Reviewed by:
Former Admissions Committee Member, Hofstra-Northwell School of Medicine
Reviewed: 5/6/24
Every medical student has heard stories of the sleepless nights that await them in their future residency programs. Residents work long shifts and devote up to 80 hours a week to patient care. But how much do residents make for all their hard work?
Over the years, there have been plenty of debates over how much residents should be paid. There are no legal standards regarding whether residents are students or employees, which causes some confusion around the amounts they should make.
In this article, we'll look at how much medical residents are currently paid by their programs. Keep in mind that the numbers mentioned are based on averages of studies in the U.S. and are not exact. You should contact your program to find out the exact salary levels for residents.
A medical residency is a graduate medical education program (GME) in which doctors-in-training can practice medicine alongside senior physicians in a clinic or hospital. This is also the time for graduates to choose which specialty they want to practice and choose a corresponding residency program.
Residencies typically take three to seven years to complete. Most states require doctors to have completed a medical residency before practicing medicine independently.
The jump from resident to doctor comes with a significant pay raise and the freedom to practice wherever your medical license is valid. So how much do residents get paid?
In the US, the national average medical resident salary is $63,009 annually, according to the Residents Salary and Debt Report. Medical residency salaries tend to increase over time, generally starting around $63,000 a year with an additional $2,000 to $5,000 raise each year of residency.
Salaries also typically include benefits, including:
It isn't easy to give one answer to the question of how much the average resident makes in a year. There are plenty of factors that can influence how much a resident is paid aside from seniority, including:
For example, average resident pay in the US is significantly higher than pay in Europe and Canada, where healthcare is mostly centralized.
On one hand, medical residents are highly educated professionals who work long hours and have a great deal of responsibility. On the other hand, they are still in training and are not yet fully licensed physicians
Many medical residents graduate with significant student loan debt, which can be difficult to pay off on a resident's salary. Additionally, the long hours and demanding nature of residency can make it difficult for residents to take on additional work to supplement their income.
Residents are often the first point of contact for patients and are responsible for providing high-quality care under the supervision of attending physicians. They also play a critical role in teaching and mentoring medical students and other trainees. It can be easy to understand why many medical residents are advocating for higher pay.
As a medical resident, your specialty not only dictates the focus of your training but also significantly impacts your potential salary. Understanding the salary variations across different specialties is critical for informed decision-making regarding your career path.
The compensation for medical residents varies depending on factors such as geographic location, type of institution (academic medical center vs. community hospital), and individual negotiations. However, certain trends can be observed.
Some residents get paid $1,000 to $10,000 more than others. Longer, more complex specialties tend to offer better salaries as well as better pay post-residency.
By most standards, an average residency salary will begin at around $60,000 a year, and their salary will increase by approximately $5,000 with each year of residency. This figure is subject to change based on several factors, though it's safe to assume residents initially remain around the $50,000 area.
Resident salaries increase throughout residency programs, as years of experience mean added responsibility. The $3,000-$5,000 pay increase per year seems consistent throughout all residency programs in the U.S. and Canada.
By the end of a residency program, residents can be making nearly as much as senior physicians depending on the specialty. Finishing resident salaries range from $70,000 - $125,000 annually.
As mentioned earlier, the amount a medical resident is paid varies largely depending on geography. In Canada, although resident salaries increase by the same amount each year, they typically start at around $60,000.
This figure also varies from province to province. In Quebec, resident salaries start at around $49,258 a year, making them the lowest-paid medical residents nationwide. The highest-paid Canadian residents hail from Nova Scotia, with a starting salary of over $69,867.
Exact figures for the U.S. are harder to find from state to state since there are larger variations depending on specialty. Starting salaries for U.S. residents are generally higher than in Canada and never seem to dip below $57,000 regardless of the specialty.
Since healthcare in the U.S. is mainly privatized rather than centralized like its Northern neighbor, pay variations are much more extreme, and a national average is harder to get a hold of. Some residencies have been said to begin at over $100,000 annually, so resident pay really depends on the institution, geographic location, and specialty.
