Here are five key statistics on the amount of debt medical students anticipate upon graduation according to the Medscape Med Student Life & Education Report: Are Young Doctors Prepared?
1. Nearly 60 percent of medical students anticipate having medical school debt of $150,000 or more; 38 percent say their medical school debt will be more than $200,000 upon graduation. Only 14 percent said they won't have medical debt.
2. Not quite half — 43 percent — of medical students surveyed said they feel very prepared or somewhat prepared for the debt they accumulated in medical school. Thirty-seven percent said they weren't prepared.
3. Male students with more than $200,000 feel more prepared than female students in the same position — 48 percent of male students said they were very or somewhat prepared, compared with 38 percent of female students.
4. Thirty-three percent of female students with more than $200,000 in debt feel somewhat or very unprepared, compared with 33 percent of male students.
5. Despite their debt, 44 percent of male and 47 percent of female physicians said earning potential was only moderately important when considering their specialty choice. Forty-one percent of male and 28 percent of female physicians said it was extremely important or very important.