Most Competitive Specialities

<li><p>Can anyone rank some of the specialities (this includes regular residencies and fellowships) in order from most difficult, to easiest?</p></li>
<li><p>Does anyone know how hard it is to become a cardiologist? Is it something where most people can still get it, or is it next to impossible for most (ie as competitive as derm, etc.). I know that its a fellowship that is followed after 3 years of IM, but is it a difficult fellowship to match into or what?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>See the thread: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?p=3338193#post3338193%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?p=3338193#post3338193&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Following links to IM subspecialties:

[quote]
Cardiovascular Disease (Internal Medicine)
Programs Statistics: Number Percent</p>

<p>Enrolled Programs
166</p>

<p>Withdrawn Programs
3 </p>

<p>Active Programs
163 </p>

<p>Programs Filled
162
99% </p>

<p>Programs Unfilled
1
1%</p>

<p>Active Positions
670 </p>

<p>Positions Filled
669
100%</p>

<p>Positions Unfilled
1
0%</p>

<p>Applicant Statistics<br>
Matched Applicants: School Matched Percent</p>

<p>US Grad
442
66% </p>

<p>US Foreign
37
6% </p>

<p>Pathway
2
0%</p>

<p>Osteo
28
4%</p>

<p>Foreign
157
23%</p>

<p>Canadian
3
0% </p>

<p>Total
669

[/quote]
</p>

<p>"A total of 3,964 applicants began the process of obtaining a position through MSMP. Of these entrants, 1,711 were graduates of US medical schools (USMGs), 497 were US citizens who graduated from foreign medical schools, and 1,516 were foreign born graduates of foreign medical schools. The 2,171 matches through MSMP represented 61 percent of all applicants who submitted rank order lists. US medical school graduates represented 1,278 (59 percent) of all matches, or 80 percent of all USMGs who submitted rank order lists."
<a href="http://www.im.org/AAIM/PublicPolicy/Docs/SubspecialtyMatch.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.im.org/AAIM/PublicPolicy/Docs/SubspecialtyMatch.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The cards acceptance rate is at worst 17% and likely much higher. To wit: 669 cards positions were filled in the match. If all 3,964 applicants submitted rank order lists for cards, a 17% acceptance rate is implied. If everyone but 1530 people who matched to non-cards subspecialties submitted rank order lists for cards, and 27% acceptance rate is implied. If the acceptance rate similar across all subspecialties, an 80% acceptance rate is implied for USMG's.</p>

<p>The fact that 37 US foreign and 157 foreign MG's matched should be encouraging.</p>