The Case for Needed Financial Literacy Curriculum During Resident Education.
Arianna L Gianakos, Scott D Semelsberger, Ali Al Saeed, Charles Lin, Jennifer Weiss, Ronald Navarro
Author Information
Arianna L Gianakos: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yale Medicine, Orthopaedics, and Rehabilitation, New Haven, Connecticut. Electronic address: algianakos@gmail.com.
Scott D Semelsberger: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
Ali Al Saeed: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lake Erie, Pennsylvania.
Charles Lin: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York.
Jennifer Weiss: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, California.
Ronald Navarro: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, California.
OBJECTIVE: Personal physician finance is an overlooked source of stress that negatively impacts resident wellbeing with formal financial education often left out of medical training. This study attempts to (1) evaluate the perceptions of financial literacy, (2) determine the level of financial education incorporated across residency programs, and (3) evaluate the resources that residents utilize to obtain information about managing their personal finances. DESIGN: A systematic literature search of articles published between January 2012 to January 2022, in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases was performed during February 2022]. The combination of search terms included: (financial literacy OR debt) AND (residency OR graduate medical education). The primary outcome measures included the perception of financial literacy during residency and the type of financial education incorporated during residency. Secondary outcomes included resources utilized to obtain financial education. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-three studies evaluating a total of 5146 residents were included in this systematic review. RESULTS: The 42% to 79% of residents responded in surveys that they had "below average" understanding of finance, investing, and savings and that they felt unprepared to handle future financial decisions. 79% to 95% of respondents agreed that personal finance should be taught during residency training. The included studies also demonstrate that residents seek education through personal research, through a family member, or through attending outside financial planning seminars or courses. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the majority of residents feel underprepared when making financial decisions and that formal financial education should be incorporated during their residency training. Educating residents can help mitigate financial stress which can improve physician well-being, reduce attrition, and result in better patient care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.
