Mp17-18 Living on a Prayer: Comparing Resident Compensation to Living Wage Estimates

You have accessJournal of UrologyEducation Research I (MP17)1 May 2024MP17-18 LIVING ON A PRAYER: COMPARING RESIDENT COMPENSATION TO LIVING WAGE ESTIMATES Lucille Cheng, Avanish Madhavaram, and Kathleen Hwang Lucille ChengLucille Cheng , Avanish MadhavaramAvanish Madhavaram , and Kathleen HwangKathleen Hwang View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/01.JU.0001008628.15460.84.18AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Financial instability is a common cause of resident burnout. In recent years, resident wages have failed to keep pace with rising rates of inflation, with mean inflation-adjusted stipends for first year residents decreasing by 10% from 2020-2022. A living wage (LW), defined as income necessary to meet basic needs including food, housing, and transportation, varies based on regional cost of living. However, resident wages, determined by institutions and federal Graduate Medical Education (GME) funding, are not uniformly adjusted per region. This study aims to understand the true value of urology residency stipends compared to cost of living. METHODS: Accredited US-based programs listed in the American Urology Association (AUA) directory were considered. Resident stipend information was collected from institutional GME pages and converted to per-hour wage at 80 hours/week. Zip codes were mapped to associated Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSA) and categorized into North, Midwest, South, or West (NMSW) region per the US Census Bureau. CBSA-associated LW data was gathered via the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Living Wage Calculator. Programs were included if they were active, had complete AY2024 stipend data, and mappable to a CBSA. RESULTS: 132 programs across all census regions met inclusion criteria. Of these 11.19% (n=15) were unionized. Average hourly LW per NMSW region was $19.31 (2.91), $16.63 (1.24), $16.93 (1.58), and $20.87 (2.33), respectively. Across PGY-1 to 5, stipends increased 3.9% yearly on average (Table 1). Only six programs (4.48%) had hourly PGY-1 salaries greater than their corresponding LW, with equal representation across North, Midwest, and South regions; none of these programs were in the West. Meanwhile, 52 programs (39.4%) had PGY-5 wages less than their corresponding LW. Midwest programs average wages began to exceed LW by PGY-4, the earliest of all regions, whereas West program average wages failed to exceed LW by PGY-5. CONCLUSIONS: Current urology stipends provide few residents a living wage, leading to increased financial stress particularly among junior trainees. When considering high medical education costs, applicants may find programs with lower LW-stipend discrepancies more attractive, while higher discrepancy programs may use this data to advocate for higher wages. Source of Funding: N/A © 2024 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 211Issue 5SMay 2024Page: e298 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2024 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.Metrics Author Information Lucille Cheng More articles by this author Avanish Madhavaram More articles by this author Kathleen Hwang More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...