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Is Family Medicine Competitive in 2023?

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by Loyd Mokaya in Residency

Is family medicine competitive? How important are the USMLEs, research, med school reputation, and AOA membership to matching into family medicine? Is family medicine IMG-friendly? And what is the DO match rate for family medicine programs?

In this article, you’ll learn everything about family medicine competitiveness in 2022. You’ll learn what to focus on – and what not to – to maximize your chances of matching into this desirable specialty.

Summary:

  • Family Medicine Overall Competitiveness: Low
  • Research Importance: Low
  • USMLE Importance: Moderate
  • Importance of Attending Top 40 Med School: Low
  • Importance of Class Rank / Obtaining AOA (Med School Honors): Low

Table of Contents

Is Family Medicine Competitive in 2022?

One way to assess the competitiveness of a specialty is to look at the match rate – the % of people who apply and end up matching into their preferred specialty.

Among US Seniors, the unmatched percentage was 2.1%, making it less competitive among US residencies. The match rate for family medicine is better than the most competitive specialties, like plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, or otolaryngology. However, family medicine was a marginally more competitive than emergency medicine, child neurology, or even radiation oncology in the 2022 match.

For more on the most competitive US specialties, see this article.

Family Medicine US Senior Unmatched Percentage 2022 Match

Family Medicine Match Rate

What is the family medicine 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 Family Medicine Match Rate (2022 Match): 97.9%
  • DO Senior Family Medicine Match Rate (2022 Match): 96%
  • US IMG Family Medicine Match Rate (2022 Match): 58%
  • Non-US IMG Family Medicine Match Rate (2022 Match): 48%

See below for more on matching into family medicine as a DO or IMG.

Family Medicine Match Statistics 2022

In 2022, there were 4,916 family medicine positions available in the NRMP match. 5,055 applicants listed it as their preferred specialty.

In the 2022 Match, family medicine ranked #2 for most total positions offered. Only one specialty had more positions offered:

  • Internal medicine: 9,809 positions

How many people matched into family medicine 2022

How Many Applicants Receive Interviews in Family Medicine?

According to the 2021 Program Director survey, each family Medicine program received 987 applications on average. Other data include:

  • Applications received (Family Medicine): 987
  • Applications rejected based on standardized screen (Family Medicine): 560
  • Applications receiving holistic review (Family Medicine): 343
  • Interview invitations sent (Family Medicine): 119
  • Applicants interviewed (Family Medicine): 99
  • Applicants ranked (Family Medicine): 86

Looking at the percentages, we can see that for the 2021 Match:

  • 57% of Family Medicine applications were rejected via standardized screen,
  • Only 35% of Family Medicine applications received a holistic review,
  • 12% of Family Medicine applications received an interview invitation, and
  • 9% of all Family Medicine applicants were ranked to match

Family Medicine application outcomes 2021 program director survey

Family Medicine is Highly Reliant on Screens

Family medicine relies on standardized screens to weed out applicants. In the 2021 Program Director Survey, Family Medicine PDs respondents reported that 57% of applications were rejected via standardized screen. This ranked #3 for most applications rejected via standard screen among other residencies.

Family Medicine Applicants Screened Out and Interviewed 2021 PD Survey

USMLE Scores for Family Medicine

Step 1 scores for family medicine for matched US seniors reflect its moderately low level of competitiveness.

Family Medicine Step 1 Scores (Matched Applicants in 2022 Match):

  • 25%ile: 212
  • Median: 224
  • 75%ile: 238
Step 1 Family Medicine Scores (2022 Match)

Step 1 Family Medicine Scores Are Middle of the Road (2022 Match)

Similarly, Step 2 CK scores for family medicine for matched US seniors reflect its relatively low competitiveness compared to other residencies.

Family medicine Step 2 CK Scores (Matched Applicants in 2022 Match):

  • 25%ile: 231
  • Median: 241
  • 75%ile: 252
Step 2 CK Family Medicine Scores (2022 Match)

Step 2 CK Family Medicine 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 Family Medicine as a DO

Matching into family medicine as a DO is less competitive, with a 96% match rate and 27% of spots filled by DO Seniors in the 2022 Match. In 2022, 1407 DO seniors applied for family medicine; 1345 matched.

Family Medicine is DO-Friendly (2022 Match)

Family Medicine is DO-Friendly (2022 Match)

For more on the most DO-friendly specialties, see this article.

Is Family Medicine IMG Friendly?

Family medicine is more moderately IMG-friendly compared to other specialties, with an overall 54% match rate and 21% of spots filled by IMGs in the 2022 Match. In 2022, 1094 US IMGs and 791 non-US IMGs applied to family medicine; 632 US IMGs and 383 non-US IMGs matched.

Family Medicine is Moderately IMG-Friendly (2022 Match)

Family Medicine is Moderately IMG-Friendly (2022 Match)

We can see that US IMGs had a slightly higher match rate (58%) than non-US IMGs (48%) in family medicine.

US and Non-US IMG Match Rate 2022 Match

For family medicine, US IMGs had a slightly higher match rate (58%) than non-US IMGs (48%) in the 2022 Match

For more on the most IMG-friendly specialties, see this article.

