Are you wondering how IMG-friendly (or unfriendly) physical medicine and rehabilitation 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 physical medicine and rehabilitation programs an IMG would stand the best chance?
This article will give you the most up-to-date information on IMG-friendly physical medicine and rehabilitation programs. Use this information to strategize on whether – and where – to apply to maximize your chances of matching as an IMG in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Summary:
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation is among the least IMG-friendly US medical specialties.
- However, one of the top physical medicine and rehabilitation programs count IMGs among their residents (Cornell).
- Some physical medicine and rehabilitation programs have a large number of IMGs, including Kingsbrook (100% IMGs).
- 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).
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is Not IMG-Friendly
Looking at the percentage of spots filled by IMGs in the 2022 Match, we can see physical medicine and rehabilitation was not IMG-friendly. Only six specialties had a lower proportion of positions filled by IMGs.
In addition, the match rate for IMGs in physical medicine and rehabilitation is below average compared to all of the specialties 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 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Programs
While physical medicine and rehabilitation as a field is not very IMG-friendly, the same cannot be said for all physical medicine and rehabilitation residency programs. For example, one physical medicine and rehabilitation residency, One Brooklyn Health System, in the most recent GME census had an IMG percentage of 100%. Moreover, four had IMG rates of 30% or higher: Montefiore (38%), SUNY (34%), Burke (32%) and Texas (32%).
Here is a list of the most (and least) IMG-friendly physical medicine and rehabilitation 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)? | # 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3403522041 | One Brooklyn Health System/Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center Program | Brooklyn | NY | 100 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 332 | 18.3 |
| 3403521043 | Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine Program | Bronx | NY | 38 | 23 | 15 | 31 | 31 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 431 | 26 |
| 3403521093 | SUNY Upstate Medical University Program | Syracuse | NY | 34 | 28 | 6 | 28 | 39 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 309 | 28.9 |
| 3403500105 | Burke Rehabilitation Hospital Program | White Plains | NY | 32 | 13 | 19 | 38 | 31 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 365 | 17.9 |
| 3404821101 | University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Program | Houston | TX | 32 | 13 | 19 | 56 | 13 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 512 | 14.5 |
| 3403621091 | Vidant Medical Center/East Carolina University Program | Greenville | NC | 25 | 20 | 5 | 30 | 45 | Yes | No | No | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 399 | 18 |
| 3404821066 | Baylor College of Medicine Program | Houston | TX | 13 | 13 | 0 | 63 | 25 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 482 | 19.3 |
| 3405421070 | University of Washington Program | Seattle | WA | 10 | 7 | 3 | 79 | 10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 466 | 19.2 |
| 3404100089 | Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program | Hershey | PA | 9 | 9 | 0 | 36 | 55 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 393 | 0 |
| 3403511037 | Nassau University Medical Center Program | East Meadow | NY | 8 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 83 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 363 | 27 |
| 3403521051 | University of Rochester Program | Rochester | NY | 8 | 8 | 0 | 77 | 15 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 394 | 17.8 |
| 3404231063 | VA Caribbean Healthcare System Program | San Juan | PR | 8 | 8 | 0 | 92 | 0 | No | No | No | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 14.5 |
| 3405121069 | Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program | Richmond | VA | 6 | 6 | 0 | 76 | 18 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 442 | 13.1 |
| 3403521048 | SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Program | Brooklyn | NY | 5 | 0 | 5 | 36 | 59 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 387 | 28.7 |
| 3403521039 | New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia and Cornell Campus) Program | New York | NY | 4 | 4 | 0 | 71 | 25 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 425 | 20.1 |
| 3403521044 | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program | New York | NY | 4 | 4 | 0 | 46 | 50 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 475 | 13.7 |
| 3404121056 | Temple University Hospital Program | Philadelphia | PA | 4 | 4 | 0 | 64 | 32 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 459 | 19.9 |
| 3404821065 | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Program | Dallas | TX | 3 | 3 | 0 | 68 | 29 | No | No | No | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 514 | 17.6 |
| 3400121002 | University of Alabama Medical Center Program | Birmingham | AL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 33 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 301 | |
| 3403500106 | Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center/Mercy Medical Center Program | Rockville Centre | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 302 | 18.1 | ||||
| 3403500108 | Rochester Regional Health/Unity Hospital Program | Rochester | NY | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | |||||
| 3403521035 | Albany Medical Center Program | Albany | NY | 0 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 353 | 12.3 | ||||
