Journal article
Healthcare educational debt in the united states: unequal economic impact within interprofessional team members
BMC medical education, Vol.23(1), 666
09/14/2023
DOI: 10.1186/s12909-023-04634-1
PMCID: PMC10503048
PMID: 37710228
Abstract
Background
Advancing healthcare access and quality for underserved populations requires a diverse, culturally competent interprofessional workforce. However, high educational debt may influence career choice of healthcare professionals. In the United States, health professions lack insight into the maximum educational debt that can be supported by current entry-level salaries. The purpose of this interprofessional economic analysis was to examine whether average educational debt for US healthcare graduates is supportable by entry-level salaries. Additionally, the study explored whether trainees from minoritized backgrounds graduate with more educational debt than their peers in physical therapy.
Methods
The study modeled maximum educational debt service ratios for 12 healthcare professions and 6 physician specialties, incorporating profession-specific estimates of entry-level salary, salary growth, national average debt, and 4 loan repayment scenarios offered by the US Department of Education Office of Student Financial Aid. Net present value (NPV) provided an estimate for lifetime “economic power” for the modeled careers. The study used a unique data source available from a single profession (physical therapy, N = 4,954) to examine whether educational debt thresholds based on the repayment model varied between minoritized groups and non-minoritized peers.
Results
High salary physician specialties (e.g. obstetrics/gynecology, surgery) and professions without graduate debt (e.g. registered nurse) met debt ratio targets under any repayment plan. Professions with strong salary growth and moderate debt (e.g. physician assistant) required extended repayment plans but had high career NPV. Careers with low salary growth and high debt relative to salary (e.g. physical therapy) had career NPV at the lowest range of modeled professions. 29% of physical therapy students graduated with more debt than could be supported by entry-level salaries. Physical therapy students from minoritized groups graduated with 10–30% more debt than their non-minoritized peers.
Conclusions
Graduates from most healthcare professions required extended repayment plans (higher interest) to meet debt ratio benchmarks. For several healthcare professions, low debt relative to salary protected career NPV. Students from minoritized groups incurred higher debt than their peers in physical therapy.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Healthcare educational debt in the united states: unequal economic impact within interprofessional team members
- Creators
- Richard K. Shields - University of IowaManish Suneja - University of IowaBridget E. Shields - University of Wisconsin–MadisonJosef N. Tofte - University of Wisconsin–MadisonShauna Dudley-Javoroski - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- BMC medical education, Vol.23(1), 666
- DOI
- 10.1186/s12909-023-04634-1
- PMID
- 37710228
- PMCID
- PMC10503048
- NLM abbreviation
- BMC Med Educ
- ISSN
- 1472-6920
- eISSN
- 1472-6920
- Publisher
- BioMed Central
- Grant note
- ;
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/14/2023
- Academic Unit
- Orthopedics and Rehabilitation; Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science; Nephrology; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984466775802771
Metrics
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