Are you wondering how DO-friendly (or unfriendly) vascular surgery 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 vascular surgery programs a DO would stand the best chance?
This article will give you the most up-to-date information on DO-friendly vascular surgery programs. Use this information to strategize on whether – and where – to apply to maximize your chances of matching as a DO in vascular surgery.
Summary:
- Vascular surgery is a competitive US medical specialty but there are still chances for DOs to match
- Few residency programs accept at least some DOs, while others have no DO matches
- Some vascular surgery programs have DOs, but none are filling a majority of spots with DOs
- 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 physician:
- 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
Vascular Surgery is Not DO-Friendly
Looking at the % of spots filled by DOs in the 2022 Match, we can see Vascular Surgery was not DO-friendly with only 1% of positions filled by DOs.
However, the match rate for DOs in Vascular Surgery (8%) shows the DOs still have a chance for acceptance in Vascular Surgery in the 2022 Match:
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.
The Most DO-Friendly Vascular Surgery Residency Programs
While most vascular surgery programs were not DO friendly, some programs may fill some spots with DOs. For example, 3 vascular surgery residencies in the most recent GME census had DO percentages of 8% or higher, and 1 had a DO rate of 20% (University of California Davis Health Program).
Here is a list of the most (and least) competitive vascular surgery 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: Vascular Surgery - Integrated | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | # of positions offered (2021 NRMP Main Match) | # of positions (2021 NRMP Main Match) |
| 4510500115 | University of California Davis Health Program | Sacramento | CA | 20 | 80 | No | 93 | 19.4 | 1 | 1 |
| 4511121031 | University of South Florida Morsani Program | Tampa | FL | 8 | 83 | No | 397 | 28 | 2 | 2 |
| 4513822046 | Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program | Cleveland | OH | 8 | 92 | No | 133 | 45.5 | 3 | 3 |
| 4510521021 | Stanford Health Care-Sponsored Stanford University Program | Palo Alto | CA | 0 | 100 | No | 92 | 24.4 | 2 | 2 |
| 4512100117 | Louisiana State University School of Medicine Program | New Orleans | LA | 0 | 100 | No | 109 | 35 | 2 | 2 |
| 4512400014 | Massachusetts General Hospital Program | Boston | MA | 0 | 100 | No | 112 | 2 | 2 | |
| 4513521038 | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program | New York | NY | 0 | 100 | No | 130 | 36.1 | 3 | 3 |
| 4514121088 | UPMC Medical Education Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 0 | 86 | No | 122 | 22.4 | 2 | 2 |
| 4514800113 | Methodist Hospital (Houston) Program | Houston | TX | 0 | 91 | No | 140 | 29.4 | 2 | 2 |
| 4510121003 | University of Alabama Medical Center Program | Birmingham | AL | No | 122 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 4510321032 | University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson Program | Tucson | AZ | No | 120 | 14.4 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4510421055 | University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine Program | Little Rock | AR | No | 95 | 22.1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4510500001 | Loma Linda University Health Education Consortium Program | Loma Linda | CA | No | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 4510500116 | UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical Center Program | Los Angeles | CA | No | 99 | 28.6 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4510500117 | University of California (San Francisco) School of Medicine Program | San Francisco | CA | No | 100 | 10.7 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4510500118 | Los Angeles County-Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Program | Torrance | CA | No | 0 | 48.1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4510500119 | University of California (San Diego) Medical Center Program | La Jolla | CA | No | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 4510512011 | USC/LAC+USC Medical Center Program | Los Angeles | CA | No | 104 | 19.5 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4510700001 | University of Colorado School of Medicine Program | Aurora | CO | No | ||||||
| 4510821084 | Yale-New Haven Medical Center Program | New Haven | CT | No | 107 | 35.7 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4511021008 | MedStar Health/Georgetown-Washington Hospital Center Program | Washington | DC | No | 142 | 34.5 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4511100032 | University of Miami/Jackson Health System Program | Miami | FL | No | 103 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 4511200002 | Emory University School of Medicine Program | Atlanta | GA | No | 115 | 25 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4511600001 | Loyola University Medical Center Program | Maywood | IL | No | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 4511600568 | Carle Foundation Hospital Program | Urbana | IL | No | 48 | 14.7 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4511621001 | McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University Program | Chicago | IL | No | 133 | 17.9 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4511621034 | Southern Illinois University Program | Springfield | IL | No | 0 | 35.2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4511731095 | Indiana University School of Medicine Program | Indianapolis | IN | No | 97 | 22.3 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4511800001 | University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Program | Iowa City | IA | No | 66 | 23.1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4512200002 | Maine Medical Center Program | Portland | ME | No | 127 | 21.3 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4512400015 | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Program | Boston | MA | No | 118 | 18 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4512421013 | UMass Chan Medical School Program | Worcester | MA | No | 117 | 21.7 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4512500001 | Ascension Providence/MSUCHM Program | Southfield | MI | No | ||||||
