• Andrew C Esposito, Nathan A Coppersmith, Erin M White, Marianna V Papageorge, Michael DiSiena, Donald Hess, Jennifer LaFemina, Anne C Larkin, Thomas J Miner, Dmitry Nepomnayshy, John Palesty, Kari M Rosenkranz, Neal E Seymour, Gino Trevisani, James Whiting, Kristin D Oliveira, Walter E Longo, and Peter S Yoo.
• From the Yale School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, New Haven, CT (Esposito, Coppersmith, White, Papageorge, Oliveira, Longo, Yoo).
• J. Am. Coll. Surg. 2023 May 1; 236 (5): 953960953-960.

BackgroundPoor personal financial health has been linked to key components of health including burnout, substance abuse, and worsening personal relationships. Understanding the state of resident financial health is key to improving their overall well-being.Study DesignA secondary analysis of a survey of New England general surgery residents was performed to understand their financial well-being. Questions from the National Financial Capability Study were used to compare to an age-matched and regionally matched cohort.ResultsOverall, 44% (250 of 570) of surveyed residents responded. Residents more frequently reported spending less than their income each year compared to the control cohort (54% vs 34%, p < 0.01). However, 17% (39 of 234) of residents reported spending more than their income each year. A total of 65% of residents (152 of 234), found it "not at all difficult" to pay monthly bills vs 17% (76 of 445) of the control cohort (p < 0.01). However, 32% (75 of 234) of residents reported it was "somewhat" or "very" difficult to pay monthly bills. Residents more frequently reported they "certainly" or "probably" could "come up with" $2,000 in a month compared to the control cohort (85% vs 62% p < 0.01), but 16% (37 of 234) of residents reported they could not. In this survey, 21% (50 of 234) of residents reported having a personal life insurance policy, 25% (59 of 234) had disability insurance, 6% (15 of 234) had a will, and 27% (63 of 234) had >$300,000 worth of student loans.ConclusionsSurgical residents have better financial well-being than an age-matched and regionally matched cohort, but there is still a large proportion who suffer from financial difficulties.Copyright © 2023 by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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