Top 5 Most Competitive Doctor Specialties (2022)

[@Orthogunner7]

One of the best advice I had in medical school was to choose the specialty that you love. An orthopedic surgeon or plastic surgeon may have a fantastic salary, but if you don’t enjoy it and retire earlier in your mid 50s versus a primary care provider who works well into their 70s enjoying life, the compensation doesn’t matter as much.

[@mustang8206]

Not to mention the countless more lives you will improve by working for an extra 20 years

[@is-cy3zo]

Fam med and IM drs work until their 70's??

[@Orthogunner7]

@@is-cy3zo just saying go into what you love. Don’t base the decision on salary and prestige. If you do what you love, you’ll enjoy your work more the rest of your life and not just think about retiring

[@LaitoChen]

@@is-cy3zo easily

[@cespal1]

@@is-cy3zo yes, because their relatively low salaries don't allow them to retire earlier 😀

[@cdemike7517]

Any chance you have a full list? I'm curious to see what happened with other "mid-level competitiveness" specialties.

[@Lorkwondo1234]

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE !!!

[@bulletproofh2t]

KZbin Doctor is at the top of the list

[@thebenandfridayshow]

lol

[@johnwilson4677]

It's so prestigious. We should all do that after we graduate.

[@jkay07]

😂

[@soyamsain4012]

Who?

[@tristancox8761]

Must be more desirable than plastics 😂

[@objectiveopinions2515]

Great video, but Saying "I wasn't the most gifted student" is a bit misleading. Not saying you didn't work for it. But you still scored in the 99th percentile on the MCAT and got a full ride through medical school, as stated in another video. Semantics aside not everyone can do that.

[@du3844-m4v]

agreed...most people can't get statistically speaking

[@JulesVi]

The best part of studying on a Saturday is taking a break to watch the new MSI video and gaining even more motivation to go back studying!

[@murraysolomon4924]

You are a beast!

[@mdmal23]

Neurosurgery is my intended field, but the results aren't surprising. The NRMP recently proposed a two-phase residency match, can you talk about that in a video on this channel or your personal channel. I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

[@murraysolomon4924]

Because of the competitiveness, consider a post MD research fellowship in Neurosurgery prior to residency which allows one to publish papers in a Neurosurgery department, go to teaching conferences and make connections with academic Neurosurgeons.

[@aceayo1991]

@@murraysolomon4924 what should I worry about in final years of high school

[@emilysarnacki1655]

Applying anesthesiology this year! It’s insane how many applications programs have told us they have received compared to other years.

[@thats1ck426]

Did you get in?

[@StudyTime-i5u]

How was it

[@ЗверозубыйЯщер]

Hey, have you matched?

[@ItsBubs]

Don’t know why KZbin recommended this to me. I’m just an electrician.

[@murraysolomon4924]

It's all about wiring, wiring in walls, wiring in the brain, wiring in the heart.

[@User35111]

Kevin I really enjoy your videos! Your the reason why I have turned my head to medicine and thinking about studying the field of Sports Medicine in Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. Can you please do a “So you want to be” video for Occupational Therapy/Therapist and Physical Therapy/Therapist.

[@DudePsychMD]

I would add caution about using AOA as a marker, as the criteria to gain membership seem to vary b/n medical school. While I was in medical school (known MD state school), criteria changed from 80% Step scores & pre-clinical/clinical grades and 20% extra-curriculars to complete swap in percentages b/n the two. Plenty of rumors went around about how much your classmates who were elected into the governing roles of AOA favored you weighed more than the actual mission of AOA itself. I definitely had my eyebrows raised w/ how some gained membership and some who I thought were much better suited based off their mission did not. In reality at the end of residency and even during it, unless you're pursuing a competitive fellowship or a career in academic medicine (most aren't for either) most don't give 2 s**** about AOA in your CV.

[@MedSchoolInsiders]

Good point. Thats why we decreased weighting in our new 2022 revised scoring system

[@Oligma]

What happened to the ranking or radiology or interventional radiology ? Radiology seems to be going up cause of the COVID pandemic as well.