| 4512521035 | University of Michigan Health System Program | Ann Arbor | MI | No | 114 | 20.2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4512531015 | Spectrum Health/Michigan State University Program | Grand Rapids | MI | No | 104 | 20.5 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4512600062 | University of Minnesota Program | Minneapolis | MN | No | 95 | 27.1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4512612061 | Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Rochester) Program | Rochester | MN | No | 122 | 22.3 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4512800112 | Washington University/B-JH/SLCH Consortium Program | St. Louis | MO | No | 116 | 16.7 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4512800113 | St Louis University School of Medicine Program | St Louis | MO | No | 112 | 30.1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513221059 | Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital Program | Lebanon | NH | No | 123 | 18.8 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513300125 | Rutgers Health/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Program | New Brunswick | NJ | No | 115 | 28.4 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513300126 | Cooper Medical School of Rowan University/Cooper University Hospital Program | Camden | NJ | No | 117 | 27.2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4513300128 | Rutgers Health/New Jersey Medical School Program | Newark | NJ | No | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 4513500114 | Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine Program | Bronx | NY | No | 122 | 46.8 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513500121 | NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program | New York | NY | No | 122 | 19.5 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513500122 | Albany Medical Center Program | Albany | NY | No | 106 | 24.4 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513500123 | Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Program | New Hyde Park | NY | No | 0 | 52.1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513512002 | Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell at Lenox Hill Hospital Program | New York | NY | No | 124 | 21.7 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513513004 | University at Buffalo Program | Buffalo | NY | No | 110 | 27.6 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513521006 | University of Rochester Program | Rochester | NY | No | 114 | 18.5 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513521051 | Stony Brook Medicine/University Hospital Program | Stony Brook | NY | No | 110 | 27.7 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513600008 | Duke University Hospital Program | Durham | NC | No | 107 | 21.2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513621007 | University of North Carolina Hospitals Program | Chapel Hill | NC | No | 125 | 29.2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513800122 | Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Program | Cleveland | OH | No | 126 | 14.6 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513800123 | Ohio State University Hospital Program | Columbus | OH | No | 102 | 23.1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513831043 | TriHealth (Good Samaritan Hospital) Program | Cincinnati | OH | No | 100 | 43.9 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4513831078 | University of Cincinnati Medical Center/College of Medicine Program | Cincinnati | OH | No | 111 | 37 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4514000001 | Oregon Health & Science University Hospital Program | Portland | OR | No | ||||||
| 4514100001 | Geisinger Health System Program | Danville, PA | PA | No | 0 | |||||
| 4514100120 | University of Pennsylvania Health System Program | Philadelphia | PA | No | 130 | 10.4 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4514100123 | Albert Einstein Healthcare Network/Einstein Medical Center Montgomery Program | East Norriton | PA | No | 102 | 48.8 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4514113014 | Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program | Hershey | PA | No | 117 | 36.9 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4514131111 | Allegheny Health Network Medical Education Consortium (AGH) Program | Pittsburgh | PA | No | 106 | 38.5 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4514531010 | Medical University of South Carolina Program | Charleston | SC | No | 115 | 30.7 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4514800124 | University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals Program | Galveston | TX | No | 108 | 41.5 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4514800125 | University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Program | Houston | TX | No | 131 | 13.8 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4514800126 | Baylor College of Medicine Program | Houston | TX | No | 127 | 14.4 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4514800127 | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Program | Dallas | TX | No | 28 | 8.2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4515100002 | Eastern Virginia Medical School Program | Norfolk | VA | No | 36 | 10.1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4515100003 | Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program | Richmond | VA | No | 0 | |||||
| 4515400007 | University of Washington School of Medicine Program | Seattle | WA | No | 125 | 17.2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4515500126 | Charleston Area Medical Center/West Virginia University (Charleston Division) Program | Charleston | WV | No | 103 | 26.3 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4515631005 | University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program | Madison | WI | No | 107 | 15.7 | 1 | 1 |
Concluding Thoughts
Vascular surgery is a competitive specialty for DOs. Thus, there are few places for DOs with only 3 residency programs accepting at least one DO. Therefore, DOs who hope to match into the most prestigious residency programs may face more competition, as some programs have no DOs. (eg., Harvard-MGH and Johns Hopkins).
Are you despairing at your chances of matching into vascular surgery 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.
