A new analysis from Marit Health breaks down physician compensation by specialty and training length, analyzing the number of years spent in residency compared with the eventual paycheck.
Here are five things to know:
1. The average medical school graduate in 2025 carried $223,000 in education debt, with 70% finishing in the red. Every additional year of residency at roughly $68,000 to $75,000 compounds that debt further, making training length a critical financial variable.
2. Three-year tracks offer the fastest path to attending pay. Emergency medicine leads at $435,000 average total compensation with no call and shift-based scheduling. Family medicine ($312,000) and internal medicine ($342,000) also get physicians to attending life quickly, though primary care often comes with hidden hours from documentation and prior authorizations.
3. The four-to-five year middle track often hits a financial sweet spot. Radiology ($690,000) and anesthesiology ($567,000) offer top-tier pay with lifestyle flexibility, while psychiatry ($350,000) has seen exploding demand and telehealth options most procedural specialties can’t match.
4. Long surgical tracks come with significant opportunity costs. A neurosurgeon (7 years, $957,000) spends four to five additional years at resident pay compared to an emergency medicine physician, representing roughly $1.7 to $2.2 million in pre-tax lost income before factoring in investment returns.
5. Long, high-intensity residencies tend to create work habits that persist into attending life, with surgeons and highly specialized physicians continuing to work some of the longest hours and highest call burdens well after graduation.
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