DO friendly specialties in ACGME

[Dr Dazzle]

I wanted new insight on ACGME residencies which are easier for DOs to get besides FM and IM. As we know the AOA doesn't have enough residencies for all the DO graduates. Further, there are very few competitive specialty residencies in the AOA. Therefore, what moderately competitive specialties on the ACGME side do DOs have a chance at? I am trying to understand this better based on your experiences.

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[Banned]

FM
IM
Peds
Psych
OB/Gyn
Path
PM&R

 

[buccsmf1]

FM
IM
Peds
Psych
OB/Gyn
Path
PM&R

If you do well on the steps, add gas and rads to that list

 

[GUH]

Check out this little gem, brah
http://www.nrmp.org/data/programresultsbyspecialty2012.pdf
Lots of stats about use of COMLEX/importance of having graduated from US MD school and other stuff relevant to DO's applying to allopathic residency but the most relevant one is probably:
"Percentage of Programs that Typically Interview and Rank Each Applicant Groups"

 

[cliquesh]

If you do well on the steps, add gas and rads to that list

From my experience with the anesthesia match this year, if you get around a 230 (224 is average) you should be able to match at a decent university for anesthesia. Based on my friend's experience with radiology, if you score around a 230 you should match at a community/lower tier radiology program. Both are not very competitive.

Emergency medicine is also relatively DO friendly, but it was ridiculously competitive this year ( everyone wants to do it).

Neurology is DO friendly.

Anesthesia, PM&R, pathology, and family medicine are probably the only fields that DOs have a realistic chance matching at a top tier program.

The surgical specialities, rad/onc and derm are the hardest for DOs to match.

 

[pianoman511]

I second EM but I would point out that it's not competitive in the ROAD sense, it just filled well (i.e. if you work reasonably hard and do average to slightly above average on boards you'll be fine).

 

[235009]

it's not competitive in the ROAD sense

repeat after me: "ROAD is NOT an acronym for competitive specialties"

for example anesthesia is one of the least competitive specialties when you consider programs across the board (i.e. it is not particularly competitive at the top like peds and IM for instance)

 

[fishsnack]

Anes has taken a dive in competitiveness. Rads has started to follow. Just because you can get in, doesn't mean you should.

ER is one of the more DO friendly residencies. Not yet a goner, but sure to suffer from PA/NPmatitis in the near future.

 

[MardiGrasDuckDoc]

Anes has taken a dive in competitiveness. Rads has started to follow. Just because you can get in, doesn't mean you should.

ER is one of the more DO friendly residencies. Not yet a goner, but sure to suffer from PA/NPmatitis in the near future.

How is ER potentially going to suffer from PA/NPmatitis? From my own experiences, PAs/NP do fast-track/triage type stuff, however the real acute cases are never touched by them. Maybe rural ER medicine is different, but I don't see how EM will be threatened by PAs/NPs, at least not even close to the extent that primary care is/will be.

 

[BurghStudent]

Look at page 39 on this:
NRMP 2013 Results and Data Book

Also, you might want to look at the San Fransisco match, to see data on ophthalmology, to get the whole story.