PGY-2 internal medicine resident in Florida. "We're earning about the national median salary while working two to three times the number of weekly hours of the average worker."
7 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Meehan believes salaries should be doubled, "at a minimum."
Meanwhile, Emily Goncalves, a PGY-3 in Delaware, said that she makes less than $50,000 a year and that a more conservative 20% increase is warranted.
Their opinions bear out the gender disparity Medscape noted: Male residents feel (25%) that they should make 76% or more for their current residency year and are more likely to feel this way compared with female residents (14%).
8 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
When it comes to gender divisions, male residents are more likely to say that potential future earnings are extremely or very influential in their choice of specialty compared with their female peers. But neither Meehan nor Goncalves see potential earnings as their primary motivator.
"It has a role but it's probably not the single-greatest factor," Meehan said. "Interest in a specialty, lifestyle, family responsibilities, and geography have far greater weight in my opinion."
9 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Half of respondents owe more than $200,000 in medical school loans, with a quarter carrying debt of more than $300,000. This follows a similar pattern of Medscape findings over the past few years and debt rates reported by the Association of American Medical Colleges. At graduation, the average physician from the class of 2021 had $203,000 in debt, Association of American Medical Colleges reported.
Not to be overlooked, 1 in 5 residents reported having no debt, which is also consistent with our resident debt reports since 2020.
10 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Residents spend many more hours than the traditional 40-hour workweek in hospital training, according to respondents. Two thirds of residents said that they work more than 50 hours, with one quarter working more than 70 hours. Last year's report showed nearly the same trend, with 22% claiming the longest hours.
11 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
More than half of respondents spend 1-5 nights on call a month, whereas a quarter are on call 6-10 nights. Last year's residents reported similar on-call schedules.
12 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
The largest percentage of respondents, more than half, reported having to do unskilled — or scut — work for 1-10 hours a week. When asked whether the amount of scut work is appropriate, the majority of respondents answered in the affirmative.
13 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
First– (40%), second– (37%) and third– (34%) post-MD–year residents are more likely to feel that more hours are needed compared with fifth– (22%) and sixth– to eighth–post-MD–year residents (17%). First-year residents are also more likely to feel this way compared with those who are in their fourth year (26%).
Female residents (36%) feel that more hours are needed compared with their male peers (25%).
Last year, slightly fewer (26%) respondents said that their hours were more than sufficient.
14 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Residents overwhelmingly see their level of supervision as appropriate, with only 15% feeling otherwise. First-year residents (15%) are more likely to characterize the amount of supervision they receive as too little compared with fifth– (3%) and sixth– to eighth– (4%) post-MD–year residents.
15 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with their training, with only 1 in 4 feeling either neutral or somewhat dissatisfied with the experience.
Female residents (69%) are less likely to be satisfied with the quality of their learning experience compared with male residents (75%).
16 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Two thirds of residents believe that they are well-trained to handle COVID-19, more than in last year's report (50%). More male residents (73%) feel prepared to handle the pandemic than do their female counterparts (59%).
17 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
More than 4 in 10 surveyed residents said that they saw no change in their professional relationships with colleagues, including attendings, nurses, and others, as a result of the pandemic.
18 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Residents report a positive relationship with their attendings. And just as in 2021, a miniscule percentage claimed a poor or very poor relationship.
19 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
20 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Fifth- (85%) and sixth- to eighth- (80%) year residents more often describe their relationship with their nonphysician colleagues at work — nurses and physician assistants (PAs) — as very good or good than do first-year residents (67%).
Overall, three quarters of residents claimed that they had positive relationships with nurses and PAs compared with 82% in 2020 and 77% in 2021. Like last year, 1 in 5 residents had fair relationships, and only 4% had negative dealings.
21 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
22 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
Male residents (30%) are more likely to anticipate becoming a partner/practice owner compared with female residents (17%); female residents are more likely to anticipate not being employed as a partner/owner (29% vs 20%) or are unsure (35% vs 28%) compared with male residents.
23 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
24 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
25 of 26
Scroll
Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report 2022
Roni Robbins | July 29, 2022 | Contributor Information
President Biden's administration is zeroing in on a plan for student loan forgiveness in the lead-up to the midterm elections. Why aren't doctors being included?
Commenting is limited to medical professionals. To comment please Log-in.
Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.
Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.
Close
Contributor Information
Roni Robbins, Editor, Medscape
Close
References
Close
Image Zoom
Close
Feedback
Please do not use this form to submit personal or patient medical information or to report adverse drug events. You are encouraged to report adverse drug event information to the FDA.
Comments