Fellowship ROI

Model the fellowship decision on your own numbers

We never claim physician income. You supply the compensation range and your judgment of the benefit; the calculator returns an opportunity-cost estimate, a years-to-break-even figure, an ROI category, the risks to weigh, and questions to ask programs. It promises no outcome. Change an assumption and the answer changes.

Modeled estimate

Modeled estimate. Not a salary survey. See methodology.

Not a salary survey. Values are modeled ranges, external benchmark references, or user-entered assumptions with limitations.

Your situation

Current PGY yearAdditional fellowship yearsFirst-attending comp. Low

First-attending comp. High

Fellowship stipend (/yr)

Practice typeDesired geography

Expected fellowship benefit

60/100

Your judgment of how much the fellowship improves your attending opportunity.

Importance of brand/name

3/5

Importance of technical skill

4/5

Call tolerance

3/5

Ownership importance

3/5

Edit assumptions

Max attending-comp uplift at benefit = 100

25%

The fellowship's modeled income boost scales linearly with your benefit score, up to this cap.

Estimate (your assumptions)

Confidence: low

Opportunity cost (income forgone): $545,000
Modeled annual income uplift: $93,750 (15%)
Years to break even (incl. fellowship): 6.8 yrs

ROI category

Moderate payback (≈5–10 yrs)

Opportunity cost = (midpoint comp − stipend) × fellowship years. Uplift = benefit score × max uplift. Worked in gross dollars; this is an illustration, not a prediction.

Risks to weigh

Compensation ranges are your estimates; real offers vary widely by market, group, and year.

Questions to ask programs

?What is the typical first-attending compensation range for your recent graduates?
?What share of graduates end up in academic vs private practice, and where?
?What case volume and graduated autonomy will I get in the index procedures?
?What is the program's placement record, and how is it regarded by the groups I'd want to join?
?Do attendings here have realistic paths to ASC/ownership, device, or IP involvement?

Before you rely on this

Requires verification

This is a decision-support calculator, not financial advice. It uses transparent, editable assumptions and is only as good as the numbers you enter - change them and the result changes.
It promises no outcome. Compensation, taxes, and markets vary widely; treat the result as one structured input to a decision you make with your own advisors.