If you are an International Medical Graduate (IMG), picking which medical specialties to apply to starts with learning about the top IMG friendly fields. Using the information provided by NRMP®’s Advance Data Tables 2023 Main Residency Match, we’ve determined which medical specialties had the highest percentage of US and Non-US IMGs in the positions filled for the 2023 Match. First, however, let’s review some general match statistics to understand the big picture.

Match 2023 General Statistics

34,822 PGY-1 Positions Filled

18,498 US MD Senior (93.7% Match Rate)

6,812 US DO Senior (91.6% Match Rate)

790 US MD Graduate (48% Match Rate)

320 US DO Graduate (48% Match Rate)

3,356 US IMG (67.6% Match Rate)

5,032 Non-US IMG (59.4% Match Rate)

 

Top IMG Friendly Specialties of 2023 by Ratio 

 

PGY-1	IMG %	Filled Positions	US IMG	Non-US IMG	MD Senior	MD Grad	DO Senior	DO Grad
General Surgery (Preliminary)	44.5%	582	73	186	246	22	47	7
Internal Medicine (Categorical)	41.3%	9345	1200	2659	3592	133	1688	70
Pathology	40.9%	607	63	185	242	19	87	11
Family Medicine	30%	4511	793	562	1484	90	1511	70
Neurology	26.8%	843	56	170	461	6	148	1
Pediatrics	21.6%	2900	226	401	1635	22	608	6
Interventional Radiology	17.6%	51	3	6	37	0	4	0
Psychiatry	16.4%	2143	202	149	1343	32	403	13
Child Neurology	14.9%	174	8	18	125	0	23	0
Radiology – Diagnostic	14.7%	143	8	13	90	4	28	0
Emergency Medicine	14.3%	2456	289	61	1274	52	730	50
Internal Medicine (Preliminary)	12%	1576	72	117	1205	30	149	2
Transitional Year	11.9%	1524	95	87	1015	26	293	8
General Surgery (Categorical)	10.3%	1667	77	95	1062	153	243	36
Internal Medicine/ Pediatrics	8.5%	388	12	21	307	4	44	0
Anesthesiology	7.9%	1606	58	69	1199	20	245	15
Neurosurgery	6.3%	240	1	14	211	10	3	1
OB/GYN	5.8%	1499	49	38	1102	46	249	15
Physical Med and Rehab	4.9%	206	6	4	118	3	74	1
Plastic Surgery	3.9%	207	2	6	191	7	0	1
Orthopedic Surgery	1.3%	899	8	4	690	69	119	7
Dermatology	0%	29	0	0	21	1	5	1

 

Top IMG Friendly Specialties by Number of IMGs

 

Internal Medicine (Categorical)	3859
Family Medicine	1355
Pediatrics	627
Psychiatry	351
Emergency Medicine	350
General Surgery (Preliminary)	259
Pathology	248
Neurology	226
Internal Medicine (Preliminary)	189
Transitional Year	182
General Surgery (Categorical)	172
Anesthesiology	127
OB/GYN	87
Internal Medicine/ Pediatrics	33
Child Neurology	26
Diagnostic Radiology	21
Neurosurgery	15
Orthopedic Surgery	12
PM&R	10
Interventional Radiology	9
Plastic Surgery	8
Dermatology	0

 

According to the NRMP:

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

Internal Medicine (categorical) (1,200)

Family Medicine (793)

Emergency Medicine (289)

Pediatrics (categorical) (226)

Psychiatry (202)

 

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

Internal Medicine (categorical) (2,659)

Family Medicine (562)

Pediatrics (categorical) (401)

General Surgery (Preliminary) (186)

Pathology (185)

 

Other IMG Friendly Factors

Beyond statistics, there are other factors IMG residency candidates should consider when choosing medical specialties:

• Specialty-wide USMLE score expectations – Some specialties are more competitive and have increased expectations of residency candidates. For example, General Surgery programs typically require higher USMLE scores than Psychiatry.
• Previous work and clinical experiences – All specialties like to see some evidence of commitment and deep interest in the specialty. Specialties such as Family Medicine highly prefer to see some history of Family Medicine experience to prove your dedication.
• Supporting documents – Another way to prove your interest and dedication to a specialty is having specialty-specific supporting documents. You should work hard to obtain specialty-specific Letters of Recommendation and a Personal Statement for each specialty you plan on applying to. Learn more at Residency Experts.
• Finances –  Applying to residency can be expensive. The suggested minimum applications for IMG candidates is 100 programs per specialty, which adds up to thousands of dollars. Make sure you assess your specialty decision carefully to make the best use of your resources.
• Program choices and opportunities – Your choice may depend on how large the specialty you choose is and the number of programs you qualify to apply to, based on your professional credentials and each program’s application requirements. If you pick too narrow a specialty, you may need to prepare a backup specialty.

Choosing a specialty will take time, care, and consideration. While some specialties are less competitive than others, no one specialty is a guaranteed “in.” No matter which specialty you pick, you will still have to put lots of hard work into your MyERAS Application materials, program research, and more.

Visit Match A Resident to see how our Customized Program Lists can help you prepare for a successful Match season!

 

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