The average medical resident is earning $57,200 this year, but the majority of residents say this pay is not commensurate with the amount of time worked, according to a Medscape survey of more than 1,500 residents across 25 specialties.
Most residents log more than 50 hours per week at the hospital, with 22 percent reporting 51-60 hours worked per week and 48 percent reporting more than 60 hours per week. Resident salary varied significantly by specialty, with the highest paying specialty being hematology, at $69,000. The lowest paying specialty was family medicine, with an average salary of $54,000 for residents, according to the report. Eighty-three percent of respondents said they felt their pay did not reflect the amount of time they worked and 68 percent said their pay isn't comparable to other medical staff like physician assistants and nurses.
Just how much more do residents think they should be earning? Most respondents felt they should be paid between 11 percent and 50 percent more. About a third (31 percent) said they felt they should be paid 11-25 percent more and another third (33 percent) felt they should earn 26-50 percent more. Most of the remaining respondents said they should be earning between 51-101 percent or more.
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