Is Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Competitive in 2023?

by Loyd Mokaya in Residency

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Is physical medicine and rehabilitation (also known as physiatry) competitive? How important are the USMLEs, research, med school reputation, and AOA membership for matching into physical medicine and rehabilitation? Is physical medicine and rehabilitation IMG-friendly? And what is the DO match rate for physical medicine and rehabilitation programs?

In this article, you’ll learn everything about the competitiveness of physical medicine and rehabilitation 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.

Table of Contents

Is Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 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 13.9%, making it moderately competitive among US residencies. The match rate for physical medicine and rehabilitation is considerably better than the most competitive specialties like plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, or otolaryngology. However, physical medicine and rehabilitation is considerably 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.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Match Rate

What is the match rate for physical medicine and rehabilitation 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 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Match Rate (2022 Match): 86.1%
• DO Senior Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Match Rate (2022 Match): 64%
• US IMG Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Match Rate (2022 Match): 40%
• Non-US IMG Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Match Rate (2022 Match): 45%

See below for more on matching into Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as a DO or IMG.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Match Statistics 2022

In 2022, there were 532 physical medicine and rehabilitation positions available in the NRMP match. A total of 725 applicants listed it as their preferred specialty.

In the 2022 Match, physical medicine and rehabilitation ranked #14 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
• General Surgery: 1,622 positions

How Many Applicants Receive Interviews in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation?

According to the 2021 Program Director survey, each Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation program received 440 applications on average. Other data include:

• Applications received (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation): 440
• Applications rejected based on standardized screen (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation): 130
• Applications receiving holistic review (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation): 296
• Interview invitations sent (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation): 87
• Applicants interviewed (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation): 76
• Applicants ranked (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation): 71

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

• 30% of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation applications were rejected via a standardized screen,
• Only 67% of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation applications received a holistic review,
• 20% of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation applications received an interview invitation, and
• 16% of all Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation applicants were ranked to match

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is Moderately Reliant on Screens

Physical Medicine and rehabilitation relies on standardized screens to weed out applicants. In the 2021 Program Director Survey, respondents of physical medicine and rehabilitation PDs reported that 30% of applications were rejected via a standardized screen. This ranked near the bottom of all residences.

USMLE Scores for Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Step 1 scores for physical medicine and rehabilitation for matched US seniors reflect its moderate competitiveness.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Step 1 scores (Matched Applicants in 2022 Match):

• 25%ile: 219
• Median: 230
• 75%ile: 240

Step 1 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Scores Are Middle of the Road (2022 Match)

Similarly, Step 2 CK scores for physical medicine and rehabilitation for matched US seniors reflect its moderate competitiveness.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation Step 2 CK Scores (Matched Applicants in 2022 Match):

• 25%ile: 233
• Median: 242
• 75%ile: 252

Step 2 CK Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 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 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as a DO

Matching into Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as a DO is moderately competitive, with a 64% match rate and 33% of spots filled by DO Seniors in the 2022 Match. In 2022, 275 DO seniors applied for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; 176 matched.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is Moderately DO-Friendly (2022 Match)

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

Is Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation IMG Friendly?

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is moderately IMG-friendly, with an overall 42% match rate and 6% of spots filled by IMGs in the 2022 Match. In 2022, 43 US IMGs and 33 non-US IMGs applied to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; 17 US IMGs and 15 non-US IMGs matched.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is Moderately IMG-Friendly (2022 Match)

We can see that US IMGs had a slightly lower match rate (40%) than non-US IMGs (45%) in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

For Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, US IMGs had a slightly lower match rate (40%) than non-US IMGs (40%) in the 2022 Match

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

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation-Friendly IMG Residency Programs

For a list of the most IMG-friendly physical medicine and rehabilitation programs, see this article.

How Much Do Physiatrists Make per Year? Per Hour?

Physiatrists have an average annual salary of $322,000. This can vary dramatically based on practice setting, specialty training, and experience level.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians make $322,000 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 physiatrists, we get an estimated hourly salary of $147/hr.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians make roughly $147/hr on average when taking in hours worked per year

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

How Important is AOA for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation?

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 most significant for the most competitive specialties.

AOA membership correlated with a 15% match rate advantage for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the 2022 Match

In the 2022 Match, the match rate for US seniors with AOA membership was 15% greater than that of US seniors without AOA membership. AOA membership provided a moderate advantage to matching into a physiatry 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 is an essential factor in successfully matching into physiatry.

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

How Many Publications for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency in 2022

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

In 2022, the mean number of abstracts, presentations, and publications for US seniors who matched into physical medicine and rehabilitation was 6.2. The mean number of research experiences was 3.6.

Do I Need an MD-PhD to Match Into Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation?

You may wonder how much an MD-PhD helps with matching into physical medicine and rehabilitation. It appears that having a PhD correlates with a relatively high advantage of 14% when applying to physiatry. Specifically, the match rate for those with a PhD is 14% higher than for those without one when applying to physiatry.

Having a PhD correlated with a 14% match rate advantage for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the 2022 Match

Note that those with PhDs are moderately rare among physiatry residents. Only 14% of matched applicants into physiatry had a PhD in 2022.

1.5% of matched applicants to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation had an MD-PhD in 2022

Should You Attend a Top Medical School to Match Into Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation?

Does attending a top medical school help with matching into Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation? According to the program director survey results above, 41.4% of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation PDs consider medical school reputation when considering whom to interview. The mean importance score was 3.4.

Similarly, we can look at the advantage of attending a school in the top 40 by NIH funding. In 2022, there was a 15% advantage in match rate for 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 15% match rate advantage for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the 2022 Match

Does an MPH or MBA Help Match Into Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation?

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 physical medicine and rehabilitation? Not much, it turns out. The match rate for US seniors with other degrees was 8% 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 physical medicine and rehabilitation, and may even hurt them (slightly).

Having another degree like an MBA or MPH correlated with a -8% match rate disadvantage for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the 2022 Match

What Are the Best Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation Programs?

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

Opinions will vary. However, some of the most desirable physical medicine and rehabilitation residency programs would include the following:

• University of Washington (Seattle)
• McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University
• Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital / Harvard Medical School
• UPMC Medical Education (Pittsburgh)
• Rutgers Health
• Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science

Concluding Thoughts

So how competitive is physiatry 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 an AOA membership or an Ivy League education to match.

That said, physiatry 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 physical medicine and rehabilitation 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 the extracurriculars critical to matching.

Looking for a Physiatry Residency Advisor?

Are you looking for a physiatry 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 overcoming?

Be sure to check out our Residency Advisor service.