Competition for Surgical Residencies

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internist88

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Hi, I was wondering if any1 could list out the competitiveness (if thats a word or how you spell it) of various surgical residencies. I think that I want to be either an internist or surgeon, so yeah if any1 could rank the competion for just surgical specialities, that would be great.

Also, is general surgery one of those fields that not everyone will get into that wants to (ie GI, Cards, etc.), or does just about everyone that wants to get in, unless your really "bad", so to speak.

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Internist or surgeon? Complete opposite ends of the spectrum there! :)
 
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Internist... I would say that unlike GI and Cards, which typically draw the nobel prize winners and savants. General Surgery is usually reserved for those with developmental delays or felony convictions. I hope this answered your question.


- Word
 
Dude I specifically said just tell me this for the surgical ones in my first post...

i really love it when pre-medical students ask questions and are then rude when asked for clarification. the future of medicine is certainly bright. just a pet peeve...maybe i'm crazy.

tm
 
Hi, I was wondering if any1 could list out the competitiveness (if thats a word or how you spell it) of various surgical residencies. I think that I want to be either an internist or surgeon, so yeah if any1 could rank the competion for just surgical specialities, that would be great.

Also, is general surgery one of those fields that not everyone will get into that wants to (ie GI, Cards, etc.), or does just about everyone that wants to get in, unless your really "bad", so to speak.

General Surgery has become much more competitive over the last couple of years, with few, if any, Categorical positions available post-match and a number of applicants unmatched. Therefore, not everyone who wants to get a Categorical General Surgery position these days will.

There are a number of threads devoted to the competitiveness of various surgical specialties, but in a nutshell...

Most Competitive (in no particular order):
Plastic and Reconstructive
Ortho
ENT
Urology

Less Competitive (in no particular order):
Neurosurgery (not as competitive as it used to be)
General Surgery

Now, you didn't specify whether you were interested or whether the real question is, "how competitive are general surgical FELLOWSHIPS?", but below is a general idea (which is just conventional wisdom, does not reflect any real numbers and is open to contention about the order and will vary from program to program ie, Trauma at Ryder may be more competitive than Colorectal at some other program)...

Most Competitive (in no particular order):
Plastics
Pediatrics
Surgical Oncology

Middling Competitiveness:
Vascular
Breast (increasing in competitiveness, unmatched people last year)
Colorectal
Laparoscopic/MIS (increasing in competitiveness; 77% match rate, but some unmatched people last year)


Less Competitive:
Trauma/Critical Care
Transplant
Endocrine (although there are only a few programs)
 
i really love it when pre-medical students ask questions and are then rude when asked for clarification. the future of medicine is certainly bright. just a pet peeve...maybe i'm crazy.

tm

Well, to be fair to us crazy pre-meds, the OP is still in high school...

To the OP: You won't be dealing with residency for about another decade (really), so relax a bit. General trends are likely to be the same, but who knows if today's "hot" fields will be the same as those ten years from now...
 
i really love it when pre-medical students ask questions and are then rude when asked for clarification. the future of medicine is certainly bright. just a pet peeve...maybe i'm crazy.

tm

I'd be more concerned about the OP's lack of English proficiency. The future of medicine is heading towards illiteracy :thumbup:
 
Well, to be fair to us crazy pre-meds, the OP is still in high school...

To the OP: You won't be dealing with residency for about another decade (really), so relax a bit. General trends are likely to be the same, but who knows if today's "hot" fields will be the same as those ten years from now...

Good point...I didn't realize the OP was still in HS.

Therefore, as noted above, please consider that Trends in Medicine, including popularity of certain fields, do come and go. Ortho and ENT have always been fairly competitive but General Surgery rises and falls every few years; so things may be wildly different (or may be the same) when it comes time to select a field for yourself.
 
i'd like to refer you to this from the IM forum. please, feel free to laugh.

Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
Hi, I'm very interested in learning about the brain, so I thought that neurology would be the thing for me. But after talking to a few people, they said that:
1. just because you like learning about the brain, it doesn't mean you'll like neurology.
2. to go into something else because neuro doesn't make as much money as others.

If neuro isn't for people who like brains, then what is?! And also, do neurologists earn enough money to buy a big house and Mercedes E-Class (about 50k)? I know it's dumb but I'm a materialistic person, and since I will spend X money on med school, I want to make sure that the job I do will pay off given the hardwork and money I'll put in.

Any help is appreciated. THANKS!!



Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
Alright, I am pretty sure that I want to do dent over med school (don't comment on my sn, it's old). But I wanted to know what type of dentist or specialist earns the most money on average. I know region makes a difference, so lets say that I live in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, or some other Mid-Atlantic/Southern state.

Enlighten me dent students....I am not worthy!



Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
Hi, I am actually a high school student that is very interested in doing either GI, Cardiology, or oncology. My parents however believe that because I'll probably wind up getting a 3.7 gpa (assuming worst case scenario since I'm a junior now) in high school that I should give up internal medicine since there is a lot of competition for not only med school, but also to try and get a residency in those fields. Is this true and should I stop trying and focus on something else, or is it still reasonable for me to try? I do have the desire to go through all the training; that's a non-issue, but I'm just wondering if I should stop and move on because it's unrealistic. Thanks for any help that you can give, especially since I know that this is strange! I'm only asking you guys because you have all been through the system whereas they haven't.



Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
Is the DAT harder than the MCAT?

Also, is dentistry seriously harder than medicine? The reasons people cite for this to be true are:

1. The DAT is harder than the MCAT (any truth to this?)
2. There are fewer spots for rescidencies.
3. Its harder to "break into" the profession in terms of getting a job

any truth to any of this, especially the MCAT thing because that and the DAT are the things that I'm most concerned about right now




Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
What is a site where I can find official pharmacy school rankings?

Also what type of pharmacists own the most (without holding an executive position) and how much do they make?




Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
I'm wondering if vets are as "poor" so to speak as people say they are. As in, do they really earn less than 150k cuz a surgeon or something can still get sued and stuff, so doesn't their job demand that they earn more to compensate for this and the pressures just like a doctor?



Quote:
Originally Posted by DentStud
I wanted to start a new forum for those who have interest in Oral & Maxillofacial surgery here! Anyone with anything interesting to share relating to the practice of or residency training please post your message here!



Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
Just wondering what are the salaries of all the major IM specialities ie derm, cards, GI, Pul, and hem/onc. I'd especially like to know the salaries of Pul and hem/onc if you don't have time for all of them. Thanks in advance!! (btw please post the actual url and don't just say visit the nike website or something)
 
Hmmmm.....is the correct term Dissociative Identity Disorder?
 
Perhaps the OP should become a politician. He is concerned a great deal with a Mercedes, he doesn't understand changes in job markets, he flip-flops constantly, and his grasp of the English language is less than proficient.:rolleyes: He'd be elected for sure.
 
SHE CAUGHT ME ASKING FOR HELP AND THEN MADE FUN OF ME FOR IT!!! ISNT SHE HILARIOUS!!!! BTW HERE'S A POST TO ALL OF YOU PEOPLE THAT TALK **** ABOUT ME, FROM A PREVIOUS ONE!! I'M PASTING IT FROM ANOTHER FORUM BECAUSE I'M SUCH A TROLL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
i'd like to refer you to this from the IM forum. please, feel free to laugh.

Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
Hi, I'm very interested in learning about the brain, so I thought that neurology would be the thing for me. But after talking to a few people, they said that:
1. just because you like learning about the brain, it doesn't mean you'll like neurology.
2. to go into something else because neuro doesn't make as much money as others.

