Are you wondering how to match into child neurology? Or how many child neurology residency programs are there? Do you want to know everything there is about child neurology residency interviews? Need to know how many interviews to match in child neurology?
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to match into child neurology.
Summary:
- Child neurology is less competitive, in part due to the low % of unmatched US Seniors.
- In part due to the volume of applications, child neurology residency programs use standardized screens to “weed out” applicants.
- The most successful applicants will demonstrate a strong commitment to the specialty, have a stellar MSPE, and have letters of recommendation.
- Historically, most child neurology interview invites occur before October 31, and the vast majority before November 30.
Table of Contents
How Competitive is it to Match into Child Neurology?
How competitive is it to match into child neurology in the US? Here we have the unmatched % for US seniors by specialty. The “Unmatched %” means the % of US seniors who applied into child neurology who did not match during the given year.
This is one measure of specialty competitiveness – perhaps the most relevant if you want to match into child neurology.
For more on the competitiveness of child neurology relative to other medical specialties, see this article.
How Many Child Neurology Residency Programs Are There?
Before we discuss how many child neurology residency programs there are in the US, let’s review some terminology. For many specialized residency programs (e.g., anesthesiology, dermatology, radiology, radiation oncology, etc.), the specialty training begins during the second year of residency. This second year is also known as the PGY-2 (post-graduate year 2, for the second year after graduating from medical school).
Categorical vs. Advanced vs. Physician child neurology Programs
Child neurology has three different kinds of residency programs applicants can potentially enter: categorical, advanced, and physician (R).
Categorical refers to programs that include all years of residency training. Child neurology residency lasts five years which includes two years in pediatrics followed by three years in child neurology. The first year of training, however, is a “preliminary” year that can be either internal medicine, surgery, or transitional (a sort of grab-bag that will depend on the hospital). Some programs include the PGY-1 “intern” year – these programs are known as “categorical” programs.
Others, however, require applicants to match separately into an intern year. These programs, which begin in the PGY-2 years, are referred to as “advanced” positions.
Finally, others who have already completed at least a year of residency training may be eligible for a “physician” child neurology position. These positions allow applicants to move directly into the PGY-2 specialty training and skip the PGY-1 year. This arrangement may be ideal for those who want to complete residency sooner and not have to repeat their intern year.
How Many Child Neurology Residency Programs and Positions Are There?
In the 2022 NRMP Match, there were:
- 75 child neurology programs offering 166 PGY-1 (categorical) positions,
- 4 child neurology programs offering 7 PGY-2 (advanced) positions, and
- 16 child neurology programs offering 15 Physician (R) positions
Thus, the total number of child neurology residency positions in 2022 was 166 + 7 + 15= 188. There were at least 95 child neurology programs in 2022. However, it is unclear how many more than that there were since many of the residency programs that offer advanced and/or physician positions also offer categorical ones.
See the 2022 Main Residency Match Results and Data for more information on child neurology match statistics.
How to Match into Child Neurology: Impressing Program Directors
To match into child neurology, you must first be invited to interview. According to the most recent program director (PD) survey from 2021, PDs shared what they look for in candidates they hope to interview.
For child neurology, the top five most important characteristics for receiving an interview, according to program directors, were:
- Perceived commitment to specialty
- MSPE
- Having overcome significant obstacles
- Grades in clerkship in preferred specialty
- Letters of recommendation in specialty
The same data are presented more fully in a table. Here you will see the % of program director respondents who cited a factor as important for granting an interview, as well as the mean importance score (out of 5).
To balance the breadth of program directors citing each factor with the importance given to each factor, a “composite score” was created. This composite score takes the average of the % respondents citing a factor with the importance score scaled to 100%. For example, if 80% of PDs cited a given factor, with a mean importance score of 5.0 (out of 5), the composite score would be 90%. (The average of 80% of PDs citing with 5/5 – or 100% – for the mean importance, for a composite score of 90%).
