Are you wondering how DO-friendly (or unfriendly) radiation oncology 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 radiation oncology programs a DO would stand the best chance?
This article will give you the most up-to-date information on whether radiation oncology is DO-friendly or not. Use this information to strategize on whether – and where – to apply to maximize your chances of matching as a DO in radiation oncology.
Summary:
- Radiation oncology is a highly competitive US medical specialty but there are DO-friendly residency programs
- Most residency programs accept at least some DOs, while others are DO favored
- Most DOs do not apply to radiation oncology residency programs.
- See the full list of searchable residency programs to strategize where DOs 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’s the Difference Between a DO and an MD?
Let’s start with some definitions.
DO: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
- Licensed physicians trained in “whole body” wellness and treatment techniques in muscle and joint manipulation in addition to mainstream treatments.
Allopathy Vs. Osteopathy
In the US, there are two main branches of registered physicians:
- Allopathy: In this path, doctors train in modern, sometimes referred to as “Western”, medicine to treat symptoms and diseases. Doctors who train in this branch are licensed as Doctors of Medicine (MD)
- Osteopathy: These doctors have the same education and licensing exams as MDs but have additional training in muscle and joint manipulation. Doctors who train in Osteopathy are licensed as Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) and have the same residency training and choices as MDs.
COMLEX vs. USMLE
To begin practicing medicine, DOs and MDs must take specific licensing exams:
- COMLEX-USA: This test assesses osteopathic medical knowledge in addition to allopathic medical knowledge in order to become licensed as a DO in the USA.
- USMLE: This test assesses allopathic medical knowledge and is required to become licensed as an MD.
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 prior to the 2020 Match, DOs had access to a “pool” of residencies reserved for which only they could match. The current system has merged DO and MD residencies so that every applicant has the same “chance” for matching in their chosen specialty.
For more on how to maximize your match chances and how the “Merge” has changed residency applications, see THE MATCH: Everything You Need to Maximize Your Residency Chances
Radiation Oncology is not DO-Friendly
Looking at the % of spots filled by DOs in the 2022 Match, we can see radiation oncology was not DO-friendly, and it ranks below all residencies.
Additionally, the DOs still have a low probability of being accepted into radiation oncology in the 2022 Match, as seen by the match rate of 0% for DOs in this field:
Here are the same data represented in a table:
| % DO Applied that Matched | % DO Unmatched | % Positions Filled by DO | Total Positions Offered | Total # All Applicants | DO Senior Matched | DO Senior Unmatched | DO Senior Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Radiation Oncology | 0% | 100% | 0% | 185 | 162 | |||
| **Plastic Surgery | 0% | 100% | 0% | 194 | 340 | |||
| Vascular Surgery | 8% | 92% | 1% | 84 | 143 | 1 | 12 | 13 |
| Neurological Surgery | 43% | 57% | 4% | 240 | 379 | 9 | 12 | 21 |
| Dermatology | 50% | 50% | 7% | 544 | 834 | 38 | 38 | 76 |
| Orthopaedic Surgery | 56% | 44% | 13% | 875 | 1,435 | 111 | 86 | 197 |
| Interventional Radiology | 59% | 41% | 12% | 169 | 226 | 20 | 14 | 34 |
| Otolaryngology | 60% | 40% | 6% | 361 | 556 | 21 | 14 | 35 |
| General Surgery | 62% | 38% | 12% | 1,622 | 2,400 | 200 | 125 | 325 |
| Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | 64% | 36% | 33% | 532 | 725 | 176 | 99 | 275 |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | 65% | 35% | 16% | 1,503 | 2,044 | 241 | 130 | 371 |
| Anesthesiology | 66% | 34% | 16% | 1,969 | 2,560 | 313 | 161 | 474 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 67% | 33% | 15% | 1,155 | 1,568 | 169 | 84 | 253 |
| Internal Medicine/Pediatrics | 74% | 26% | 9% | 392 | 458 | 37 | 13 | 50 |
| Psychiatry | 87% | 13% | 18% | 2,047 | 2,560 | 378 | 57 | 435 |
| Child Neurology | 89% | 11% | 9% | 188 | 182 | 17 | 2 | 19 |
| Neurology | 92% | 8% | 15% | 1,014 | 1,249 | 150 | 13 | 163 |
| Pathology | 93% | 7% | 12% | 631 | 827 | 75 | 6 | 81 |
| Internal Medicine | 94% | 6% | 15% | 9,809 | 11,598 | 1,503 | 93 | 1596 |
| Emergency Medicine | 95% | 5% | 25% | 2,921 | 2,813 | 736 | 38 | 774 |
| Family Medicine | 96% | 4% | 27% | 4,916 | 5,055 | 1,345 | 62 | 1407 |
| Pediatrics | 97% | 3% | 19% | 3,016 | 3,153 | 565 | 20 | 585 |
For more on the most competitive DO medical specialties, see this article.