Most European countries have a universal healthcare system, meaning that while private healthcare exists, it is mainly centralized. Like Canada, centralized healthcare means more regular average pay for residents across Europe.
In the U.K., the average resident salary starts at around £33,340 annually, equating to approximately $41,873 USD or $57,239 CAD. On the higher end of European resident pay, German medical residents can expect to make €59,630 per year, depending on the specialty. Each European country has an individual nationwide salary average.
Benefits vary between individual workplaces and are not guaranteed. In addition to the average salary, most residents receive healthcare benefits such as dental, maternity leave, and life insurance. Some places will also offer their residents smaller benefits like meal cards, parking spots, and lockers.
Most workplaces will give residents paid vacation days and a certain number of sick days. On-call stipends are also typically offered per duty period. More and more workplaces in Canada and the US are beginning to offer parental leave, which allows fathers or secondary caretakers to take paid time off to care for their children.
Here are a few examples of residency salaries and benefits in U.S. clinics today. Not all practices are transparent with salaries and benefits. Still, it is always good to check websites or call with any salary/benefit questions you have about a potential residency.
The numbers here reflect up-to-date publicly displayed information on resident salaries for the first three years of a residency program. Residencies can be up to seven years in length with increasing salaries.
Located in Maine, this MaineHealth medical center offers a plethora of specialties. All medical residents at MaineHealth are afforded the same benefits as regular employees, including vacation days and paid leave.
Salary
Benefits
Vacation & Sick Days
*Full list of benefits available on the MaineHealth website.
The Concord Hospital specializes in family medicine, meaning it offers shorter residency programs. Family medicine is generally on the lower end of doctor and resident earnings.
Salary
Benefits
Vacation & Sick Days
*Full list of benefits available on the Concord Hospital website.
UTSouthwestern is a medical center in Dallas, Texas. Their residency programs offer state-of-the-art simulation training in multiple specialties, as well as standard benefits.
Salary
Benefits
Vacation & Sick Days
*Full list of benefits available on the UTSouthwestern website.
Read below to discover the answers to several commonly asked residency pay FAQs.
Yes, medical residents are paid to work at their hospitals or clinics. Although there is some debate about whether residents should be considered students or employees, most residents consider themselves employees due to the significant difference between school and residency.
No, medical students do not get paid during medical school. Students must pay to study and graduate from medical school just like any other university program. However, residents who have graduated from medical school and practice medicine alongside a senior physician in a residency (GME) program are paid.
The amount of tax medical residents pay varies greatly, depending on their salaries. There are exemptions and tax breaks for residents that are worth checking out, which vary from state to state and can save residents quite a bit during tax season.
The pay increase from the first to the last year of residency largely depends on the length of the program. Resident pay increases are usually around $5,000 a year for each year of residency.
Yes, most residency programs offer benefits to their residents, although they may vary between programs. Common benefits include vacation days, parking, life insurance, and health coverage. Some residencies also offer meal plans, dental coverage, and flexible spending dollars.
Yes, completing a medical residency is worth it, considering most practices in the U.S. and Canada require it. Unless your goal is to teach or become a nurse, a medical residency is a paid learning experience that is considered essential by most states in the U.S. and allows doctors to have their pick of where they'd like to practice.
No, residents do not typically sleep in the hospital today, although the term "residency" originally came from trainees residing in hospitals during their training. Residents work long shifts and usually have a staff break room to nap in if needed.
The highest-paid residencies in the US are in Plastic Surgery, Specialized Surgery, and Pathology.
The lowest-paid residencies are in Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Internal Medicine.
A medical resident’s salary usually begins at around $50,000 a year and increases by around $5,000 each year. The starting point of residency salaries depends mainly on where the residency is located, though the increase is usually about the same.
Medical residencies with the highest pay are usually the longest and most complex, such as infectious disease and surgery. The residencies with the lowest pay are typically shorter, like family medicine.
Whether or not residents are paid enough for their work is constantly up for debate. If you’re a resident and you are looking for HR resources, plenty exists to preserve the integrity of residents.
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