Many OPM members wonder/ask how a offshore or caribbean medical school degree will affect their competitiveness for residency programs. I posted the below in a recent thread on SDN that gives a good example of how DO’s are competitive in residency programs, and perhaps, how foreign medical graduates (FMG)are at a big disadvantage.
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- In reply to:
Is it harder to acquire a anesthesia residency as a DO as opposed to MD?
The NRMP Results and Data for 2009 Main Residency Match reports that of all US Seniors (allopathic) who were active applicants to ANY residency 4.2% matched in to Anesthesiology (allopathic). That is of 14,566 applicants who were US allopathic seniors, 612 matched in Anesthesiology (allopathic). This does not account for other US allopathic graduates applying after their senior year, or IMGs, citizen or non-citizen
Of the osteopathic seniors or past graduates who active applicants in NRMP for ANY allopathic residency, 3.8% matched into Anesthesiology (allopathic). That is of 1,408 applicants from osteopathic schools, 53 matched in Anesthesiology (allopathic). This does not take into account any osteopathic seniors or grads applying or matching into DO Anesthesiology, though there must be some whom of course did.
So roughly about the same percentages as calculated by applicants to residency across the school types.
I also noticed the data reports that across all applicant types Anesthesiology (allopathic) match rate was only 3.3%. That is because foreign medical school graduates (both US citizen and non-citizen) had a match rate of 1.1% across all applicants who were FMG. My calculations show 28 US citizens out of 1,619 applicants for 1.7% and 26 non US citizens out of 3,112 for 0.8%. Only 4 past US med school graduates out of 545 total matched in Anesthesiology (allopathic) for 0.7% rate
So in sum, you have nearly the same chance matching into an Anesthesiology (allopathic) with a DO as you do an MD.