This year in Path

[Mrbojangles]

I've been hearing some unconfirmed numbers about the competitiveness of pathology for this year. One of my interviewers said that this year there are 500 American medical graduates applying for pathology this year and that there are only 300 open spots. I looked up some stats given by a faculty member at my school and according to FREIDA in 2001 there were 2212 total pathology residency spots so obviously there should be more than 300 spots open this year. Has anyone else heard of the numbers for this year?

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[Gut Shot]

I've been hearing some unconfirmed numbers about the competitiveness of pathology for this year. One of my interviewers said that this year there are 500 American medical graduates applying for pathology this year and that there are only 300 open spots. I looked up some stats given by a faculty member at my school and according to FREIDA in 2001 there were 2212 total pathology residency spots so obviously there should be more than 300 spots open this year. Has anyone else heard of the numbers for this year?

There are eleventy billion applicants this year. What? Eleventy billion isn't a number? Well... it will be. It will be.

P.S. I'm with a neurology matcher and I'm utterly roasted...

 

[joedogma]

I have heard of similar numbers but I think that the number of spots available is closer to 450. I am not too worried. Surely competiton has increased, particularly at prestigious institutions, but there is enough path to go around. I have met a bunch of people along the interview trail that are applying to path and another specialty (usually rads or derm.) I guess the prospect IM or "clinical" is so terrifying to some that they choose path as a backup in case they don't get their rads...Anybody else meet these people? I found it strange that they would talk bluntly about it to other candidates...seems like information that you keep to yourself unless asked directly on interview...

 

[Pingu]

I heard something like 580 American applicants and over a thousand FMG/IMGs applying for path. My source was a program director, so that might be a little reliable.

 

[yaah]

The number of residency spots out there is closer to 500 than it is to 1000. The numbers of applicants listed above sounds high to me, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were true. I haven't heard any exact numbers.

 

[Pingu]

Out of sheer boredom I went to the NRMP website to look at their data tables:

Number of Positions:
2003:443
2004:477

So this year should be approx 500, give or take 15

Positions Filled
2003: US Grads: 265
All positions: 399
2004: US Grads: 292
All Positions: 438

No idea on actual number of applicants though.

 

[stormjen]

A PD on the interview trail told me there would be approximately one American grad per Path position for this Match. He also said that programs have to submit the official number of spots that will be available by the end of January, so perhaps we will hear more solid numbers soon.