Overview
Primary-care attendings land around $220K and train just three years. With moderate attending income and one of the shortest paths to PSLF, nonprofit-employed PCPs typically come out six figures ahead choosing PSLF over aggressive payoff.
Physician salary & compensation
Median salary
$220K
Range
$190K – $260K
Source
MGMA 2025 / Doximity 2025
Residency training timeline
Training years
3y
PGY-1 salary
$65K
Annual growth
2.0%
Fellowship
Optional
Not baked into training
Most primary care trainees follow a 3-year track. PGY-1 pay starts around $65K with roughly 2.0% annual raises.
PSLF & forgiveness strategy
Most primary-care attendings work in settings that qualify for PSLF (FQHCs, academic medicine, VA, large nonprofit systems).
Our pick · PSLF (if federal + nonprofit)
Repayment recommendation
Three short residency years + modest attending income = small IDR payments and ~$120K–180K forgiven tax-free at year 10. Hard to beat if you work at a 501(c)(3) or public hospital.
Run your numbers for Primary CareKey takeaways
- 3-year residency → PSLF year-10 forgiveness lands 3 years into attending
- Lower attending salary keeps IDR payments small, maximizing forgiven amount
- Refinancing rarely wins — the federal IDR floor during training is too valuable
Ready to model your debt strategy?
Compare PSLF, refinancing, and aggressive payoff for your Primary Care scenario — pre-filled with the salary and training defaults from this page.
Open the calculator