Is anesthesiology competitive? How important are the USMLEs, research, med school reputation, and AOA membership for matching into anesthesiology? Is anesthesiology IMG-friendly? And what is the DO match rate for anesthesia programs?
In this article, you’ll learn everything about anesthesiology’s competitiveness in 2022. In the process, you’ll learn what to focus on – and what not to – to maximize your chances of matching into this desirable specialty.
Summary:
- Anesthesiology Overall Competitiveness: Moderate
- Research Importance: Low
- USMLE Importance: Moderate
- Importance of Attending Top 40 Med School: Low
- Importance of Class Rank / Obtaining AOA (Med School Honors): Moderate
Table of Contents
Is Anesthesiology Competitive in 2022?
One way to assess the competitiveness of a specialty is to look at the match rate – the % of people who apply who end up matching into their preferred specialty.
Among US Seniors, the unmatched percentage was 10.5%, making it moderately competitive among US residencies. The match rate for anesthesiology is considerably better than the most competitive specialties like plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, or otolaryngology. However, anesthesiology is considerably more competitive than pediatrics, emergency medicine, child neurology, or even radiation oncology in the 2022 match.
For more on the most competitive US specialties, see this article.
Anesthesiology Match Rate
What is the anesthesiology match rate for US seniors, DO seniors, and IMGs? The “match rate” is the % of people who applied to a particular specialty as their preferred specialty who successfully matched into the specialty.
- US Senior Anesthesiology Match Rate (2022 Match): 89.5%
- DO Senior Anesthesiology Match Rate (2022 Match): 66%
- US IMG Anesthesiology Match Rate (2022 Match): 45%
- Non-US IMG Anesthesiology Match Rate (2022 Match): 39%
See below for more on matching into anesthesiology as a DO or IMG.
Anesthesiology Match Statistics 2022
In 2022, there were 1,969 anesthesiology positions available in the NRMP match. A total of 2,560 applicants listed it as their preferred specialty.
In the 2022 Match, anesthesiology ranked #6 for most total positions offered, behind:
- Internal medicine: 9,809 positions
- Family medicine: 4,926 positions
- Pediatrics: 3,016 positions
- Emergency medicine: 2,921 positions
- Psychiatry: 2,047 positions
- Anesthesiology 1,969 positions
How Many Applicants Receive Interviews in Anesthesiology?
According to the 2021 Program Director survey, each anesthesiology program received 1,226 applications on average. Other data include:
- Applications received (Anesthesiology): 1,226
- Applications rejected based on standardized screen (Anesthesiology): 509
- Applications receiving holistic review (Anesthesiology): 656
- Interview invitations sent (Anesthesiology): 174
- Applicants interviewed (Anesthesiology): 158
- Applicants ranked (Anesthesiology): 147
Looking at the percentages, we can see that for the 2021 Match:
- 42% of anesthesiology applications were rejected via standardized screen,
- Only 54% of anesthesiology applications received a holistic review,
- 14% of anesthesiology applications received an interview invitation, and
- 12% of all anesthesiology applicants were ranked to match
Anesthesiology is Moderately Reliant on Screens
Anesthesiology relies on standardized screens to weed out applicants. In the 2021 Program Director Survey, anesthesiology PDs respondents reported that 42% of applications were rejected via standardized screen. This ranked near the middle of residencies.
USMLE Scores for Anesthesiology
Step 1 scores for anesthesiology for matched US seniors reflect its moderate competitiveness.
Anesthesiology Step 1 Scores (Matched Applicants in 2022 Match):
- 25%ile: 228
- Median: 238
- 75%ile: 247
Step 1 Anesthesiology Scores Are Middle of the Road (2022 Match)
Similarly, Step 2 CK scores for anesthesiology for matched US seniors reflect its moderate competitiveness.
Anesthesiology Step 2 CK Scores (Matched Applicants in 2022 Match):
- 25%ile: 239
- Median: 248
- 75%ile: 257
Step 2 CK Anesthesiology Scores Are Middle of the Road (2022 Match)
See this article for more on USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK percentiles for each specialty and the overall percentiles.
Matching into Anesthesiology as a DO
Matching into anesthesiology as a DO is moderately competitive, with a 66% match rate and 16% of spots filled by DO Seniors in the 2022 Match. In 2022, 474 DO seniors applied for anesthesiology; 313 matched.
Anesthesiology is Moderately DO-Friendly (2022 Match)
For more on the most DO-friendly specialties, see this article.
Is Anesthesiology IMG Friendly?
Anesthesiology is moderately IMG-friendly, with an overall 42% match rate and 8% of spots filled by IMGs in the 2022 Match. In 2022, 183 US IMGs and 186 non-US IMGs applied to anesthesiology; 83 US IMGs and 73 non-US IMGs matched.
Anesthesiology is Moderately IMG-Friendly (2022 Match)
We can see that US IMGs had a slightly higher match rate (45%) than non-US IMGs (39%) in anesthesiology.
