If you are an International Medical Graduate (IMG), picking which medical specialties to apply to starts with first learning about the top IMG friendly specialties themselves. Using the information provided by NRMP’s® Results and Data 2020 Main Residency Match®, we were able to figure out which medical specialties had the highest percentage of US and Non-US IMGs in the positions filled for each specialty from last year’s Match. First, however, it is good to review some general match statistics in order to understand the big picture.

Match 2020 General Statistics   

34,266 PGY-1 Positions Filled 

18,108 US Senior (93.9% Match Rate)

693 US Graduate (45.6% Match Rate)

6,215 Osteopathic (86.9% Match Rate)

3,154 US IMG (61.0% Match Rate)

4,222 Non-US IMG (61.2% Match Rate)

 

Top IMG Friendly Specialties of 2020 by Ratio

PGY-1	IMG %	Filled Positions	US IMG	Non-US IMG	MD Senior	MD Grad	DO Senior	DO Grad
Pathology	48.7%	587	54	232	204	26	67	4
General Surgery (Preliminary)	41.5%	583	82	160	290	15	31	5
Internal Medicine (Categorical)	38.9%	8324	1123	2116	3496	140	1389	59
Neurology	35.8%	665	56	182	317	6	103	1
Radiology	29.3%	116	10	24	50	2	28	2
Family Medicine	27.6%	4313	787	405	1543	120	1382	65
Pediatrics	20.0%	2812	222	340	1731	31	483	5
Psychiatry	15.9%	1838	164	129	1138	50	335	21
General Surgery (Categorical)	11.6%	1531	98	80	1033	105	202	13
Transitional Year	10.4%	1230	78	50	822	13	260	7
Anesthesiology	9.9%	1369	58	78	936	25	262	9
Neurosurgery	7.8%	232	6	12	203	8	3	0
Emergency Medicine	7.0%	2652	155	30	1713	43	683	28
OBGYN	6.5%	1440	58	36	1089	26	221	10
Dermatology	6.5%	31	0	2	23	0	6	0
Internal Med-Peds	6.3%	381	15	9	316	5	36	0
PM&R	6.0%	151	7	2	81	1	60	0
Child Neurology	2.6%	151	3	1	111	2	20	0
Orthopedic Surgery	1.4%	844	5	7	686	28	112	6

Top IMG Friendly Specialties by Number of IMGs

Internal Medicine	3239
Family Medicine	1192
Pediatrics	562
Psychiatry	293
Pathology	286
General Surgery (Preliminary)	242
Neurology	238
Emergency Medicine	185
General Surgery (Categorical)	178
Anesthesiology	136
Transitional Year	128
OBGYN	94
Radiology	34
Internal Med-Peds	24
Neurosurgery	18
Orthopedic Surgery	12
PM&R	9
Child Neurology	4
Dermatology	2

 

According to the NRMP:

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

Internal Medicine (categorical) (1,123)

Family Medicine (787)

Pediatrics (categorical) (222)

Psychiatry (164)

Emergency Medicine (155)

 

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

Internal Medicine (categorical) (2,116)

Family Medicine (405)

Pediatrics (categorical) (340)

Neurology (categorical, advanced, and physician positions) (235)

Pathology (232)

 

Other IMG Friendly Factors

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

• 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 add 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 ERAS Application materials, program research, and beyond.

 

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