The following information is aimed at providing a least an initial foray into the answer to that question. Program Competitiveness To start this conversation, the competitiveness of the major medical specialty fields are categorized into three tiers: Competitive Moderately competitive Less competitive Competitive programs that are the most difficult to match into include: Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery Dermatology General Surgery Neurosurgery Orthopedic Surgery Ophthalmology Otolaryngology Plastic Surgery Urology Radiology Radiation Oncology Moderately competitive programs include: Anesthesiology Emergency Medicine Medicine/Pediatrics (combined) Obstetrics and Gynecology Less competitive specialties include: Family Medicine Internal Medicine Pathology Pediatrics Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Psychiatry These categories are meant to provide a general guideline, but know that there is fluidity, and nuance to these categories, and that the boundaries between them are not fixed. Regardless of the category of competitiveness, any one program can be considered more competitive depending on other variables such as program location, prestige, etc. For example, despite the fact that Internal Medicine is categorized as a “less competitive” specialty, the most highly respected and renowned Internal Medicine residency programs are highly competitive and therefore difficult to get into. Exceptions in the opposite direction generally do not hold up as well. That is, the least prestigious Dermatology program in the least desirable location is still likely a highly competitive program, as there are consistently many more applicants in Dermatology than there are available slots across the country. You may read more about top 10 competitive residencies in USA Source