Here is a list of radiation oncology programs for DOs. It includes data from the most recent National GME Census Survey. Percentages are of all residents in the program in 2020.
| Specialty: Radiation Oncology | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACGME residency program code | Residency program name | City | State | % residents US DO graduates | % residents US MD graduates | Osteopathic Recognition | # applications submitted (2021 NRMP Main Match) | % applicants interviewed (2020 NRMP Main Match) | # 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) |
| 4300121002 | University of Alabama Medical Center Program | Birmingham | AL | 0 | 92 | No | 105 | 23.8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 4300811017 | Yale-New Haven Medical Center Program | New Haven | CT | 0 | 93 | No | 141 | 23.9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 4302811054 | Washington University/B-JH/SLCH Consortium Program | St Louis | MO | 0 | 100 | No | 122 | 28.8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 4303521063 | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Program | New York | NY | 0 | 100 | No | 139 | 26.1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| 4303521119 | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program | New York | NY | 0 | 100 | No | 117 | 25.9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 4303621074 | Duke University Hospital Program | Durham | NC | 0 | 100 | No | 148 | 44.6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 4303812078 | Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program | Cleveland | OH | 0 | 91 | No | 143 | 29.8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 4304121087 | University of Pennsylvania Health System Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0 | 100 | No | 150 | 28 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 4304812134 | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Program | Dallas | TX | 0 | 100 | No | 129 | 40.5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 4304822099 | University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center Program | Houston | TX | 0 | 100 | No | 142 | 27.1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| 4305421107 | University of Washington Program | Seattle | WA | 0 | 100 | No | 136 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 4301021112 | MedStar Health/Georgetown University Hospital Program | Washington | DC | No | 125 | 7.7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 4301021113 | National Capital Consortium Program | Bethesda | MD | No | ||||||||
| 4301112022 | University of Florida Program | Gainesville | FL | No | 122 | 14.2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4302731140 | University of Mississippi Medical Center Program | Jackson | MS | No | 0 | 40.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4303021142 | University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Program | Omaha | NE | No | 57 | 5.1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4303200002 | Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital Program | Lebanon | NH | No | 85 | 13.8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 4303313135 | Rutgers Health/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Program | New Brunswick | NJ | No | 113 | 32.7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 4303500146 | Stony Brook Medicine Program | Stony Brook | NY | No | 245 | 16.7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 4303511068 | New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia Campus) Program | New York | NY | No | 131 | 32.1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4303511071 | University of Rochester Program | Rochester | NY | No | 278 | 32.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 4303511072 | SUNY Upstate Medical University Program | Syracuse | NY | No | 75 | 8.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 4303512145 | Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Program | New Hyde Park | NY | No | 70 | 52.6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 4303521061 | Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine Program | Bronx | NY | No | 108 | 42.6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4303521067 | NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program | New York | NY | No | 121 | 28.9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 4303521070 | SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Program | Brooklyn | NY | No | 298 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 4303521122 | University at Buffalo Program | Buffalo | NY | No | 279 | 8.2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 4303522064 | New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Program | Brooklyn | NY | No | 309 | 42.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4303611073 | University of North Carolina Hospitals Program | Chapel Hill | NC | No | 132 | 25.7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 4303611075 | Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program | Winston-Salem | NC | No | 110 | 11.8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4303811077 | Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Program | Cleveland | OH | No | 158 | 9.3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4303811079 | Ohio State University Hospital Program | Columbus | OH | No | 112 | 41.4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4303821076 | University of Cincinnati Medical Center/College of Medicine Program | Cincinnati | OH | No | 87 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4303912137 | University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Program | Oklahoma City | OK | No | 243 | 42.1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 4304021081 | Oregon Health & Science University Program | Portland | OR | No | 127 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4304111086 | Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University/TJUH Program | Philadelphia | PA | No | 303 | 39.4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 4304121123 | Temple University Hospital/Fox Chase Cancer Center Program | Philadelphia | PA | No | 121 | 33.6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4304121129 | UPMC Medical Education Program | Pittsburgh | PA | No | 120 | 32.4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4304131127 | Allegheny Health Network Medical Education Consortium (AGH) Program | Pittsburgh | PA | No | 74 | 13.3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 4304521092 | Medical University of South Carolina Program | Charleston | SC | No | 83 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 4304700129 | University of Tennessee College of Medicine Program | Memphis | TN | No | 165 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 4304712128 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program | Nashville | TN | No | 132 | 13.9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4304811097 | University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals Program | Galveston | TX | No | 66 | 21.9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 4304821098 | Baylor College of Medicine Program | Houston | TX | No | 106 | 89.9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 4304821100 | University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Joe and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine Program | San Antonio | TX | No | 0 | 13.6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 4304831144 | Texas A&M College of Medicine-Scott and White Medical Center (Temple) Program | Temple | TX | No | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 4304912102 | University of Utah Health Program | Salt Lake City | UT | No | 117 | 27.1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4305111104 | University of Virginia Medical Center Program | Charlottesville | VA | No | 277 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 4305111106 | Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program | Richmond | VA | No | 285 | 15.7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 4305500001 | West Virginia University School of Medicine Program | Morgantown | WV | No | 185 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 4305621108 | University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program | Madison | WI | No | 119 | 36.8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4305621109 | Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals Program | Milwaukee | WI | No | 91 | 10.6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Concluding Thoughts
There may be contributing factors to radiation oncology not being as DO-friendly as other specialties. Radiation Oncology has limited residency positions annually and is highly competitive. Even highly qualified applicants may not match to a Radiation Oncology residency program.
DOs may choose other programs instead of radiation oncology due to a lack of familiarity. But, as more programs include osteopathic principles, this may change.
Are you despairing at your chances of matching into radiation oncology as a DO? 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.
