To determine the competitiveness of different specialties, NRMP measured the percentage of available positions filled overall as well as the percentage filled by senior students from allopathic medical schools. Considering all this, it’s no wonder why dermatology is one of the most competitive specialties on our list of 10 most competitive residency programs in the US. The are many kinds of specialty, with some providing opportunities for doctors to further specify their areas of interest into sub-specialties. One type of specialty training is general practice. I heard Pediatrics is gaining quite a bit of attention, as is family medicine (where as before it was often a second or last choice for many people). What are the most competitive/popular specialties in the US at the moment? 10 Most Competitive Residency Programs in US Published on November 27, 2015 at 2:50 pm by Nikola Potrebić in Lists Share Tweet Email Knowing how competitive a specialty is will help you avoid difficult specialties and help you pick the specialty you have a greater chance of Matching with. Roughly 95 percent of U.S. medical school seniors matched for PGY-1 residency positions in 2018. Of course, any Honors grades are always helpful, but there is often a misperception that “many” Honors grades are needed to match well in competitive specialties, and sub-specialties. The most competitive specialties. 4. For the most desirable programs (Metropolitan cities in coastal areas: San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, etc.) Training and registration for each specialty is run by the relevant royal college. General surgery is moderately competitive, while psychiatry is not very competetive. The most competitive specialties are derm, ortho, otolaryngology, urology, neurosurgery, plastics, rad onc Least would probably be family Med, psychiatry, PM&R, … Otolaryngology Overall score: 25 Proudly carrying the moniker of “the oldest medical specialty in the US”, otolaryngology positions itself inside the top 5. Future medical residents and specialists surely must wonder which are the most and least competitive medical specialties in America – more so because November 30th, 2015 (residency match early registration deadline) is rapidly closing in. How about least competitive? Among the many factors medical residency candidates have to think about when picking which specialty, or, specialties to apply to is how competitive the specialty is to get a residency in. Don’t fret if you’re not ready to register just yet, however. Dermatology, Cardiology, and most surgical specialties also have a competitive reputation.