Anesthesiology vs Radiology

Anesthesiology

With a $550K attending salary, income-driven repayment payments are high enough that PSLF rarely produces meaningful savings. The forgiveness benefit shrinks as IDR payments approach standard repayment amounts. PSLF is only worth modeling if you take a significant pay cut to work in academic or VA anesthesia at a qualifying employer.

Refinancing is often the optimal move for anesthesiologists. At $550K, directing $8–12K/month toward loans clears $235K in 2–3 years. Physician-focused lenders (Laurel Road, Earnest, SoFi) offer competitive rates for attending physicians with strong credit — often 4.5–5.5%.

Radiology

A $660K attending salary makes income-driven repayment payments so high that PSLF provides minimal benefit — you would pay off most of the balance before forgiveness kicks in. Radiology is also predominantly practiced in private or independent group settings that rarely qualify as PSLF employers.

Refinancing is strongly advantageous for radiologists. At $660K, even a modest $10K/month toward loans eliminates $240K in just over 2 years. The interest savings from refinancing to 4.5–5% vs. a 6.5%+ federal rate on that payoff timeline are modest but real — and the simplicity of private loan servicing is a genuine benefit.