Most competitive medical specialties
- Ophthalmology: It is a medical branch related to surgery and diagnosis of disorders of eyes.
- Dermatology and Plastic surgery.
- Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic Surgery.
- General Surgery and Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery.
- Otolaryngology and Ophthalmology.
So a 240 on Step 1 is the 66th percentile.
Here is our list of the top 10 happiest doctor specialties according to work-life balance and personality:
- Family Medicine.
- Diagnostic Radiology.
- Dermatology.
- Anesthesiology.
- Ophthalmology.
- Pediatrics.
- Psychiatry.
- Clinical Immunology/Allergy.
A general practice doctor has the least amount of requirements for any medical doctor. While these doctors do still have four years of medical school and one to two years of residency after completing four years of undergraduate education, this is the minimum amount of education any medical doctor must undergo.
While the USMLE program does not disclose how the three-digit score is calculated, Step 1 scores theoretically range from 1 to 300, most examinees score in the range of 140 to 260, the passing score is 194, and the national mean and standard deviation are approximately 232 and 19, respectively.
Average Step 1 Scores by Specialty for the 2018 Match
| US Allopathic Seniors |
|---|
| General Surgery | 236 | 219 |
| Internal Medicine | 233 | 207 |
| Internal Med/Peds | 235 | 217 |
| Interventional Radiology | 246 | 242 |
The
average scores for those who matched were 217 and 224, respectively. Radiology, Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, and General Surgery applicants who matched had the highest
average scores.
US IMG USMLE Scores in the Match.
| Specialty | Mean STEP 1 |
|---|
| Internal Medicine | 221 |
| OBGYN | 221 |
| Average | 217 |
| Neurology | 216 |
247 is a great score and the work you put in really shows. This write up is amazing and informative too. The step 1 subreddit is full of praise for Pathoma, Boards, Sketchy, etc but I don't see FA getting as much love.
The medical specialties with the highest Step 2 CK scores
- Dermatology - 256.
- Otolaryngology - 256.
- Plastic surgery - 256.
- Interventional radiology - 255.
- Orthopedic surgery - 255.
What happens if you fail the USMLE® Step 2? Failing either Step 1 or Step 2 CK once decreases your chance of matching by approximately 20 to 25%. An examinee may not take the same USMLE® Step 2 CK examination more than six times, including incomplete attempts.
Similarly, for Step 2 CK, a 250+ is above the 65%ile. In short, a 250+ is quite an impressive score, particularly for Step 1.
Step 2 CK is much much tougher. Both exams require huge amounts of application skills, reading in between the lines, quick thinking but Step 2 CK takes the cake because of the depth and unpredictability of questions involved.
If you pass a Step or Step Component, you are not allowed to retake it, except to comply with certain state board requirements which have been previously approved by USMLE governance.
In general, studying for Step 2 CK takes less prep time than Step 1 with less focus on the nitty-gritty details that you had to know for Step 1. UWorld (a must): Go through UWorld throughout third year as you are doing your clerkships and studying for your shelf exams.
The schedule for Step II CK preparation varies significantly depending on how much time has passed since completion of the clerkships, and whether you are studying during vacation or during a 4th year rotation. Overall, study time usually ranges from 1-4 weeks with most students taking 2-3 weeks.
Can Step 2 CK make up for a bad Step 1 score? It depends. There's actually no clear-cut answer, with specialties and specific residency programs placing emphasis on Step 1 over Step 2 CK and vice versa, and there's not a real consensus across the board either.
The Step 2CK scores are reported in a 3 digit format with a range between 1 and 300. The passing score is 209. As of academic year 2019-2020, the mean CK score was 245 with a standard deviation of 15 for first-time takers from accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada.
How many programs should I apply to? All students should apply to at least 12 programs. Some students will need to apply to more. Your assigned DOM advisor will help you figure out the number of programs you need to apply to.
“While internists typically diagnose and treat medical problems of greater complexity than family practitioners in both the office and hospital settings, family practitioners typically provide more 'well-patient' services in the office setting and don't treat as many hospitalized patients,” Dr. Remakus explains.
Here are the best internal medicine graduate programs
- Harvard University.
- Johns Hopkins University.
- University of Pennsylvania (Perelman)
- Duke University.
- Columbia University.
- University of Michigan--Ann Arbor.
- Stanford University.
- Vanderbilt University.
Though family medicine tops the list of the least competitive specialties, it still forms the bulk of preventive and routine care across the life spectrum. This specialty requires a three- to four-year residency, and you can choose subspecialties such as sports medicine, hospital medicine or geriatrics.
General practitioners, including family
doctors and pediatricians, are among the
highest-paid
doctors.
These were the highest paying doctor jobs in 2019, ranked.
- Anesthesiologists.
- Surgeons.
- Oral and maxillofacial surgeons.
- Obstetricians and gynecologists.
- Orthodontists.
- Prosthodontists.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A RESIDENCY PROGRAM? Consider the Chair and the faculty. What kind of training do they have, where did they train, what fellowships did they do, when did they finish training, where else have they worked, and what are their clinical and research skills and interests?
You do not need to have research to match at most of the mid to top programs. The top say 10 you need something (usually a poster or paper or two) and certain programs are very research heavy and want multiple pubs (Brigham is very research oriented).
Subspecialties of Internal MedicineInternists can choose to focus their practice on general internal medicine or take additional training to "subspecialize" in additional areas of internal medicine after completion of their core residency training.
According to the USMLE, most medical students take Step 2 CK in their fourth year. Some students feel the best time to tackle the Step 2 CK is when clinical science knowledge from their rotations is still fresh in their minds.
But there are also others who got good scores in Step 2 CK even without UWORLD. No one can tell for sure, but from my own experience and observation, it's probably not enough for many. While UWORLD is the most popular among all USMLE Step 2 resources, it is not the single best resource out there (nothing is!).
In a way, you've been reviewing for Step 2 every time you cared for a patient as a medical student. This could be a big reason why Step 2 CK scores are higher overall; medical students are better prepared for this exam, simply because of the nature of medical school itself.
Overall Competitiveness of Internal Medicine Residency and Chances of Matching. The overall competitiveness level of internal medicine is Low for a U.S. senior. With a Step 1 score of 200, the probability of matching is 89%. With a Step 1 score of >240, the probability is 99%.
Most DO students do not take Step 2 CK as it is not required and rarely provides any advantage. With the change, DO students will now need to prepare for Step 2 CK, and this will need to be squeezed in with COMLEX Level 2 after clinical rotations are completed.
What are the Best Resources for Step 2 CK Exam Prep?
- Prioritizing studying throughout clerkship year to build a firm clinical knowledge base, ideally building a comprehensive Anki deck for longitudinal review.
- Minimum 2 weeks of exclusive exam prep time.
- Exhaustive attention to the UWorld Step 2 CK Question Bank.