For anesthesiology, US IMGs had a slightly higher match rate (45%) than non-US IMGs (39%) in the 2022 Match
For more on the most IMG-friendly specialties, see this article.
Anesthesiology-Friendly IMG Residency Programs
For a list of the most IMG-friendly anesthesiology programs, see this article.
How Much Do Anesthesiologists Make per Year? Per Hour?
Anesthesiologists have an average annual salary of $405,000. This can vary dramatically based on practice setting, specialty training, and experience level.
Anesthesiologists make $405,000 per year on average
However, annual salaries can be misleading. Some specialties work much more than others. By considering the estimated hours worked per year for anesthesiologists, we get an estimated hourly salary of $146/hr.
Anesthesiologists make roughly $146/hr on average when taking in hours worked per year
See this article for more on physician annual salaries and estimated hourly wage by specialty.
How Important is AOA for Anesthesiology?
AOA – Alpha Omega Alpha – is the med school honors society. Each school may elect up to 20% of the graduating class of students.
Having AOA membership confers a greater advantage to matching into some specialties more than others. Often this AOA advantage is greatest for the most competitive specialties.
AOA membership correlated with a 10% match rate advantage for anesthesiology in the 2022 Match
In the 2022 Match, the match rate for US seniors with AOA membership was 10% greater than that of US seniors without AOA membership. AOA membership provided a moderate advantage to matching into anesthesiology residency.
A number of schools do not have AOA chapters. Even in those schools, many of them rank students against each other. Regardless of AOA status, we can see that class rank is an important factor in successfully matching into anesthesiology.
For more on AOA medical schools and the importance of class rank for matching, see this article.
How Many Publications for Anesthesiology Residency in 2022
Research is an important characteristics for matching into many specialties, particularly the most competitive. So, how many publications do you need to match into an anesthesiology residency?
In 2022, the mean number of abstracts, presentations, and publications for US seniors who matched into anesthesiology was 6.6. The mean number of research experiences was 3.7.
Do I Need an MD-PhD to Match Into Anesthesiology?
You may wonder how much an MD-PhD helps with matching into anesthesiology. It appears that having a PhD correlates with a modest advantage of 5% when applying into anesthesiology. Specifically, the match rate for those with a PhD is 5% higher than for those without one when applying into anesthesiology.
Having a PhD correlated with a 5% match rate advantage for anesthesiology in the 2022 Match
Note that those with PhDs are relatively rare among anesthesiology residents. In fact, only 2% of matched applicants into anesthesiology had a PhD in 2022.
2% of matched applicants to anesthesiology had an MD-PhD in 2022
Should You Attend a Top Medical School to Match Into Anesthesiology?
Does attending a top medical school help with matching into anesthesiology? According to the program director survey results above, 52.4% of anesthesiology PDs consider medical school reputation when considering whom to interview. The mean importance score was 3.8.
Similarly, we can look at the advantage to attending a school in the top 40 by NIH funding. In 2022, there was a 5% advantage in match rate to those attending a school in the top 40 for NIH funding vs. those who did not.
Graduating from a medical school ranked in the top 40 by NIH funding correlated with a 5% match rate advantage for anesthesiology in the 2022 Match
Does an MPH or MBA Help Match Into Anesthesiology?
Medical training is long. Despite this, many consider – or complete – other degrees, like MPH’s or MBA’s.
But how much of an advantage – or disadvantage – does an MPH (Master of Public Health) or MBA (Master of Business Administration) confer when applying into anesthesiology? Not much, it turns out. In fact, the match rate for US seniors with other degrees was 2% lower than the rate for those with other degrees.
These statistics imply that having a second degree that isn’t a PhD doesn’t appear to help your chances of matching into anesthesiology, and may even hurt them (slightly).
Having another degree like an MBA or MPH correlated with a 2% match rate disadvantage for anesthesiology in the 2022 Match
What Are the Best Anesthesiology Programs?
While anesthesiology may be moderately competitive, the most desirable programs will always be extremely difficult to enter. So which are the best anesthesiology residency programs?
Opinions will vary. However, some of the most desirable anesthesiology residency programs would include:
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- University of California-San Francisco
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Stanford Health Care
- Duke University Hospital
- Johns Hopkins University
Concluding Thoughts
So how competitive is anesthesiology in 2022? Based on the statistics, moderately so. It is not among the most competitive specialties like plastic surgery or orthopedic surgery. Nor does it require huge amounts of research or extra credentials like AOA membership or an Ivy League education to match.
That said, anesthesiology is still highly competitive, particularly for the most desirable programs. While it is true for all specialties, USMLE scores – and particularly Step 2 CK – will be emphasized moving forward, particularly given how reliant anesthesiology is on standardized screens to weed out applicants.
To learn more about how to master – not memorize – for impressive USMLE scores and higher class rankings, sign up for a free consultation. You can learn more about how Yousmle can help you to make the most of your time, to excel in your classes, Board exams, and the extracurriculars that are critical to matching.
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