| Child Neurology: Characteristics Considered in Deciding Whom to INTERVIEW (% of Respondents Endorsing) | Child Neurology: Characteristics Considered in Deciding Whom to INTERVIEW (Mean Importance / 5) | Child Neurology: Characteristics Considered for Interview Composite Score (Average of % Respondents Endorsing and Mean Importance / 5) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perceived Commitment to Specialty | 100.0% | 4.3 | 93.0% |
| MSPE | 92.3% | 4.5 | 91.2% |
| Having Overcome Significant Obstacles | 92.3% | 4.3 | 89.2% |
| Grades in Clerkship in Preferred Specialty | 92.3% | 4.2 | 88.2% |
| Letters of Recommendation in Specialty | 84.6% | 4.3 | 85.3% |
| Grades in Required Clerkships | 84.6% | 4.2 | 84.3% |
| Personal Statement (Overall) | 92.3% | 3.8 | 84.2% |
| Professionalism and Ethics | 69.2% | 4.8 | 82.6% |
| Consistency of Grades | 84.6% | 4 | 82.3% |
| Any Failed USMLE Attempt | 76.9% | 4.1 | 79.5% |
| USMLE Step 2 CK Score | 84.6% | 3.6 | 78.3% |
| Leadership Qualities | 69.2% | 4.3 | 77.6% |
| USMLE Step 1 Score | 84.6% | 3.5 | 77.3% |
| Awards/Honors, Clerkship in Preferred Specialty | 76.9% | 3.8 | 76.5% |
| Perceived Interest in Program | 69.2% | 4 | 74.6% |
| Other Life Experience | 76.2% | 3.6 | 74.1% |
| Medical School Accreditation Status | 61.5% | 4.3 | 73.8% |
| Awards/Honors in Clinical Clerkships | 69.2% | 3.9 | 73.6% |
| Passing USMLE Step 2 CS | 69.2% | 3.9 | 73.6% |
| Diversity Characteristics | 69.2% | 3.8 | 72.6% |
| Class Ranking/Quartile | 61.5% | 4 | 70.8% |
| Any Failed COMLEX-USA Attempt | 53.8% | 4.2 | 68.9% |
| Personal Prior Knowledge of Applicant | 61.5% | 3.6 | 66.8% |
| Continuous Medical Education w/o Gaps | 53.8% | 3.9 | 65.9% |
| AOA Membership | 53.8% | 3.7 | 63.9% |
| Volunteer/Extracurricular Experience | 57.1% | 3.4 | 62.6% |
| NRMP Flag for Match Violation | 38.5% | 4.2 | 61.3% |
| Involvement and Interest in Research | 53.8% | 3.3 | 59.9% |
| COMLEX-USA Level 1 score | 38.5% | 4 | 59.3% |
| COMLEX-USA Level 2 CE Score | 38.5% | 4 | 59.3% |
| Medical School Reputation | 46.2% | 3.5 | 58.1% |
| Ability to Work Legally w/o Visa | 46.2% | 3.5 | 58.1% |
| Awards/Honors in Basic Sciences | 53.8% | 3.1 | 57.9% |
| Passing COMLEX-USA Level 2 PE | 38.5% | 3.8 | 57.3% |
| GHHS Membership | 46.2% | 3.3 | 56.1% |
| Interest in Academic Career | 46.2% | 3.3 | 56.1% |
| Fluency in Language of Pt Population | 30.8% | 3.8 | 53.4% |
| USMLE Step 3 Score | 38.5% | 3.2 | 51.3% |
| Audition Elective/Rotation in PD's Dept | 23.1% | 3.7 | 48.6% |
| Visa Status | 30.8% | 3.3 | 48.4% |
| COMLEX-USA Level 3 Score | 15.4% | 3.5 | 42.7% |
| Away Rotation in Specialty Elsewhere | 15.4% | 2.5 | 32.7% |
| How Medical School Handled Virtual Rotations | 4.1% | 3 | 32.1% |
| Sigma Sigma Phi Membership | 7.7% | 2 | 23.9% |
Here are the composite scores for the criteria child neurology program directors use for grading interviews.
What Do Child Neurology Program Directors Look for When Ranking Applicants?
Getting an interview is only part of the process of matching into child neurology. Program directors also rank the most important factors for creating their rank order list.
