For surgeons, medical school debt outpaces salary growth

 Medical school debt has increased by 268% over the past 40 years, outpacing the increase in surgeon salaries almost 10-fold, according to a study published Dec. 11 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham analyzed data from the Medical Group Management Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges to determine if surgeon compensation has sufficiently accounted for rising medical school debt over the years. 

Here are five notes from the study:

1. In 1984, the median general surgeon salary was $111,287 and the median medical school debt was $22,000. These figures would represent an adjusted 2019-equivalent  median salary of $274,900 and median debt of $54,344, a 147% increase.
   
   
2. According to the study, the actual median general surgeon salary in 2019 was $350,000, representing a 214.5% increase since 1984, and the median medical school debt was $200,000, representing an 809% increase since 1984.
   
   
3. Comparing the reported salary and debt figures from 2019 to the adjusted 2019-equivalent figures, salaries rose 27.3% and debt rose 268%.
   
   
4. The debt-to-income ratio grew from 0.2 to 0.57 between 1984 and 2012 and has remained stable since.
   
   
5. The researchers found that while both general surgeon salaries and medical school debt have increased, debt has increased at a faster rate. 

Read the full report here. 

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/for-surgeons-medical-school-debt-outpaces-salary-growth-5-notes.html