Family Medicine-Friendly IMG Residency Programs

For a list of the most IMG-friendly Family Medicine programs, see this article.

How Much Do Family Medicine Practitioners Make per Year? Per Hour?

Family medicine practitioners have an average annual salary of $255,000. This can vary dramatically based on practice setting, specialty training, and experience level.

Family Medicine Doctor Annual Salary

Family Medicine Doctors make $255,000 per year on average

However, annual salaries can be misleading. Some specialties work much more than others. Considering the estimated hours worked per year for family medicine practitioners, we get an estimated hourly salary of $101/hr.

Family Medicine Doctor Estimated Hourly Salary

Family Medicine Doctors make roughly $101/hr on average when taking in hours worked per year

See this article for more on physician annual salaries and estimated hourly wages by specialty.

How Important is AOA for Family Medicine?

AOA – Alpha Omega Alpha – is the med school honors society. Each school may elect up to 20% of the graduating class of students.

Having an 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 Advantage for Family Medicine 2022

AOA membership correlated with a 2% match rate advantage for family medicine in the 2022 Match

In the 2022 Match, the match rate for US seniors with AOA membership was 2% greater than that of US seniors without AOA membership. AOA membership didn’t provide a substantial advantage to matching into a family medicine residency.

Several 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 matters in successfully matching into family medicine.

For more on AOA medical schools and the importance of class rank for matching, see this article.

How Many Publications for Family Medicine Residency in 2022

Research is an essential characteristic for matching into many specialties, particularly the most competitive. So, how many publications do you need to match into a family medicine residency?

In 2022, the mean number of abstracts, presentations, and publications for US seniors who matched into family medicine was 4.1. The mean number of research experiences was 2.4.

How many publications for family medicine 2022
Do I Need an MD-PhD to Match Into Family Medicine?

You may wonder how much an MD-PhD helps with matching into family medicine. Having a PhD correlates with a modest advantage of 2% when applying into family medicine. The match rate for those with a PhD is 2% higher than for those without one when applying to family medicine.

Should I get a PhD for family medicine 2022

Having a PhD correlated with a 2% match rate advantage for family medicine in the 2022 Match

Note that those with PhDs are relatively rare among family medicine residents. In fact, only 0.8% of matched applicants into Family Medicine had a PhD in 2022.

MD-PhD for Family Medicine Residency 2022

0.8% of matched applicants to family medicine had an MD-PhD in 2022

Should You Attend a Top Medical School to Match Into Family Medicine?

Does attending a top medical school help with matching into family medicine? According to the program director survey results above, 30.2% of family medicine PDs consider medical school reputation when considering whom to interview. The mean importance score was 3.7.

Similarly, we can look at the advantage of attending a school in the top 40 by NIH funding. In 2022, there was a 1% advantage in match rate for those attending a school in the top 40 for NIH funding vs. those who did not.

Top 40 med school family medicine match 2022

Graduating from a medical school ranked in the top 40 by NIH funding correlated with a 1% match rate advantage for family medicine in the 2022 Match

Does an MPH or MBA Help Match Into Family Medicine?

Medical training is long. Despite this, many consider – or complete – other degrees, like MPHs or MBAs.

But how much of an advantage – or disadvantage – does an MPH (Master of Public Health) or MBA (Master of Business Administration) confer when applying to family medicine? Not much, it turns out. The match rate for US seniors with other degrees was 1% 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 family medicine, and may even hurt them (slightly).

Family Medicine other degree MBA MPH advantage 2022

Having another degree like an MBA or MPH correlated with a -1% match rate disadvantage for family medicine in the 2022 Match

What Are the Best Family Medicine Programs?

While family medicine may be moderately competitive, the most desirable programs will always be extremely difficult to enter. So which are the best family medicine residency programs?

Opinions will vary. However, some of the most desirable family medicine residency programs would include:

  • Washington
  • Oregon Health and Science
  • North Carolina — Chapel Hill
  • University of Minnesota
  • Wisconsin — Madison
  • California — San Francisco

Concluding Thoughts

So how competitive is family medicine in 2022? According to statistics, it’s the least competitive specialty and it had the lowest unmatched rates. Following internal medicine, family medicine offered the most positions and received the most applications. It’s also worth noting that the specialty has the lowest USMLE score percentiles and the least amount of research required. Although having an Ivy League education, extensive research, or another degree provides a slight advantage, these qualifications are unnecessary to be considered for a family medicine residency program.

That said, family medicine is still highly competitive, particularly for the most desirable programs. While it is true for all specialties, USMLE scores – and especially Step 2 CK – will be emphasized given how reliant family medicine 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 make the most of your time and excel in your classes, board exams, and extracurriculars critical to matching.

Looking for a Family Medicine Residency Advisor?

Looking for a family medicine residency advisor? Want help writing your personal statement? Need effective strategies for interviewing? Do you have things on your application – e.g., low USMLE scores, failed USMLEs, no research, IMG status, or others – you need help to overcome?

Be sure to check out our Residency Advisor service.

Want FREE Cardiology Flashcards?

Cardiology is key for impressive USMLE scores. Master cardiology from a Harvard-trained anesthesiologist who scored USMLE 270 with these 130+ high-yield flash cards. You’ll be begging for cardio questions - even if vitals make you queasy.

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