Beyond the Match, Episode 1: Pay, Benefits, and Bargaining Power

What does it say about a training system when childcare can eat up almost half a resident’s monthly salary — and the physicians doing essential clinical work have almost no ability to negotiate their pay or benefits? A recent House Judiciary Committee report argues that the Match suppresses resident compensation and bargaining power. But if the Match disappeared tomorrow, would residents actually get paid more? Join Mckenzie Roebuck, Maya Hunt, Nicole Santucci, and Michael Kabbash of CoSEF as they unpack resident pay and benefits, where GME funding actually goes, why residency is not a normal labor market, and where real leverage for change might come from.

Hosts:

Dr. Mckenzie Roebuck, CoSEF BTK Lead, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, mckenzie.rowe@inova.org, insta @mrowemd, X @mrowemd1

Dr. Maya Hunt, Indiana University, mayahunt@iu.edu

Dr. Nicole Santucci, Washington University in St. Louis, snicole@wustl.edu

Dr. Michael Kabbash, University of Florida, michel.kabbash@surgery.ufl.edu, X @MichaelKabbash

CoSEF: X @surgedfellows, cosef.org

Learning objectives:

Summarize the congressional report’s arguments about resident compensation and bargaining power

Explain how GME funding supports residency and why federal GME dollars do not map directly onto resident salaries

Describe how salary and benefit structures affect residents’ financial well-being, family planning, and quality of life

Identify institutional, policy, and collective strategies to strengthen resident compensation and bargaining power.