In the 2021 Program Director Survey, child neurology PDs rated these criteria as most important for deciding whom to rank:
- Interpersonal skills
- Perceived commitment to specialty
- Interactions with faculty during interview/visit
- Interactions with house staff during interview/visit
- Having overcome significant obstacles
We can see the full list here:
| Child Neurology: Characteristics Considered in Deciding Whom to RANK (% of Respondents Endorsing) | Child Neurology: Characteristics Considered in Deciding Whom to RANK (Mean Importance / 5) | Child Neurology: Characteristics Considered for Rank Composite Score (Average of % Respondents Endorsing and Mean Importance / 5) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interpersonal Skills | 100.0% | 5 | 100.0% |
| Perceived Commitment to Specialty | 100.0% | 4.8 | 98.0% |
| Interactions with Faculty During Interview/Visit | 92.3% | 4.9 | 95.2% |
| Interactions with House Staff During Interview/Visit | 92.3% | 4.9 | 95.2% |
| Having Overcome Significant Obstacles | 100.0% | 4 | 90.0% |
| Feedback from Current Residents | 84.6% | 4.7 | 89.3% |
| Professionalism and Ethics | 69.2% | 5 | 84.6% |
| Perceived Interest in Program | 92.3% | 3.8 | 84.2% |
| MSPE | 92.3% | 3.8 | 84.2% |
| Letters of Recommendation in Specialty | 84.6% | 4 | 82.3% |
| Personal Statement | 84.6% | 4 | 82.3% |
| Diversity Characteristics | 76.9% | 4.1 | 79.5% |
| Grades in Required Clerkships | 84.6% | 3.7 | 79.3% |
| Leadership Qualities | 76.9% | 3.9 | 77.5% |
| Grades in Clerkship in Preferred Specialty | 69.2% | 4.1 | 75.6% |
| Class Ranking/Quartile | 76.9% | 3.6 | 74.5% |
| Consistency of Grades | 69.2% | 3.8 | 72.6% |
| Any Failed USMLE Attempt | 61.5% | 4.1 | 71.8% |
| Awards/Honors, Clerkship in Preferred Specialty | 69.2% | 3.7 | 71.6% |
| Other Life Experience | 76.9% | 3.3 | 71.5% |
| Continuous Medical Education w/o Gaps | 53.8% | 4 | 66.9% |
| Personal Prior Knowledge of Applicant | 69.2% | 3.2 | 66.6% |
| USMLE Step 1 Score | 61.5% | 3.5 | 65.8% |
| Awards/Honors in Clinical Clerkships | 61.5% | 3.5 | 65.8% |
| Medical School Accreditation Status | 38.5% | 4.6 | 65.3% |
| Volunteer/Extracurricular Experience | 61.5% | 3.3 | 63.8% |
| USMLE Step 2 CK Score | 61.5% | 3.3 | 63.8% |
| Any Failed COMLEX-USA Attempt | 46.2% | 4 | 63.1% |
| AOA Membership | 53.8% | 3.6 | 62.9% |
| NRMP Flag for Match Violation | 23.1% | 5 | 61.6% |
| Medical School Reputation | 46.2% | 3.8 | 61.1% |
| GHHS Membership | 61.5% | 3 | 60.8% |
| Passing USMLE Step 2 CS | 46.2% | 3.3 | 56.1% |
| Visa Status | 30.8% | 4 | 55.4% |
| Involvement and Interest in Research | 46.2% | 3.2 | 55.1% |
| Ability to Work Legally w/o Visa | 30.8% | 3.8 | 53.4% |
| Other Post-Interview Contact | 38.5% | 3.4 | 53.3% |
| Interest in Academic Career | 46.2% | 3 | 53.1% |
| Applicant Facility with Meeting Platform Tech | 38.5% | 3.2 | 51.3% |
| COMLEX-USA Level 2 CE Score | 30.8% | 3.5 | 50.4% |
| COMLEX-USA Level 1 score | 30.8% | 3.5 | 50.4% |
| Fluency in Language of Patient Population | 38.5% | 3 | 49.3% |
| Audition Elective/Rotation in PD's Dept | 23.1% | 3.7 | 48.6% |
| Passing COMLEX-USA Level 2 PE | 30.8% | 3.3 | 48.4% |
| Awards/Honors in Basic Sciences | 46.2% | 2.5 | 48.1% |
| Away Rotation in Specialty Elsewhere | 15.4% | 3.5 | 42.7% |
| USMLE Step 3 Score | 23.1% | 3 | 41.6% |
| COMLEX-USA Level 3 Score | 23.1% | 2.7 | 38.6% |
| Second Interview/Visit | 15.4% | 3 | 37.7% |
| How Medical School Handled Virtual Rotations | 15.4% | 3 | 37.7% |
| Sigma Sigma Phi Membership | 7.7% | 1 | 13.9% |
Finally, we can see the composite scores for criteria used to rank child neurology applicants.
What Characteristics Do Successful Child Neurology Applicants Share?
Here are the characteristics of matched vs. unmatched US seniors applying to child neurology.
| Matched | Unmatched | |
|---|---|---|
| Mean number of contiguous ranks, US Senior | 13.4 | 1.5 |
| Mean number of distinct specialties ranked, US Senior | 1.3 | 1.9 |
| Step 1, US Senior | 234 | 214 |
| Step 2, US Senior | 247 | 241 |
| Mean number of research experiences, US Senior | 3.8 | 2 |
| Mean number of abstracts, presentations, and publications, US Senior | 7.4 | 2 |
| Mean number of work experiences, US Senior | 3.3 | 1 |
| Mean number of volunteer experiences, US Senior | 7.8 | 7 |
| Percentage who are AOA members, US Senior | 14.3 | 0 |
| Percentage who graduated from one of the 40 U.S. medical schools with the highest NIH funding, US Senior | 36.9 | 0 |
| Percentage who have Ph.D. degree, US Senior | 21.3 | 0 |
| Percentage who have another graduate degree, US Senior | 13.3 | 50 |
Match Into Child Neurology: Pass the Screens with High USMLEs
Child neurology relies on standardized screens to weed out applicants. In the 2021 Program Director Survey, child neurology PDs respondents reported that 31% of applications were rejected via standardized screen. This ranked near the middle of residencies.