[@wholesomemasculinity694]

I was also surprised there wasn’t any mention of this

[@MatthewOceanXVX]

Imma prolly be a Psychiatrist. Good pay, and even more if you do locum work. I know psychiatrists making 350k-450k doing that. Great hours, in high demand, especially with the mental health focus of the world becoming more prevalent, and it’s not really competitive. Not to mention you can just stay home and do telemedicine appointments if you want, or travel and still work if you need. It may absolutely be draining for some people, but I think if you personally suffer from mental health issues like depression and anxiety, it may be rewarding to help those with similar issues as well. Plus you might have a better idea of what they might be going through. I’m 32 with just a semester away from finishing my bachelors. Applying to medical school this spring, and can’t wait.

[@murraysolomon4924]

Psych is the new Derm for people interested in work-life balance and there is a tremendous shortage of Psychiatrist ensuring employment.

[@du3844-m4v]

for now there is a lot mid-level creep

[@renee6989]

That bit and the end about not being discouraged was wonderful. Thanks!!

[@shadowcaster8276]

I'm planning to be a neurosurgeon Any Advice? Also love your videos.

[@myfavoritevideosofday580]

He has a video on it. “So you want to be a neurosurgeon”

[@sarahconner6749]

Great vid! Can you do a vid covering oncology as a specialty?

[@crystalsun3006]

Pls do a series on best cash based specialties. I would like to know about other cash based specialties except derma & plastic surgery. Each of your videos are awesome. 💖

[@emy4875]

i agree with this!!

[@sscheek9243]

Hopefully by the time i get into a residency Opthalmology will be less competitive i really want to get into that field!

[@davidhill1958]

Surprised you didn’t mention EM. Good lifestyle and compensation. Large increase in number of programs. But, seems to be less competitive that a couple of years ago. Encroachment is a concern.

[@murraysolomon4924]

HIgh burnout rate, high suicide rate and difficult to practice after age 50 or 55. Big salary upfront but a lot of stress and a short medical career.

[@captainsavem]

tons of open residency spots left in last match due to concern for oversaturation of job market plus what was mentioned about burnout

[@renee6989]

Nice work! Do you think number of residency spots also plays a role in competitiveness?

[@MedSchoolInsiders]

Absolutely

[@nater88dawg]

Hahaha, someone please tell me which ORs are running case starts at 9am and don't have a call team. I can tell you that the Anesthesiology workday is closer to 6am- 5pm + call responsibilities. Not bad, but not 9-5.

[@jacksullivan4834]

Do you think you could make a video on the nuances that go into running a private practice?

[@AdvancedOphthalmologySurgery]

For any medical students interested in ophthalmology, find out more about our most complex and rewarding surgical procedures by visiting our channel! comments questions are encouraged! Above all follow your dream and aim to choose a specialty that grows on your best qualities :D

[@toliverfreeman5601]

What about Integrated Interventional Radiology Residency? That is consistently up there in competitiveness

[@bobolabobo3080]

True

[@benjaminjacobs5871]

Where can I find the full list?

[@kervin474]

May you do a “So you want to be a Surgical or medicine Prelim” PGY-1 and PGY-2 ? These situations are quite relative to medical students and non-categorical interns. Appreciate you.

[@Discordfriendly]

One video on *tips to be a Stronger Medical Student* 😃

[@ermionitozouli7072]

This is just stupid I’ve been studying how one can become a doctor in the US (I’m from Greece btw) and I was shocked to find out that you need to match into residency In Greece once you’re in you can be anything you want, however if there are no spots available when you finish med school you do have to wait (with no pay obviously) Plus med school (6 years) starts right after high school or once you manage to get in which is pretty hard Idk I wanted to study there but for me I don’t think it would be wise to do so 😅

[@billjacobus4077]

Will you be updating the MSI Competitiveness spreadsheet?

[@MedSchoolInsiders]

Yes coming soon!

[@jessg.9368]

There’s gonna be a shortage of MD’s in the future. Competitiveness means nothing when MD’s are outnumbered 10,000 to 1

[@khaledgamal9842]

Why do you think there would be shortage?

[@jasonb4254]

This is a stupid analysis. ENT is not lifestyle...

[@karimsobhy5199]

Is genomic medicine a specialty ?

