Are you wondering how IMG-friendly (or unfriendly) child neurology is as a US medical specialty? Do you want to know your chances of matching in this highly competitive field? Would you love to figure out what child neurology programs an IMG would stand the best chance?
This article will give you the most up-to-date information on IMG-friendly child neurology programs. Use this information to strategize on whether – and where – to apply to maximize your chances of matching as an IMG in child neurology.
Summary:
- Child neurology is a moderately IMG-friendly specialty compared to other specialty fields.
- However, very few residency programs fill their available positions with IMGs.
- Some child neurology programs have a large number of IMGs with IMG rates of up to 39%.
- See the full list of searchable residency programs to strategize where IMGs have recently been the most welcome
- Be sure to bookmark this page – and sign up for the newsletter – to keep up with the latest residency and USMLE trends and maximize your chances of matching
Table of Contents
What is an IMG Again?
Let’s start with some definitions.
IMG: International Medical Graduate
- You attended a medical school outside of the United States and Canada
US- vs. Non-US IMGs
IMGs consist of two sub-groups:
- US-IMGs: US Citizens or permanent residents who attended a “foreign” medical school. Example: someone born in the US but went to a Caribbean medical school (a non-US school).
- Non-US IMGs: Non-US citizens or permanent residents who attended a “foreign” medical school. Example: someone born in South Korea, who does not have US citizenship or a green card, and who went to medical school in South Korea.
NRMP: “National Resident Matching Program®”
- The organization that administers the “Match.” In the Match, the NRMP pairs residency applicants with a residency program.
Note that “International Medical Graduate” (IMG) refers to the medical school you attended. Thus, a foreign citizen who attends a US medical school is NOT an IMG. However, a US citizen attending a med school outside the US would be considered an IMG. (Technically, s/he would be a US IMG).
For more on how IMGs can attain residency in the US, see The IMG’s Guide to Obtaining Residency in the United States (2022).
Child Neurology is Moderately IMG-Friendly
Looking at the % of spots filled by IMGs in the 2022 Match, we can see child neurology is among the more IMG-friendly programs even though it remains a highly competitive specialty. While most specialties had a lower percentage of positions filled by IMGs, some specialties had a much higher IMG acceptance rate.
Nevertheless, the match rate for IMGs in child neurology is among the highest of all the specialties in the 2022 Match. With only two specialties having a higher match rate:
Here are the same data represented in a table:
| % Spots Filled by IMGs | % Spots Filled by US IMGs | % Spots Filled by non-US IMGs | Total Positions Offered | Total # All Applicants | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anesthesiology | 8% | 3% | 4% | 1,969 | 2,560 |
| Child Neurology | 15% | 4% | 11% | 188 | 182 |
| Dermatology | 3% | 1% | 1% | 544 | 834 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 8% | 2% | 6% | 1,155 | 1,568 |
| Emergency Medicine | 7% | 6% | 1% | 2,921 | 2,813 |
| Family Medicine | 21% | 13% | 8% | 4,916 | 5,055 |
| General Surgery | 9% | 3% | 5% | 1,622 | 2,400 |
| Internal Medicine | 36% | 9% | 25% | 9,809 | 11,598 |
| Internal Medicine/Pediatrics | 5% | 2% | 2% | 392 | 458 |
| Interventional Radiology | 2% | 0% | 2% | 169 | 226 |
| Neurological Surgery | 8% | 1% | 7% | 240 | 379 |
| Neurology | 25% | 5% | 18% | 1,014 | 1,249 |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | 5% | 2% | 3% | 1,503 | 2,044 |
| Orthopaedic Surgery | 2% | 1% | 1% | 875 | 1,435 |
| Otolaryngology | |||||
| Pathology | 41% | 7% | 31% | 631 | 827 |
| Pediatrics | 18% | 7% | 11% | 3,016 | 3,153 |
| Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | 6% | 2% | 3% | 532 | 725 |
| Plastic Surgery | 6% | 1% | 4% | 194 | 340 |
| Psychiatry | 15% | 7% | 6% | 2,047 | 2,560 |
| Radiation Oncology | 11% | 5% | 7% | 185 | 162 |
| Vascular Surgery | 7% | 0% | 7% | 84 | 143 |
For more on the most IMG-friendly medical specialties, see this article.
The Most IMG-Friendly Child Neurology Residency Programs
While child neurology as a field is IMG-friendly compared to several other programs, very few child neurology residency programs accepted IMGs. For example, in the most recent GME census, only seven child neurology residencies filled a portion of their positions with IMGs. However, some of these residency programs had relatively high IMG rates. One had an IMG percentage of 39% (Southwestern), and four had IMG rates of 10% or higher: Nationwide (22%), Washington (20%), Baylor (18%), and Beth Israel (17%).