| 3403521042 | Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Program | Manhasset | NY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 67 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 319 | 17.4 |
| 3403521045 | New York Medical College (Metropolitan) Program | New York | NY | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 382 | 34.1 | ||||
| 3403521046 | NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program | New York | NY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 61 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 417 | 23.3 |
| 3403521103 | Stony Brook Medicine/University Hospital Program | Port Jefferson | NY | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 351 | 11.8 | ||||
| 3403621095 | Carolinas Medical Center Program | Charlotte | NC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 19 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 444 | 18.6 |
| 3403621104 | University of North Carolina Hospitals Program | Chapel Hill | NC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 62 | Yes | No | No | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 503 | 10.4 |
| 3403800087 | Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program | Cleveland | OH | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 443 | 11.6 | ||||
| 3403800088 | University Hospitals Community Consortium Program | Richmond Heights | OH | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 243 | 22.4 | |||||||
| 3403821054 | Ohio State University Hospital Program | Columbus | OH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 88 | 12 | Yes | No | No | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 469 | 17.7 |
| 3403821080 | University of Toledo Program | Toledo | OH | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 319 | 10.8 | ||||
| 3403821086 | University of Cincinnati Medical Center/College of Medicine Program | Cincinnati | OH | 0 | Yes | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 444 | 11 | ||||||
| 3403831053 | The MetroHealth System/Case Western Reserve University Program | Cleveland | OH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 62 | Yes | No | No | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 522 | 15 |
| 3404100001 | Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Program | Scranton | PA | 0 | Yes | No | No | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 3404100090 | Geisinger Health System Program | Bloomsburg | PA | 0 | Yes | No | No | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 378 | 12.2 | ||||
| 3404100091 | Tower Health Program | Wyomissing | PA | 0 | Yes | Yes | No | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.1 | ||||
| 3404100092 | Albert Einstein Healthcare Network/MossRehab Program Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 32.3 | ||||
| 3404121057 | Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University/TJUH Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77 | 23 | Yes | Yes | No | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 492 | 18.9 |
| 3404121058 | University of Pennsylvania Health System Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 18 | No | No | No | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 538 | 18.9 |
| 3404121075 | UPMC Medical Education Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 88 | 13 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 531 | 16.9 |
| 3404231062 | University of Puerto Rico Program | San Juan | PR | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 80 | ||||||||
| 3404700100 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program | Nashville | TN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 19 | No | No | No | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 520 | 9.1 |
| 3404800109 | University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School Program | Austin | TX | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 431 | 11.4 | ||||
| 3404821067 | University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Joe and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine Program | San Antonio | TX | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 53 | Yes | No | No | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 442 | 18.1 |
| 3404831064 | Baylor University Medical Center Program | Dallas | TX | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 418 | 12.1 | ||||
| 3404921068 | University of Utah Health Program | Salt Lake City | UT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 33 | Yes | No | No | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 416 | 15.6 |
| 3405121081 | Eastern Virginia Medical School Program | Norfolk | VA | 0 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 336 | 9.4 | ||||
| 3405121089 | University of Virginia Medical Center Program | Charlottesville | VA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 21 | Yes | No | No | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 476 | 14 |
| 3405400001 | Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center Program | Spokane | WA | 0 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 30.2 | ||||
| 3405621071 | Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals Program | Milwaukee | WI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 22 | No | No | No | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 345 | 21.3 |
| 3405621072 | University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program | Madison | WI | 0 | Yes | No | No | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 337 | 12 |
Concluding Thoughts
Physical medicine and rehabilitation is among the least IMG-friendly of fields. That said, for the top of the top applicants, there are still places for IMGs and several residency programs filled a higher proportion of their available positions with IMGs. In addition, one of the most prestigious programs (Cornell) counts IMGs among their residents.
Are you despairing at your chances of matching into physical medicine and rehabilitation 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.
