<p>Which med students get into specialties vs. family practice? Can only the best go on to become a specialist and what percentile do you have to be in if so?</p>
<p>specialty is mainly a personal choice. Interests, lifestyle, practice consideration, are among the factors that influence why people choose going into particular fields over others.</p>
<p>The most difficult residencies to get into include Dermatology, Ophthamology, Plastic Surgery, Radiology, and Orthopedic Surgery. Competition for spots in those fields is intense, requiring high socres on USMLE step I exams, good grades/high class rank, and great interview.</p>
<p>It should be said that competition is fierce for all the top spots in all residency fields. People are drawn to top programs. However, just from talking to my friends and some colleagues at another medical school, and a lot of people seem more concerned about location, and where they are going to end up after residency. A few want to go to a top program, but even then geographic concerns are important for them too.</p>
<p>You can see data on residency field matching here:
<a href="http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/data_tables.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/data_tables.html</a></p>
<p>Sorry to divert this thread, but I was wondering which residency is appropriate for a fellowship in Allergy & Immunology? Is this a competitive fellowship/area?</p>
<p>Two comments.
First, Family Practice is a specialty. It is a three year residency. It has its own board exam. You might be confusing it with what is called "general practice" -- no residency required.
Second, the recommended residency for Allergy and Immunology is Internal Medicine.</p>
<p>I don't think any abiltity to practice medicine is "no residency required". In fact, I'm quite sure of this.</p>
<p>It is possible, though uncommon, to practice medicine after passing USMLE part 3 and an internship. However, most third party payors require residency completion for admission to provider panels.</p>
<p>Most states require only USMLE parts 1,2, and 3 plus one year of post-graduate training for licensure. See for instance, the West Virginia Board of Medicine physician licensure requirements at <a href="http://www.wvdhhr.org/wvbom/req_md.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.wvdhhr.org/wvbom/req_md.asp</a></p>