Residencies or not?

[Prop]

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Ok, so I have read quite a few threads about the possibilities of getting a residency in the US.
As a European Med student, I?m not really sure who I should trust. Some people claim that it?s very difficult to get a position, while others claim that it?s relatively easy, and that the number of positions offered exceeds the number of applicants.

Of course I realize that some specialities are very competitive, while others are kind of easy to get into to, but still so many people talk about how difficult it is, especially for a foreign trained physician.

If people are so anxious to go to the US, why don?t they just go for FP or IM?
I?m quite sure I want to be involved in some kind of surgery, but if it?s just not possible to do, and I still want to live in the US, I think I will apply for FP or IM. I would rather do what I spent so many years training for, than folding jeans at the GAP.

Well, I think my question is for the people already living in the states. What?s true, are the number of applicants for residency higher or lower than the total number of positions offered?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Ok, so I have read quite a few threads about the possibilities of getting a residency in the US.
As a European Med student, I?m not really sure who I should trust. Some people claim that it?s very difficult to get a position, while others claim that it?s relatively easy, and that the number of positions offered exceeds the number of applicants.

Of course I realize that some specialities are very competitive, while others are kind of easy to get into to, but still so many people talk about how difficult it is, especially for a foreign trained physician.

If people are so anxious to go to the US, why don?t they just go for FP or IM?
I?m quite sure I want to be involved in some kind of surgery, but if it?s just not possible to do, and I still want to live in the US, I think I will apply for FP or IM. I would rather do what I spent so many years training for, than folding jeans at the GAP.

Well, I think my question is for the people already living in the states. What?s true, are the number of applicants for residency higher or lower than the total number of positions offered?

OVERALL, there are more spots than there are applicants. However, on a case by case basis, you may find that in some fields (ie, Plastic Surgery) there are more applicants than there are spaces.

Look at the following link from the NRMP which shows data from the last 4 years: http://www.nrmp.org/res_match