[@MCMMADDOGXCV]

step 2ck is true less important for US grads, but for IMGs, it is definitely more than 15% in terms of weighing in the match equation!

[@ricardoferral4553]

I agree. Specially now that STEP 1 has become pass/fail

[@MCMMADDOGXCV]

@@ricardoferral4553 Exactly

[@aptxedits]

My dad is an anaesthetist. He does get called in the night when he is on call.

[@bobolabobo3080]

Yeah is true they are call the night

[@jakeheinonen1828]

Where is the data spreadsheet found? I do not see it linked

[@isaacshank1036]

The result pretty much makes sense; overwhelming duties or working hours affect specialty options so much for medical students, who sometimes need to be on call for over 36 hrs under covid...

[@michaeldouglas8202]

Where are you getting your data for an anesthesiologist’s work hours? I work 55-80hrs a week with in-hospital weekend and night calls. There is a gross shortage of anesthesiologists as well as CRNAs (both have their crucial roles and there is no shortage of work for either). Hospitals have a never ceasing urge to keep ORs running at all times. If a surgeon is operating, an anesthesiologist is there. I love my job, the pay is good, and the job market is wide open. There are some ‘cush’ anesthesiologist positions out there but they are not the norm and are getting more rare as OR utilization increases. Other than preoperative preparation, anesthesiology does have the benefit of not being bothered at home (if not on home call) for patient management.

[@derekcorporon365]

^I second this.

[@MedSchoolInsiders]

AAMC. We do a deep dive on anesthesiology on our SYWTB episode

[@dentaladdict98]

What do you think about dental anesthesiologists? I am in dental school and want to pursue this speciality

[@mimoomoon1562]

In my country the most comparative specialties are ophthalmology, dermatology, plastic surgery and ENT.

[@OdiaMedicine]

Which country you are from?

[@ahmedq3160]

Hello, we are two people from Iraq who specialize in microbiology. For pathological analyzes, we want to work with you, or in my European country, who can help us

[@jahbee_x]

I'm so...idk. I was so interested in plastic and dermat but I don't think I'm smart enough for that. :(

[@nd4864]

Endocrinology for me! 👍

[@wooahnKa]

Interventional radiology is not in top 5?!? IR and neurointervention is one of the most difficult specialities because of huge range of procedures

[@Alex-op4ty]

Ehh I would put anesthesia in the middle pack in terms of lifestyle. You're still getting up super early in the morning since that's when surgeons start operating, and attendings definitely still take call. I've never heard of a 9-5 anesthesiologist unless you're talking pain fellowship Psych is an interesting case. Average step score still below 230 but match rate dipped to the high 80s last year. Think it's back up this year

[@LaitoChen]

surprised by anesthesiology. That field will 50% midlevel in 10 years.

[@environmentalnews6040]

It really pays to know smart people. I wish they were leaders, instead of politicians.

[@MaddieThibdeau-hk4gk]

Do so you wanna be oncologist!! Pls i find cancer SO interesting

[@phooqs]

Can you please develop an updates spreadsheet for FMGs too? This helps a lot! Thank you so much!

[@du3844-m4v]

Step 1 should not be rated more than step 2...its pass/fail

[@oscarm6890]

What about mid level encroachment for anesthesiologist

[@petertownley7296]

neurosurgery,heart,or plastic surgery will be one of my choices rule dont walk before can run

[@dangerousfreedom4965]

What’s the average pay for a anesthesiologist?

[@sudartiosutristio1123]

75 $

[@kanehorn937]

In school right now to be a Neurotic Psychiatrist. I don’t think it’s as competitive as compared to other specialties. Which is good for me.

[@kansasmypie6466]

A question that has always interested me are what percentage of people who go into dermatology actually passionate about skin? Why does it feel like everyone who does it couldn't care less about skin but is only doing it for the lifestyle and compensation?

[@ftapon]

What about gastroenterology? Or urology? Those are even more perplexing as to why anybody is attracted to them

[@harrisonzhu3300]

Skin is highly visual. You look at it, identify the patterns and do procedures. Some people find that highly appealing…. Yknow besides the lifestyle benefits

[@Alex-op4ty]

I would say very few. Besides the $$$ some people like the pace and procedural aspect

[@murraysolomon4924]

I think what gets missed is how much variety there is in each specialty. You can be academic researcher in skin immunology, you can be a skin cancer specialist, a psoriasis expert, or run a beauty spa. There is something for everybody.

