Residents Satisfied and Optimistic Save

Recently released 2015 Medscape resident salary & debt report shows that most medical residents are satisfied with their compensation, professional relationships, and career choices. The survey included 1,745 residents across 24+ specialties and the final two-part report examines financial and professional topics, as well as lifestyle and practice-related issues, that impact job satisfaction, career outlook and employment considerations.

Highlights from the report include most are satisfied with the steady pay (that has not changed in the last year) of ~$55k and that women and men are equally compensated. The highest paid residents are in critical care($62,000), oncology($61,000) and pulmonary medicine($61,000), while the lowest paid are in internal and general/family medicine (each$53,000). The overwhelming majority of respondents (84 percent) affirm that they look forward to becoming a doctor, and cite "clinical knowledge and experience" (75 percent), "Being very good at putting what I've learned into practice" (69 percent), and "Gratitude/relationships with patients" (63 percent) as key satisfaction measures. In contrast, "Making good money" ranked near the bottom, with only 32 percent citing it as a source of job satisfaction.