Looking at match rate, why is ortho considered competitive?

[lookinggood]

Second year undergrad student here. On page 3 of NRMP 2014 document linked at the bottom, I calculated that ortho has a 76.1% match rate (# US Students matched / (# US Students matched + # of US Students unmatched) ). In comparison to the numbers it took to get into college like Stanford's notorious 4.7% acceptance rate this cycle, why is ortho then considered competitive? Over 3/4 of the medical school students matched though admittedly some land in less than ideal locations.

Also, is it possible to apply to more than one type of residency? For example, if I really like two different specialties, could I apply to a pathology and a neurology residency during the same cycle?

I understand that thinking about residency is a little far out there, but I am just genuinely curious about these questions.

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Charting-Outcomes-2014-Final.pdf

Edit: I realized that the students who apply to ortho in the first place probably have stellar step 1 scores so theres some self-selection bias going on here. But then can one assume that if they reach the average step 1 score for ortho and have no red flags in their application, their chances of matching are effectively 76%?

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[ndafife]

People don't really apply to residencies that they aren't going to be a good fit to match in.

Less than ideal locations is an opinion by you. There is a reason why premeds are told not to look at Match Data.

And generally you don't apply to multiple residency types.

 

[Med Ed]

Edit: I realized that the students who apply to ortho in the first place probably have stellar step 1 scores so theres some self-selection bias going on here. But then can one assume that if they reach the average step 1 score for ortho and have no red flags in their application, their chances of matching are effectively 76%?

You have answered your own question: self-selection. The 76% match rate occurs after ortho applicants have done very well on the Steps, in classes and clerkships, on ortho rotations (including auditions), and maintained productive research projects. The match rate does not reflect individuals who crash and burn along the way, or those who apply ortho and get zero interviews.

So yes, it's tough to match ortho.

 

[Mad Jack]

Second year undergrad student here. On page 3 of NRMP 2014 document linked at the bottom, I calculated that ortho has a 76.1% match rate (# US Students matched / (# US Students matched + # of US Students unmatched) ). In comparison to the numbers it took to get into college like Stanford's notorious 4.7% acceptance rate this cycle, why is ortho then considered competitive? Over 3/4 of the medical school students matched though admittedly some land in less than ideal locations.

Also, is it possible to apply to more than one type of residency? For example, if I really like two different specialties, could I apply to a pathology and a neurology residency during the same cycle?

I understand that thinking about residency is a little far out there, but I am just genuinely curious about these questions.

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Charting-Outcomes-2014-Final.pdf

Edit: I realized that the students who apply to ortho in the first place probably have stellar step 1 scores so theres some self-selection bias going on here. But then can one assume that if they reach the average step 1 score for ortho and have no red flags in their application, their chances of matching are effectively 76%?

Applying to residencies is both something that must be done carefully and something that is expensive and time consuming. You need to not only have the average Step 1 score, but the average ECs, pubs, research experience, AOA status, etc of a typical ortho applicant. And even with self-selection, a quarter of US MDs are still going unmatched in ortho- and possibly being bumped into prelim years or worse still, a specialty they don't want to be in at all like IM or whatever they can scramble into. Not matching is potentially devastating on both a psychological and professional level, so nearly a quarter of applicants not matching their preferred specialty (to say nothing of the many, many more that never even stood a chance but would love to do ortho) is a very, very big deal.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Many residencies have match rates of 97%+ and the median Step 1 score is 231. Ortho has a 79% match rate and a median Step 1 score of 245, which is over a standard deviation above the Step 1 median. It's relative to other specialties, not to totally unrelated things like college admissions.

These numbers are for 2014 unless noted, ranked in terms of % matched

10...Ophthalmology: 92.?% match rate (242, currently 244 in 2016)
9….Radiation Oncology: 92.1% match rate (241)
8….Otolaryngology: 90.3% match rate (248)
7….General Surgery: 90.1% match rate (232)
6….Plastic Surgery: 90.0% match rate (245)
5….Vascular Surgery: 87.0% match rate (237)
4….Dermatology: 81.4% match rate (247)
3….Neurosurgery: 80.2% match rate (244)
2….Orthopedic Surgery: 79.2% match rate (245)
1….Urology: 77.0% match rate (247)

 

[efle]

To make an analogy to colleges, since you're thinking about stuff relative to Stanford: Imagine you took a bunch of high school students with straight A's, top few percentile test scores, and solid extracurriculars. They all apply to the top 15 universities.

Most will get into one. This doesn't mean it's easy to get into these kinds of schools though, and since a good chunk don't, there's a fairly big risk involved in making that your college list.

 

[Coug42]

Do you even lift, bro?

 

[Moose A Moose]

Do you even lift, bro?

Aware.

Looking solid. Tight. Thick. Keep us updated with your progress.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Do you even lift, bro?

250 is the magic number for ortho

Step 1, Step 2, Bench Press

 

[CherryRedDracul]

250 is the magic number for ortho

Step 1, Step 2, Bench Press

The only people who matched into ortho from my school last year had at least a 3 plate bench. Minimum requirements keep going up.

 

[hurtem&healem]

The only people who matched into ortho from my school last year had at least a 3 plate bench. Minimum requirements keep going up.

I struggle with two plates but I can DL a Buick for reps. WAMC?

 

[Psai]

Remember when Mcdonalds only hired 62k out of over a million apps? That's only like 6% acceptance rate, ergo Mcdonalds is as selective as Stanford.

 

[Swish16]

There are also a number of applicants with no shot at ortho either because their step score is too low, they produced no research, etc. Not sure about what the average applicant score is for ortho but if you compare that with the average applicant that matches you should get an idea of the high level of competition in this specialty.


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[Avicenna]

6….Plastic Surgery: 90.0% match rate (245)

yo i thought plastic surgery had a WAYYY lower match rate

My bench PR is >250 lol i guess i qualify

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

yo i thought plastic surgery had a WAYYY lower match rate

My bench PR is >250 lol i guess i qualify

Self selection. Lots of people who may have wanted PRS and didn't make the grades likely took themselves out of the running.