[@adaezenjoku7527]

they probably find it interesting to an extent but it’s not their passion. your job doesn’t need to be ur passion, especially if it pays u 400k a year and allows u to work less than 40 hours a week

[@AntonioRamirez-jv2rp]

Im currently in my undergrad majoring in biology and my dream is to become a plastic surgeon and im scared I won’t be able to make it because I ain’t the smartest lol

[@Junparidize]

Thank you for the videos on health. I want to see a video on small things. Maybe how to read a book. Or how to make a healthy and energetic lunch.

[@Paycheck777]

I hope someone can help me, but is Cardiothoracic Surgery the same as Thoracic? I been wondering how competitive Cardiothoracic Surgery is as it’s the field I really want to get into.

[@greenbeast7073]

Can you include the link to the 2022 MSI Speciality Compet Index

[@MohammadTuleimat]

I can't find the link to the NRMP data you mentioned..

[@amandawalker2018]

I know your videos are mostly for med school students, but could you do a video on Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy?

[@Gguy061]

You can specialize within specializations, right? Is it competitive to become an otolgist? Is that too niche?

[@friedfurniture]

You can and otology is very competitive within ENT bc not many programs :/

[@arvindjanardan7542]

Where does internal medicine stand?

[@MdtheMD]

Lol

[@murraysolomon4924]

@@MdtheMD Excellent if you go concierge and charge cash.

[@akhilchauhan689]

What is mid level encroachment?

[@lucca2370]

Make videos for imgs please

[@bobolabobo3080]

Why no interventionnal radiology

[@mamdouhatout6745]

What do you think are my chances for orthopedic surgeon being an IMG with pass fail step 1 and step 2 ck score of 260.. nothing else no research or LOR

[@peterhovorka5153]

I think you have a chance. But if I were you I would do some research year or some extra rotation to get LORs and also build connections. Good luck

[@chra_artist9245]

Still in high school and btw I find my major on here by your help thank you

[@maxcastro70]

Could you publish the complete list?

[@acd1168]

Thoracic surgery. Woot woot

[@williamredick5917]

? Interventional Radiology????

[@iconic3590]

So educational

[@jana8080]

Does the admission office of medical schools application cares about high school education? Like If I graduated with a high GPA and with an American high school diploma does my chance on getting accepted increases?

[@jana8080]

I am not following my country's generalized educational system, I will graduate with an American high school diploma so is that more preferable?

[@du3844-m4v]

no, the american system requires a minimum of a bachelor's degree and only looks at university grades...high school grades are irrelevant.

[@adrielisaacs9228]

Can you please do a video on non-surgical specialties?

[@tylerbates2252]

I am so f*** pist because the specialty I loved before starting medical school, that I am working on matching into, just went higher. Go down ENT. I chose this for the body area and the trauma and clinic. not because of lifestyle or money. urghhhhh.

[@richardouellette4041]

I get what you mean but this is an average. Within ENT (or any specialty) there are still some programs that are more competitive than others. If you are worried about competitiveness and don’t care about lifestyle and money you can definitely apply to the less prestigious and lower tier residency programs within your own specialty. Residency programs in the Midwest and rural residency programs both tend to be WAY less competitive than coastal cities for instance

[@tylerbates2252]

@@richardouellette4041 I just wanted to be dramatic. I don't really feel territorial.

[@michaelmontalbaron3964]

I was in the same boat! The anatomy of ENT is what inspired me to apply to postbac and med school in the first place, and I didn’t find out it was competitive until I was already enrolled in med school. Then my Step 1 score came back well below the national average and I was crushed. I took a year to do research, worked super hard, and went on multiple away rotations to make a good impression in person. Still only ended up with a handful of interviews (likely because of step 1 screening thresholds). I ended up matching at my dream program in 2019. Even with an imperfect application, it’s achievable. You can do it! Hang in there!

