If you are an IMG, picking which medical specialties to apply to starts with learning about the top IMG-friendly fields. So, the NRMP’s® Results and Data 2021 Main Residency Match® show the most IMG-friendly specialties. First, let’s review some general Match statistics to understand the big picture.

Match 2021 General Statistics

35,194 PGY-1 Positions Filled

18,435 US Senior (92.8% Match Rate)

806 US Graduate (48.2% Match Rate)

6,597 Osteopathic (66.7% Match Rate)

3,152 US IMG (59.5% Match Rate)

4,356 Non-US IMG (54.8% Match Rate)

 

Top IMG Friendly Specialties of 2021 by Ratio

PGY-1	IMG %	Filled Positions	US IMG	Non-US IMG	MD Senior	MD Grad	DO Senior	DO Grad
Pathology	51.1%	589	70	231	198	32	55	3
General Surgery (Preliminary)	44.0%	612	78	191	272	17	47	6
Internal Medicine (Categorical)	39.6%	8632	1204	2212	3523	146	1482	63
Neurology	32.2%	702	47	179	358	8	107	3
Family Medicine	27.4%	4472	781	443	1606	125	1440	77
Pediatrics	19.3%	2860	223	329	1749	31	519	7
Child Neurology	19.0%	147	6	22	100	1	18	0
Psychiatry	16.2%	1904	176	133	1205	41	332	17
Radiology	13.6%	118	8	8	71	3	3	28
General Surgery (Categorical)	10.0%	1564	83	73	1029	133	228	18
PM&R	9.6%	156	10	5	88	4	49	0
Transitional Year	8.6%	1272	60	49	845	14	302	2
Anesthesiology	8.0%	1457	50	66	1024	38	268	10
Neurosurgery	7.3%	234	6	11	198	11	6	2
Emergency Medicine	6.3%	2826	143	35	1765	62	790	31
OBGYN	6.0%	1457	54	34	1088	40	225	16
Internal Med-Peds	6.0%	385	7	16	313	2	47	0
Orthopedic Surgery	0.9%	866	5	3	699	40	107	12
Dermatology	0.0%	30	0	0	25	0	5	0

 

Top IMG Friendly Specialties by Number of IMGs

Internal Medicine (Categorical)	3416
Family Medicine	1224
Pediatrics	552
Psychiatry	309
Pathology	301
General Surgery (Preliminary)	269
Neurology	226
Emergency Medicine	178
General Surgery (Categorical)	156
Anesthesiology	116
Transitional Year	109
OBGYN	88
Child Neurology	28
Internal Med-Peds	23
Neurosurgery	17
Radiology	16
PM&R	15
Orthopedic Surgery	8
Dermatology	0

According to the NRMP:

The top five IMG friendly specialties for US-IMGs were:

Internal Medicine (categorical) (1,204)

Family Medicine (781)

Pediatrics (categorical) (223)

Psychiatry (176)

Emergency Medicine (143)

The top five IMG friendly specialties for Non-US IMGs were:

Internal Medicine (categorical) (2,212)

Family Medicine (443)

Pediatrics (categorical) (329)

Pathology (231)

Neurology (179)

Other IMG Friendly Factors

Beyond statistics, there are other factors IMGs should consider:

• Specialty-wide USMLE score expectations – So, some specialties are more competitive. For example, General Surgery programs typically require higher USMLE scores than Psychiatry.
• Previous work and clinical experiences – Yes, all specialties like to see you are committed. Specialties like Family Medicine highly like to see some history of Family Medicine experience.
• Supporting documents – So, another way to prove your interest is specialty-specific documents. Yes, you should work hard to get specialty-specific Letters of Recommendation and Personal Statements. Learn more at Residency Experts. And, you can also check out Residency Experts’ helpful tips by reading Your Complete Residency Letter of Recommendation Guide.
• Finances –  Yes, applying to residency can be expensive. But, the suggested minimum applications for IMG candidates is 100 programs per specialty. This adds up to thousands of dollars. So, make sure you assess your decisions carefully.
• Program choices and opportunities – So, your choice may depend on how large the specialty you choose is and your applicant criteria. Essentially, if you pick too narrow a specialty, you may need to prepare a backup specialty.

So, choosing a specialty will take time, care, and consideration. And, while some specialties are less competitive than others, no one specialty is a guaranteed “In.” So, no matter which specialty you pick, you will still have to put lots of hard work into your application.

We hope this information has been helpful. Visit Match A Resident to see how our Customized Program Lists can help you prepare for a successful Match season!

 

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