Are you wondering how IMG-friendly (or unfriendly) internal medicine/pediatrics 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 internal medicine/pediatrics programs an IMG would stand the best chance?
This article will give you the most up-to-date information on IMG-friendly internal medicine/pediatrics programs. Use this information to strategize on whether – and where – to apply to maximize your chances of matching as an IMG in internal medicine/pediatrics.
Summary:
- Internal medicine/pediatrics is among the least IMG-friendly US medical specialties.
- However, the match rate for internal medicine/pediatrics applicants is above average.
- Some internal medicine/pediatrics programs have a higher ratio of IMGs, including Missouri (60%), Buffalo (29%) and Geisinger (20%).
- In addition, some programs favor US IMGs while others prefer non-US IMGs.
- 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).
Internal Medicine/Pediatrics is Not Very IMG-Friendly
Looking at the % of positions filled by IMGs in the 2022 Match, we can see that internal medicine/pediatrics was not IMG-friendly. Only three specialties had a lower proportion of spots filled by IMGs.
However, the match rate for IMGs in internal medicine/pediatrics is average compared to other specialty fields in the 2022 Match:
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 Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Programs
While internal medicine/pediatrics as a field is not very IMG-friendly, the same cannot be said for every internal medicine/pediatrics residency program. For example, five internal medicine/pediatrics residencies in the most recent GME census had IMG percentages of 10% or higher. Missouri had an IMG rate of 60% and two other residencies had IMG rates of 20% or higher: Geisinger (20% IMG) and Buffalo (29%).
Here is a list of the most (and least) IMG-friendly internal medicine/pediatrics 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 | Residency program 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)? | # of positions offered (2021 NRMP Main Match) | # of positions (2021 NRMP Main Match) | # of applications submitted to this program in 2021 | % of applicants interviewed by the program in 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7002832126 | University of Missouri-Columbia Program | Columbia | MO | 60 | 33 | 27 | 33 | 7 | Yes | No | Yes | 4 | 4 | 498 | 28.2 |
| 7003532049 | University at Buffalo Program | Buffalo | NY | 29 | 29 | 0 | 65 | 6 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 223 | 19.7 |
| 7004114068 | Geisinger Health System Program | Danville | PA | 20 | 15 | 5 | 30 | 50 | Yes | No | No | 5 | 5 | 241 | 32.5 |
| 7003632057 | Vidant Medical Center/East Carolina University Program | Greenville | NC | 12 | 8 | 4 | 33 | 54 | Yes | No | No | 6 | 6 | 245 | 29.1 |
| 7003832061 | The MetroHealth System/Case Western Reserve University Program | Cleveland | OH | 12 | 8 | 4 | 58 | 29 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6 | 6 | 528 | 28.4 |
| 7003500106 | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program | New York | NY | 8 | 8 | 0 | 83 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 285 | ||||
| 7003532093 | Stony Brook Medicine/University Hospital Program | Stony Brook | NY | 8 | 8 | 0 | 83 | 8 | Yes | No | No | 3 | 3 | 254 | 25.3 |
| 7001614013 | University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago Program | Chicago | IL | 7 | 0 | 7 | 93 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 338 | 30.1 |
| 7001632015 | University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria Program | Peoria | IL | 6 | 6 | 0 | 58 | 36 | Yes | Yes | No | 9 | 9 | 277 | 37.8 |
| 7003014136 | University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Program | Omaha | NE | 6 | 0 | 6 | 81 | 13 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 176 | 34.6 |
| 7003514044 | Albany Medical Center Program | Cohoes | NY | 6 | 6 | 0 | 81 | 13 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 270 | 32.8 |
| 7004814075 | University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Program | Houston | TX | 6 | 0 | 6 | 84 | 9 | Yes | No | Yes | 8 | 8 | 295 | 22.9 |
| 7005532080 | West Virginia University Program | Morgantown | WV | 6 | 0 | 6 | 65 | 29 | Yes | No | No | 3 | 3 | 175 | 24.7 |
| 7000132085 | USA Health Program | Mobile | AL | 0 | Yes | No | No | 3 | 3 | 131 | 32.3 | ||||
| 7000532130 | UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical Center Program | Los Angeles | CA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 228 | 17.9 |
| 7000814127 | Yale-New Haven Medical Center Program | New Haven | CT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4 | 4 | 266 | 18.7 |
| 7000914009 | Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University/Christiana Care Health Services Program | Newark | DE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 24 | Yes | No | No | 5 | 5 | 240 | 23.6 |
| 7001014129 | MedStar Health/Georgetown University Hospital Program | Washington | DC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 88 | 13 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 357 | |
| 7001114086 | University of Miami/Jackson Health System Program | Miami | FL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 5 | Yes | No | No | 5 | 5 | 300 | 19.4 |
| 7001132125 | University of South Florida Morsani Program | Tampa | FL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 88 | 12 | Yes | No | No | 5 | 5 | 195 | 18.1 |