What Are the Step 1 and Step 2 CK Cut-Offs for Interviews in Child Neurology?
As mentioned above, child neurology ranks near the middle of programs using standardized screens to eliminate applications. Many child neurology programs screen out applicants with failed USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK (see below). In addition, PDs use Step 1 and Step 2 CK score cut-offs to weed out applicants.
For Step 1, child neurology program directors reported Step 1 score cut-offs between 200 and 217 as 25% and 75%ile marks to screen out applicants.
Step 2 CK Cut-Off data was not provided for child neurology, but you can see other specialty data below
For more on the USMLE cut-off scores for granting interviews – or weeding out applicants – see this article.
If I Fail Step 1, Can I Still Match Into Child Neurology?
If you failed Step 1, you might wonder if you can still match into child neurology. In the most recent program director survey addressing this question, we can see that child neurology programs are relatively unforgiving if you’ve failed Step 1.
In 2020, 24% of child neurology PDs reported they “never” consider applicants who fail Step 1, while 71% would “seldom” consider it. Only 6% of child neurology programs “often” consider someone with a Step 1 fail.
Did you fail Step 1 and are wondering what you can do to recover? Read this article and consider scheduling a consultation.
If I Fail Step 2 CK, Can I Still Match Into Child Neurology?
Similarly, you may wonder what your chances of matching into child neurology are if you fail Step 2 CK. Just like with Step 1, child neurology PDs are relatively unforgiving for not passing Step 2 CK.
In 2020, 35% of child neurology PDs reported they “never” consider applicants who fail Step 2 CK, while 59% would “seldom” consider it. Only 6% of child neurology programs “often” consider someone with a Step 2 CK fail.
Did you fail Step 2 CK and wonder what you can do to recover? Read this article and consider scheduling a consultation.
How Many Publications for Child Neurology Residency in 2022
Research is an important characteristic for matching into many specialties, particularly the most competitive. So, how many publications do you need to match into a child neurology residency?
In 2022, the mean number of abstracts, presentations, and publications for US seniors who matched into child neurology was 7.4. The mean number of research experiences was 3.8.
Do I Need an MD-PhD to Become a Child Neurologist?
You may wonder how much an MD-PhD helps with matching into child neurology. It appears that having a PhD correlates with a modest advantage of 3% when applying into child neurology. Specifically, the match rate for those with a PhD is 3% higher than for those without one when applying into child neurology.
Note that those with PhDs are relatively rare among child neurology residents. In fact, only 3% of matched applicants into child neurology had a PhD in 2022.
Child Neurology Residency Interviews
When you apply to child neurology, you may be wondering what the chances of getting an interview are. Here we present the outcomes of applicants per the 2021 NRMP Program Director Survey.
Note that child neurology uses standardized screens to reduce the number of applicants. Roughly 31% of applicants that year were eliminated via a screen (e.g., Step 2 CK scores, visa status, failed a USMLE in the past, etc.).
When Are Child Neurology Residency Interview Invites Sent vs. Conducted?
When you apply to residency, you’ll be doing a lot of waiting. Specifically, you’ll be waiting to hear whether – and when – you will be able to interview.
Want to know when you might expect to hear from child neurology programs regarding your residency application? Here are when programs typically extend and conduct interviews. Note that the most recent data are from 2020.
Here are the same data presented differently. Note that due to rounding, sometimes the percentages can add up to more than 100%.
How Many Interviews to Match in Child Neurology?
How many interviews to match in child neurology with confidence? For US Seniors, the magic number of interviews needed to match into child neurology is 4. In 2022, having 4+ interviews (and ranking them all on their match list) led to a 100% chance of matching.
How Many Interviews to Match in Child Neurology as a DO?
For DO seniors, because of so few candidates, the numbers become considerably “noisier,” and can’t be interpreted with much confidence. However, in 2022, all DO seniors 3+ interviews had a 100% match rate.
How Many Interviews to Match in Child Neurology as an IMG?
For IMGs, because of so few candidates, the numbers become considerably “noisier,” and can’t be interpreted with much confidence.
Concluding Thoughts
Matching into child neurology is a challenging proposition. The challenge may feel more daunting if we have perceived weaknesses in our application, or if we want to match in a top program, a desirable location, and/or couples match.
The good news? How to match into child neurology depends largely on things you can control – your USMLEs, your clinical performance/MSPEs, whether you fail Step 1 or Step 2 CK, and how much interest you show to programs.
Looking for a Child Neurology Residency Advisor?
Looking for a child neurology residency advisor? Want help writing your personal statement? Need effective strategies for interviewing? Do you have things on your application – e.g., low USMLE scores, failed USMLEs, no research, IMG status, or others – you need help overcoming?
Be sure to check out our Residency Advisor service.