Here is a list of the most (and least) IMG-friendly child neurology programs. It includes data from the most recent National GME Census Survey. Percentages are of all residents in the program in 2020.
| ACGME residency program code | Child Neurology residency name | City | State | % residents IMG (US + Non-US) | % residents US-citizen IMGs | % residents non-US-citizen IMGs | % residents US MD graduates | % residents US DO graduates | Program consider applicants with J-1 visa? | Program consider applicants with H-1B visa? | Program consider applicants with F-1 Visa (OPT 1st year)? | # categorical positions offered (2021 NRMP Main Match) | # categorical positions filled (2021 NRMP Main Match) | # advanced positions offered (2021 NRMP Main Match) | # advanced positions filled by (2021 NRMP Main Match) | # applications submitted (2021 NRMP Main Match) | % applicants interviewed (2020 NRMP Main Match) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1854821043 | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Program | Dallas | TX | 39 | 8 | 31 | 62 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 115 | 36.6 |
| 1853821092 | Nationwide Children's Hospital/Ohio State University Program | Columbus | OH | 22 | 0 | 22 | 44 | 33 | Yes | No | No | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 160 | 38.3 |
| 1852821034 | Washington University/B-JH/SLCH Consortium Program | St. Louis | MO | 20 | 0 | 20 | 73 | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 155 | 47.3 |
| 1854821018 | Baylor College of Medicine Program | Houston | TX | 18 | 12 | 6 | 82 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 161 | 40.4 |
| 1852421051 | Children's Hospital/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School Program | Boston | MA | 17 | 0 | 17 | 83 | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 166 | 19.1 |
| 1850721023 | University of Colorado Program | Aurora | CO | 9 | 9 | 0 | 82 | 9 | Yes | Yes | No | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 143 | 21.2 |
| 1854121041 | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Program | Philadelphia | PA | 5 | 0 | 5 | 95 | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 7 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 174 | 20 |
| 1850121008 | University of Alabama Medical Center Program | Birmingham | AL | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 31.1 | ||||
| 1850321024 | Phoenix Children's Hospital Program | Phoenix | AZ | 0 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 106 | 31.3 | ||||
| 1850421085 | University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine Program | Little Rock | AR | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 10.5 | ||||
| 1850500001 | University of California Davis Health Program | Sacramento | CA | 0 | Yes | No | No | ||||||||||
| 1850521006 | University of California (Irvine) Program | Orange | CA | 0 | Yes | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 86 | 29 | ||||||
| 1850521020 | University of California (San Diego) Medical Center Program | La Jolla | CA | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 24.6 | ||||
| 1850521061 | Stanford Health Care-Sponsored Stanford University Program | Palo Alto | CA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 115 | 33 |
| 1850521062 | UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical Center Program | Los Angeles | CA | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 103 | 27.8 | ||||
| 1850521065 | Children's Hospital Los Angeles Program | Los Angeles | CA | 0 | No | Yes | Yes | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 32.7 | ||||
| 1850521069 | University of California (San Francisco) Program | San Francisco | CA | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 99 | 26.8 | ||||
| 1850521075 | Loma Linda University Health Education Consortium Program | Loma Linda | CA | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 86 | 30.5 | ||||
| 1850800078 | Yale-New Haven Hospital Program | New Haven | CT | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 97 | 37.7 | ||||
| 1851011010 | National Capital Consortium Program | Bethesda | MD | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1851021048 | Children's National Medical Center/George Washington University Program | Washington | DC | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 286 | 12.5 | ||||
| 1851113100 | Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Jacksonville) Program | Jacksonville | FL | 0 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 60 | 37 | ||||
| 1851118101 | University of Florida College of Medicine Program | Gainesville | FL | 0 | Yes | No | No | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 137 | 22.6 | ||||
| 1851218108 | Emory University School of Medicine Program | Atlanta | GA | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 141 | 26.7 | ||||
| 1851221019 | Medical College of Georgia Program | Augusta | GA | 0 | Yes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 9.6 | ||||||
| 1851621001 | University of Chicago Program | Chicago | IL | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 139 | 22.7 | ||||
| 1851621021 | McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University Program | Chicago | IL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 153 | 27.4 |
| 1851721050 | Indiana University School of Medicine Program | Indianapolis | IN | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 9.8 | ||||
| 1851831106 | University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Program | Iowa City | IA | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 33.3 | ||||
| 1851922096 | Children's Mercy Hospital/University of Kansas Medical Center Program | Kansas City | MO | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 127 | 19.2 | ||||
| 1852021099 | University of Kentucky College of Medicine Program | Lexington | KY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 25.2 | ||||
| 1852021103 | University of Louisville School of Medicine Program | Louisville | KY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 16.8 | ||||
| 1852121022 | Louisiana State University Program | New Orleans | LA | 0 | Yes | No | No | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 115 | 22.8 | ||||
| 1852321027 | Johns Hopkins University Program | Baltimore | MD | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 132 | 27.6 | ||||
| 1852413102 | Boston University Medical Center Program | Boston | MA | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 161 | 14.7 | ||||
| 1852421028 | Tufts Medical Center Program | Boston | MA | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 133 | 11.2 | ||||
| 1852431067 | Massachusetts General Hospital Program | Boston | MA | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 114 | 11.5 | ||||
| 1852500053 | Spectrum Health/Michigan State University Program | Grand Rapids | MI | 0 | Yes | No | Yes | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42.1 | ||||