| 7001614012 | University of Chicago Program | Chicago | IL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 4 | 4 | 332 | 23.4 |
| 7001614014 | Loyola University Medical Center Program | Maywood | IL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87 | 13 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 297 | 26.9 |
| 7002532030 | Hurley Medical Center/Michigan State University Program | Flint | MI | 0 | Yes | No | Yes | 3 | 3 | 313 | 20.5 | ||||
| 7002532033 | Beaumont Health (Royal Oak) Program | Royal Oak | MI | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 4 | 4 | 322 | 20 | ||||
| 7002614034 | University of Minnesota Program | Minneapolis | MN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 2 | Yes | No | No | 10 | 10 | 268 | 41 |
| 7002714035 | University of Mississippi Medical Center Program | Jackson | MS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 16 | Yes | No | No | 5 | 5 | 168 | 35.1 |
| 7002832036 | University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine Program | Kansas City | MO | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 22 | Yes | No | No | 6 | 6 | 197 | 25.7 |
| 7003332040 | Rutgers Health/New Jersey Medical School Program | Newark | NJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 263 | 26.9 |
| 7003532054 | University of Rochester Program | Rochester | NY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 97 | 3 | Yes | No | No | 8 | 8 | 265 | 35.2 |
| 7003614056 | Duke University Hospital Program | Durham | NC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 6 | 6 | 347 | 24.1 |
| 7003632055 | University of North Carolina Hospitals Program | Chapel Hill | NC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 6 | 6 | 337 | 20.7 |
| 7003814063 | Ohio State University Hospital Program | Columbus | OH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 10 | 10 | 319 | 30.6 |
| 7003814082 | University of Cincinnati Medical Center/College of Medicine Program | Cincinnati | OH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 4 | Yes | No | No | 7 | 7 | 366 | 24.1 |
| 7003832121 | Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Program | Cleveland | OH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4 | 4 | 313 | 12.5 |
| 7003932067 | University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine (Tulsa) Program | Tulsa | OK | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 7003932090 | University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Program | Oklahoma City | OK | 0 | Yes | No | No | 3 | 3 | 241 | 14.2 | ||||
| 7004114128 | UPMC Medical Education Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 4 | 4 | 302 | 15.3 |
| 7004114129 | University of Pennsylvania Health System Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 6 | 6 | 333 | 16.3 |
| 7004132081 | Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program | Hershey | PA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 31 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 236 | 28.2 |
| 7004232145 | University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine Program | San Juan | PR | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 47 | 14.9 | ||||
| 7004314108 | Brown University Program | Providence | RI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 262 | 22 |
| 7004514135 | Prisma Health/University of South Carolina SOM Greenville (Greenville) Program | Greenville | SC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 5 | 5 | 201 | 31.6 |
| 7004532127 | Medical University of South Carolina Program | Charleston | SC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 252 | 23.4 |
| 7004714070 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program | Nashville | TN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6 | 6 | 332 | 24.7 |
| 7004732071 | University of Tennessee Program | Memphis | TN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 7 | Yes | No | No | 14 | 14 | 233 | 36.1 |
| 7004800114 | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Program | Dallas | TX | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 282 | 21.1 |
| 7004814074 | Baylor College of Medicine Program | Houston | TX | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | No | No | No | 9 | 9 | 325 | 28.7 |
| 7004914091 | University of Utah Health Program | Salt Lake City | UT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | Yes | No | No | 3 | 3 | 185 | 21.6 |
| 7005132077 | Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program | Richmond | VA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 7 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 256 | 33.5 |
| 7005532079 | Marshall University School of Medicine Program | Huntington | WV | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 305 | 20.8 | ||||
| 7005614109 | Marshfield Clinic Program | Marshfield | WI | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 2 | 2 | 218 | 19.1 | ||||
| 7005632096 | Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals Program | Milwaukee | WI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 21 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6 | 6 | 285 | 40.4 |
Concluding Thoughts
Internal medicine/pediatrics is among the least IMG-friendly of fields. However, some internal medicine/pediatrics residency programs fill a high proportion of their available positions with IMGs.
Are you despairing at your chances of matching into internal medicine/pediatrics 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.