[@thiyasgaluh64nt]

Forensic doctor please

[@iankieme783]

Can you do a ‘so you want to be a neonatologist?’

[@sirdoughnuts462]

Can we see the full list?

[@yahyapatel6203]

Cadiac Sugeon >>>>>>>

[@davidgarate6965]

Where is the linked spreadsheet?

[@SoulCal24]

Hey Kevin so what tier does Urology and Thoracic surgery rank now?

[@apngeram]

They are both competitive in case of the integrated programs.

[@bradrentrop3955]

Please do electrophysiology

[@mustafazubairi5832]

How competitive is radiology? Also can you cover myths/facts regarding dual applications

[@aif1992]

Mid-level encroachment?

[@EliB207]

Rocket surgery is the most competitive Pretty easy for me though 😎

[@antoniomiguel9305]

is ENT more competitive than ophthalmology?

[@friedfurniture]

Yes

[@antoniomiguel9305]

@@friedfurniture why? Ppl talk of ophtalmology as a lifestyle dream

[@friedfurniture]

@@antoniomiguel9305 I can only speak from personal experience but ENT can also be a very lifestyle friendly specialty. ENT also on average has higher compensation and the field is incredibly diverse, so you can really make your practice what you want it to be (very surgically heavy or basically no surgery at all). Although ENT is niche in that you only treat pathologies above the clavicle, it is less niche than ophtho which may be appealing to some.

[@Psychedt]

Been more interested in pursuing EM recently. How is the mid level encroachment looking?

[@mustang8206]

There have been several papers written on how EM will likely face a surplus of physicians in the next few years as they get replaced by mid levels. Also the rate of people applying to EM has also dropped in the past couple years for this reason. Consider trauma surgery or ICU work

[@Psychedt]

@@mustang8206 thanks!

[@TheVerucAssault]

When COVID happened there was a drop in EM services and a surge in HM because of the pandemic. That put a lot of fear into EM potentials. But something else that happened was the first people dropped from scheduling was mid-levels, keeping the doctors on. Then, some doctors also opted to retire during the pandemic. I don't think there is going to be such a surplus of EM docs in the future, but I do think COVID contributed to the unfilled Residency spots just a bit.

[@emilioberumen29]

What does he mean by “midlevel encroachment”?

[@vivek27789]

Physician Assistants,Nurse Practitioners and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.

[@bluethunder9102]

@@vivek27789 Yea that but idk if I would consider a CRNA a mid level

[@BrianErwin]

2:38

[@camiloiribarren1450]

Internal medicine doesn’t exactly stand out because it’s the general one but I’m glad to learn about these specialties. Also, wanted to let you know I got secondary application offers from 6 medical schools and I’m on a waitlist for another one.

[@ianrqj1489]

It’s more difficult to measure the competitiveness among the sub-speciality that int. med. offers. However, cardiology is known for being highly competitive.

[@richardouellette4041]

Internal med is hard to categorize because there is such a wide range. Some of the more competitive IM residencies are super competitive, while there are other IM residencies that aren’t competitive at all. This mostly matters if you want to do a more competitive fellowship like cardiology though, and if you want to do the IM residency and no fellowship then you can go to one of the far less competitive and prestigious programs and be fine

[@victorrojas6011]

Where does GI stand in these rankings?

[@bluethunder9102]

Fellowship not residency

[@peterhovorka5153]

