I was in Residency 2001-2004, so admittedly there are dynamics at play for you that I did not experience (there were fewer APPs working in the hospital setting at that time, so we weren’t constantly reminded if we had chosen another path we would have a real job by now, and the corporate climate is different—all staff being asked to do even more with less compared to my time, though the limit on the hours per week you can work started when I was still in training—so THAT part is easier for you), but medical residents have ALWAYS been cheap labor & underpaid. Residency is a trade off: you work really hard, and you work for low pay so that you can be steeped in complex medical cases while still under the tutelage of your seasoned Attendings, and learn your trade. The training HAS to be challenging, so that you are ready to fly solo & be able to handle exhausting real life medical situations when you are done— the stakes are much higher than most professions—it’s critical that you are competent. I am sorry that you do not feel supported in your program. Try to hang in there & remember things won’t always be this hard. Do what you can—my husband would come have dinner with me when I was on-call—he understood I could be called away at any moment, but he made the effort & it helped us get through. I understand there is sometimes a fine line between being worked hard & being abused—Hospitals and Program directors need to create good cultures & go to bat for their residents—but please don’t lose sight of why you started this journey & the patients who are relying on you. It IS a journey, and a long one. One has to weigh all this when trying to decide which level of training you want to pursue, and it’s a tough choice. For me, I feel like it was worth it. It is a special profession. My unsolicited advice: live under your means for a few more years, look for loan repayment opportunities (NHSC, Military, Indian Health service, Rural communities, etc.). I wish you the best, AND I agree with Vinay—I can do both at once.