Overview
Orthopedic surgery is a 5-year residency landing ~$550K (often higher with subspecialty fellowship). The specialty is overwhelmingly private-practice, making aggressive payoff and refinancing the default winners.
Physician salary & compensation
Median salary
$550K
Range
$480K – $720K
Source
MGMA 2025 / Doximity 2025
Residency training timeline
Training years
5y
PGY-1 salary
$65K
Annual growth
2.0%
Fellowship
Optional
Not baked into training
Most orthopedic surgery trainees follow a 5-year track. PGY-1 pay starts around $65K with roughly 2.0% annual raises.
PSLF & forgiveness strategy
Private orthopedic groups dominate; academic orthopedics is rarer and lower-paid.
Our pick · Refinance + aggressive payoff
Repayment recommendation
High attending income at $550K+ makes aggressive payoff obliterate debt in 2–4 years. Refi to ~4% saves meaningful interest during payoff.
Run your numbers for Orthopedic SurgeryKey takeaways
- Subspecialty fellowships (sports, spine, joint) add 1 year and $100K+ to salary
- Highest % of specialties that fully pay off within 3 attending years
- Refinance math is particularly attractive due to high attending income
Ready to model your debt strategy?
Compare PSLF, refinancing, and aggressive payoff for your Orthopedic Surgery scenario — pre-filled with the salary and training defaults from this page.
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