If neuro isn't for people who like brains, then what is?! And also, do neurologists earn enough money to buy a big house and Mercedes E-Class (about 50k)? I know it's dumb but I'm a materialistic person, and since I will spend X money on med school, I want to make sure that the job I do will pay off given the hardwork and money I'll put in.

Any help is appreciated. THANKS!!



Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
Alright, I am pretty sure that I want to do dent over med school (don't comment on my sn, it's old). But I wanted to know what type of dentist or specialist earns the most money on average. I know region makes a difference, so lets say that I live in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, or some other Mid-Atlantic/Southern state.

Enlighten me dent students....I am not worthy!



Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
Hi, I am actually a high school student that is very interested in doing either GI, Cardiology, or oncology. My parents however believe that because I'll probably wind up getting a 3.7 gpa (assuming worst case scenario since I'm a junior now) in high school that I should give up internal medicine since there is a lot of competition for not only med school, but also to try and get a residency in those fields. Is this true and should I stop trying and focus on something else, or is it still reasonable for me to try? I do have the desire to go through all the training; that's a non-issue, but I'm just wondering if I should stop and move on because it's unrealistic. Thanks for any help that you can give, especially since I know that this is strange! I'm only asking you guys because you have all been through the system whereas they haven't.



Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
Is the DAT harder than the MCAT?

Also, is dentistry seriously harder than medicine? The reasons people cite for this to be true are:

1. The DAT is harder than the MCAT (any truth to this?)
2. There are fewer spots for rescidencies.
3. Its harder to "break into" the profession in terms of getting a job

any truth to any of this, especially the MCAT thing because that and the DAT are the things that I'm most concerned about right now




Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
What is a site where I can find official pharmacy school rankings?

Also what type of pharmacists own the most (without holding an executive position) and how much do they make?




Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
I'm wondering if vets are as "poor" so to speak as people say they are. As in, do they really earn less than 150k cuz a surgeon or something can still get sued and stuff, so doesn't their job demand that they earn more to compensate for this and the pressures just like a doctor?



Quote:
Originally Posted by DentStud
I wanted to start a new forum for those who have interest in Oral & Maxillofacial surgery here! Anyone with anything interesting to share relating to the practice of or residency training please post your message here!



Quote:
Originally Posted by internist88
Just wondering what are the salaries of all the major IM specialities ie derm, cards, GI, Pul, and hem/onc. I'd especially like to know the salaries of Pul and hem/onc if you don't have time for all of them. Thanks in advance!! (btw please post the actual url and don't just say visit the nike website or something)

FIRST OF ALL, ISNT SHE ****ING HILARIOUS!!! LETS ALL LAUGH HA HA HA!!!

GO AHEAD LAUGH, KICK ME OFF THE FORUM DO W.E, I JUST HOPE YOU GUYS REALIZE HOW PATHETIC IT IS THAT YOU dinguses ARE PICKING ON A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT THAT IS CONCERNED ABOUT HIS FUTURE, AND ISN'T LIKE OTHER COCKY BAST.ARDS THAT THINK THEY'RE SHOE-INS FOR MEDICAL SCHOOLS! YES I AM MATERIALISTIC!! AND IF YOU'RE SO SMART, YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THAT IN MY OTHER POSTS I ADMITTED TO BEING MATERIALISTIC!! SO I'M GONNA TAKE THIS MOMENT TO LAUGH AT YOU FOR BEING SUCH A ******* AND TRYING TO MAKE ME LOOK LIKE A FOOL, WHEN ACTUALLY YOU'RE THE ******* FOR NOT POSTING ALL OF THE INFORMATION!! SO SCREW YOU!! AND SCREW ALL YOU GUYS TOO THAT LAUGH AT ME FOR JUST BEING CURIOUS! BTW, I'M NOT THE ONLY PERSON THAT CHANGES HIS MIND!! WHAT ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE THAT CHANGE THEIR MINDS WHILE THEY'RE IN COLLEGE? AT LEAST I DONT JUMP FROM MEDICINE TO ECONOMICS OR SOME CRAP LIKE THAT!! SO DONT LAUGH AT ME!! I'M ALREADY HAVING A BAD DAY, AND THEN YOU ALL HAVE TO MAKE IT WORSE BY MAKING FUN OF ME ABOUT ONCE AGAIN, BEING CURIOUS. SO I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY GWEN!!
 
