@article{10.22454/FamMed.2025.0492,
author = {Phillips, Julie P. and Wendling, Andrea L. and Sanders, Kaplan and Yang, Zhou and Edwards-Johnson, Jennifer and Morgan, Zachary J. and Bazemore, Andrew W. and Peterson, Lars E.},
title = {Differences in Educational Debt Among Family Medicine Residents: An In-Depth Analysis},
journal = {Family Medicine},
volume = {0},
number = {0},
year = {1},
month = {1},
doi = {10.22454/FamMed.2025.0492},
abstract = {Background and Objectives: This study examined educational debt among family medicine residency graduates in the United States, analyzing differences by medical school type, gender, and race, and comparing their debt levels to those of other, comparable medical school graduates.
Methods: We completed a secondary analysis of 2017–2019 data from the American Board of Family Medicine Initial Certification Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics compared family medicine residents’ reported debt by medical school type, race/ethnicity, and gender. Using best available data sources, we compared each individual’s reported debt to the mean reported debt of graduates of their medical school.
Results: Median debt of indebted family medicine residents was $250,000 for allopathic graduates, $300,000 for osteopathic graduates, and $298,000 for international medical school graduates. Family medicine residents reported higher debt than their medical school’s mean—by $19,128 (allopathic), $36,574 (osteopathic), and $56,274 (international). US underrepresented in medicine (URiM) family medicine residents had significantly higher debt than non-URiM peers, with African American students reporting substantially higher debt than non-Hispanic White students (median debt $250,000 vs $200,000 and $350,000 vs $300,000 for allopathic and osteopathic institutions, respectively).
Conclusions: High debt burdens among family medicine residents, particularly URiM family medicine residents, pose a direct threat to the stability and growth of the primary care workforce. Given the worsening primary care physician shortage and its impact on population health, policymakers and health care leaders must act decisively. Policymakers and institutions should offer more scholarship opportunities to students who choose primary care. Existing paths to loan forgiveness for primary care physicians should be preserved and significantly expanded.},
URL = {https://journals.stfm.org//familymedicine/online-first/phillips-0492/},
eprint = {https://journals.stfm.org//media/3jsaq4j3/fammed-2025-0492.pdf},
}