| 1852521030 | University of Michigan Health System Program | Ann Arbor | MI | 0 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 144 | 38 | ||||
| 1852521052 | Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University Program | Detroit | MI | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 64 | 39 | ||||
| 1852621053 | Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Rochester) Program | Rochester | MN | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 42.1 | ||||
| 1852712095 | University of Mississippi Medical Center Program | Jackson | MS | 0 | Yes | No | No | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 106 | 7.6 | ||||
| 1852821033 | St Louis University School of Medicine Program | St. Louis | MO | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 210 | 19.4 | ||||
| 1853300012 | Jersey Shore University Medical Center Program | Neptune | NJ | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15.4 | ||||
| 1853321011 | Rutgers Health/New Jersey Medical School Program | Newark | NJ | 0 | Yes | No | No | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 191 | 21.6 | ||||
| 1853413105 | University of New Mexico School of Medicine Program | Albuquerque | NM | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 190 | 10.5 | ||||
| 1853500095 | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program | New York | NY | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 1853512094 | University of Rochester Program | Rochester | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 110 | 27.1 | ||||
| 1853521002 | Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine Program | Bronx | NY | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 236 | 31.5 | ||||
| 1853521015 | New York Presbyterian Hospital (Cornell Campus) Program | New York | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 118 | 16.3 | ||||
| 1853521035 | University at Buffalo Program | Buffalo | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 11.8 | ||||
| 1853521054 | SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Program | Brooklyn | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 27.9 | ||||
| 1853521055 | Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell at Cohen Children's Medical Center Program | Lake Success | NY | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 126 | 0 | ||||
| 1853521057 | NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program | New York | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 133 | 15.3 | ||||
| 1853521059 | New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia Campus) Program | New York | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 130 | 21.6 | ||||
| 1853521081 | Stony Brook Medicine/University Hospital Program | Stony Brook | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 124 | 8.4 | ||||
| 1853621003 | University of North Carolina Hospitals Program | Chapel Hill | NC | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 127 | 11.1 | ||||
| 1853621037 | Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program | Winston Salem | NC | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 135 | 28 | ||||
| 1853621080 | Duke University Hospital Program | Durham | NC | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 154 | 30.6 | ||||
| 1853813091 | Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Program | Cleveland | OH | 0 | Yes | No | No | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 25 | ||||
| 1853821004 | Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program | Cleveland | OH | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 154 | 17.2 | ||||
| 1853821038 | Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Program | Cincinnati | OH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 6 | Yes | No | No | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 168 | 19.2 |
| 1854023048 | Oregon Health & Science University Program | Portland | OR | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 112 | 25.6 | ||||
| 1854100001 | Geisinger Health System Program | Danville | PA | 0 | Yes | No | No | ||||||||||
| 1854118042 | Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University/DuPont Hospital for Children Program | Wilmington | DE | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 220 | 11.6 | ||||
| 1854121012 | UPMC Medical Education Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 149 | 27.5 | ||||
| 1854121040 | Tower Health Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 143 | 15.6 | ||||
| 1854212101 | University of Puerto Rico Program | San Juan | PR | 0 | Yes | No | No | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 3.8 | ||||
| 1854518107 | Medical University of South Carolina Program | Charleston | SC | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 111 | ||||||||
| 1854712104 | University of Tennessee Program | Memphis | TN | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 115 | 12.5 | ||||
| 1854721042 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program | Nashville | TN | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 150 | 34.7 | ||||
| 1854818079 | University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School Program | Austin | TX | 0 | Yes | No | No | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 208 | 20.8 | ||||
| 1854831078 | University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Program | Houston | TX | 0 | Yes | No | No | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 260 | 31.7 | ||||
| 1854921044 | University of Utah Health Program | Salt Lake City | UT | 0 | Yes | No | No | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 234 | 29.8 | ||||
| 1855121060 | Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program | Richmond | VA | 0 | Yes | No | No | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 15.2 | ||||
| 1855131097 | University of Virginia Medical Center Program | Charlottesville | VA | 0 | Yes | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 139 | 20.8 | ||||||
| 1855421047 | University of Washington Program | Seattle | WA | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 134 | 28.5 | ||||
| 1855618109 | University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program | Madison | WI | 0 | Yes | No | No | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 17.9 | ||||
| 1855621070 | Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals Program | Milwaukee | WI | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 19.8 |
Concluding Thoughts
Even though child neurology is more IMG-friendly than several other programs, it remains a competitive residency specialty. While few child neurology residency programs filled spots with IMGs, a majority of IMGs who applied were accepted overall.
Are you despairing at your chances of matching into child neurology as an IMG? Then, check out Never Forget, where you can learn how to master – not memorize – for the impressive USMLE scores to match at your dream residency. And if you’re looking for a residency advisor, look at our residency advisory services.