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Who wants to bet on post-to-banned time? I'm starting a poll--2.50 a spot.
 
haha yeah I agree with billy shears!!! put me down for that 2!!! that bitch is goin down!!!
 
wow billy shears ur a ******* 2!! I WAS referring to myself in a joking way u idiot! How does an idiot who thinks spongebob is funny get into medical school? I thought that med students show some level of intelligence. Besides I'll PM u all I want. No1 died and made u queen of Bikni Bottom *****.
 
Um, no you won't. Once again, I've forwarded all your PMs to the mods. I doubt they will refuse to ban someone that has caused as much trouble in such a short amount of time as you have.

I hope you mature a LOT over the next few years if you actually plan on going to medical school.
 
Everyone knows that docs don't make money anymore. If you're looking to make the big bucks (which clearly is your top priority), go into business.

P.S. I think I'd support a minimum age to post on SDN... :rolleyes:
 
Also, why do people put "internist88" or "drsurgeon47" when they aren't even in medical school yet?
 
I have no idea what to even think about this. Seems like the type that screams at his parents about "not understanding him" and whatnot.
 
I want to vomit when I see internet lingo like "any1"

This thread is hilarious by the way.
 
Or "u 2!".
puke.gif
 
this is the single most interesting thing on SDN at the moment. maybe we should forward this over to the psyche forum. perhaps they can give us some answers about the OP.


tm
 
Does anyone have any info on how quick a person has gone from their very first post to being booted? I have a feeling this cat is going to get his name in the books on that one.
You know what Internist88, i just wanted to thank you for the comic relief you have provided me over the past day or so. I think your broad differential diagnosis of career options (internist, surgeon, vet, dentist, pharmacist) shows the makings of a fine internist someday. With that said, let me just throw out one more occupational zebra that you might not have considered in your differential...Last I heard they have an opening for manager down at Mike's Car Wash....and the good news is, no need to worry about the MCAT and you will have plenty of access to that Mercedes E class that you have designs on. Word.
 
I hope you mature a LOT over the next few years if you actually plan on going to medical school.

Seriously, if the OP is still around, take this to heart. I've heard stories straight from an admissions officer's mouth at a v. good med school of applicants who looked fabulous on paper but were incredibly immature in the interview, and were consequently not accepted.
 
Does anyone have any info on how quick a person has gone from their very first post to being booted? I have a feeling this cat is going to get his name in the books on that one.
You know what Internist88, i just wanted to thank you for the comic relief you have provided me over the past day or so. I think your broad differential diagnosis of career options (internist, surgeon, vet, dentist, pharmacist) shows the makings of a fine internist someday. With that said, let me just throw out one more occupational zebra that you might not have considered in your differential...Last I heard they have an opening for manager down at Mike's Car Wash....and the good news is, no need to worry about the MCAT and you will have plenty of access to that Mercedes E class that you have designs on. Word.


This is the funniest thing I've read in a long long time :oops:
 
http://www.nrmp.org/matchoutcomes.pdf

This shakes everything i used to believe. Since when was General Surgery so competitive??? :eek:


Last two years it has become more competitive than it has in years.

Some believe this is the "80 hrs" effect and others, myself included, simply think its the natural cycle of specialties, which tends to revolve every 5-7 years. Truth is, its probably a bit of both; it will be interesting to see if the attrition rate is higher - perhaps indicating that those who ordinarily wouldn't have chosen surgery did because of the reduced hours and then found that it still sucked, or whether its lower perhaps because of the work hour restrictions.
 
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