Plastic surgery - when I started medical school, I was naive and thought that I am going to save the world, I hated ''commercial'' medicine, like plastic surgery etc...But now, I say why not. People are usually not dramatically ill, they will recover, and it is connected to psychology, because if you do some procedure, you raise self esteem to that patient....the only disadvantage is too long training ENT - It is good, because you have ambulances, wards and operations. Operations usually are not so long - 30-50 min, so that's great....the disadvantages what I see here are two = 1. long training (5 years), 2. small space for operating....ENT doctors are usually called ''one hand surgeons'' because they do everything with one hand....In this case I would rather chose OB/GYN - it is similar, you have ambulances, wards and operations...operations are also short = 30-50 minutes, but you have more space for operating (in stomach or vagina there is much more space and it is more comfortable). And it is just 4 years of traning. Dermatology - Great speciality in my opinion. When I had dermatology rotation there was one young lady doctor and she was very easy going. So I asked her about dermatology, if it's hard or not...She told me that she thinks that it is one of the easiest speciality in medicine. No calls, no night shifts, people don't usually die. Your use corticsteroids for everything :D or some cream...nothing hard she said....Also in my view it is connected to psychology too. Because if someone has some eczema or rash, you give them cream/corticosteroids and it dissappears. So they are happy, because skin diseases are visible to others. Neurosurgery - From marketing perspective it looks great. If you want to hook up some girl in a bar it is great. But I remember my neurosurgery rotation. These doctors are overworked. They start at 6-7am and they work until the work is over. So it means that they usually go home at 8-9pm. In comparison with dermatologist - they go home at 2-3 pm :D So if you want to be neurosurgeon you must sacrifice a lot - your family, free time, hobbies etc... Othopedic surgery - Good speciality because more and more people need new hips or knees. But in my opinion it is physically hard. You must be strong, have a lot of muscles and not be afraid of manual work. My father (anesthesiologist) told me once that if you want to me orthopedic surgeon it is similar to construction worker or miner in mine. You will be as tired as them after shift. My resume on this is - from these I would chose dermatology or similar to ENT - OB/GYN

[@tacoman107]

Have any feedback on pediatric neuro? Because it looks so fascinating… and considering how difficult it’d be to leave a job half way, it kind of makes sense that they don’t leave until the work is done. This is so interesting

[@josephstephen2010]

How is step 1 score assessed as it is now P/F? Are we still seeing a group of med students who received a numerical score? If so, how will is moving to P/F alter the assessment of an applicant?

[@MedSchoolInsiders]

Step 1 just became P/F. In a couple years there won’t be numerical scores with matriculated data and we would rely on other factors and remove Step 1 from assessing competitiveness

[@joywebster2678]

Yet all the anecdotal data is anesthesiology is the top dog currently.

[@MedSchoolInsiders]

Nowhere near top dog. Check out “why every specialty seems competitive” on my personal channel

[@joywebster2678]

@@MedSchoolInsiders that's why I said anecdotal. Every 2nd video raves about it. To me it seemed to be a boring but needed speciality.

[@captainsavem]

id love to see a top nonsurgical specialties video. we know all the surgical subspecialties take top spots but more than a few surgical residents each year transfer out to a different specialty, namely anesthesiology lol

[@blaby4ever]

He forgot the part where uncle sam takes $80K-$340,000+ depending on your high tax bracket. Also, income from academic v. private v. investor/Misc can vary drastically. I know these are the "averages," yet even the numbers Dr. Jubal presents are misleading so many premeds into believing that certain specialties as more lucrative.

[@user-un5wp5wy6c]

The question is why these speciality are competitive?

[@liv0003]

He already explains it in the video!

[@bluethunder9102]

Lifestyle for some, patient population, money, less spots available is surgical sub speciality. I don’t really see a med students not pursing a speciality they really love because they’re scared of mid levels so I don’t think that’s too much of a factor.

[@liv0003]

@@bluethunder9102 i will add to your list also years of training, some people don't want to stay in residency for 6/7 years . I also think "mid level creeps " is an issue for some med students nowadays because it changes the job market for many specialties.

[@murraysolomon4924]

You have to pay off $250,000 to $400,000 in student loans

[@jeantris8590]

I’m planning on going for PA Dermatology, currently going for Biology Science bachelors. I plan on opening my own practice. Any advice?

[@td8189]

Please don’t open your own practice as a PA…

[@bluethunder9102]

@@td8189 don’t do it unless you hire a dermatologist associate is a better opinion

[@brothabiryani]

Why not? She should go for it. She shouldn’t do surgery by any means, but maybe doing minimally invasive treatments for acne, dermatitis, etc. will make people realize that dermatology competitiveness is a fad (emphasis on mental health and lifestyle) and that most of dermatological diseases can be initially managed by PCPs and well-trained PAs.

[@marlonmoncrieffe0728]

🩸 Ah, good that HEMATOLOGY isn't up there!

[@GabeHanley]

Damn, you gotta treat it like the stock market. 📈 📉 😂