Is emergency medicine competitive? How important are the USMLEs, research, med school reputation, and AOA membership for matching into emergency medicine? Is emergency medicine IMG-friendly? And what is the DO match rate for emergency medicine programs?
In this article, you’ll learn everything about emergency medicine’s competitiveness in 2022. In the process, you’ll learn what to focus on – and what not to – to maximize your chances of matching into this desirable specialty.
Summary:
- Emergency Medicine Overall Competitiveness: Low
- Research Importance: Low
- USMLE Importance: Moderate
- Importance of Attending Top 40 Med School: Low
- Importance of Class Rank / Obtaining AOA (Med School Honors): Low
Table of Contents
Is Emergency Medicine Competitive in 2022?
One way to assess the competitiveness of a specialty is to look at the match rate – the % of people who apply who end up matching into their preferred specialty.
Among US Seniors, the unmatched percentage was 1.9%, making it one of the least competitive US residencies. The match rate for emergency medicine is better than almost all competitive specialties like plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, or dermatology in the 2022 match.
For more on the most competitive US specialties, see this article.
Emergency Medicine Match Rate
What is the emergency medicine match rate for US seniors, DO seniors, and IMGs? The “match rate” is the % of people who applied to a particular specialty as their preferred specialty who successfully matched into the specialty.
- US Senior Emergency Medicine Match Rate (2022 Match): 98.1%
- DO Senior Emergency Medicine Match Rate (2022 Match): 95%
- US IMG Emergency Medicine Match Rate (2022 Match): 79%
- Non-US IMG Emergency Medicine Match Rate (2022 Match): 68%
See below for more on matching into emergency medicine as a DO or IMG.
Emergency Medicine Match Statistics 2022
In 2022, there were 2,921 emergency medicine positions available in the NRMP match. A total of 2,813 applicants listed it as their preferred specialty.
In the 2022 Match, emergency medicine ranked #4 for most total positions offered, behind:
- Internal medicine: 9,809 positions
- Family medicine: 4,926 positions
- Pediatrics: 3,016 positions
- Emergency medicine: 2,921 positions
How Many Applicants Receive Interviews in Emergency Medicine?
According to the 2021 Program Director survey, each emergency medicine program received 1,035 applications on average. Other data include:
- Applications received (Emergency Medicine): 1,035
- Applications rejected based on standardized screen (Emergency Medicine): 320
- Applications receiving holistic review (Emergency Medicine): 639
- Interview invitations sent (Emergency Medicine): 207
- Applicants interviewed (Emergency Medicine): 168
- Applicants ranked (Emergency Medicine): 155
Looking at the percentages, we can see that for the 2021 Match:
- 31% of emergency medicine applications were rejected via standardized screen,
- 62% of emergency medicine applications received a holistic review,
- 20% of emergency medicine applications received an interview invitation,
- 16% of emergency medicine applicants were interviewed, and
- 15% of all emergency medicine applicants were ranked to match
Emergency Medicine is Fairly Reliant on Screens
Emergency Medicine relies on standardized screens to weed out applicants. In the 2021 Program Director Survey, emergency medicine PDs respondents reported that 31% of applications were rejected via standardized screen. This ranked near the lower end of the residencies.
USMLE Scores for Emergency Medicine
Step 1 scores for emergency medicine for matched US seniors reflect its moderate competitiveness.
Emergency Medicine Step 1 Scores (Matched Applicants in 2022 Match):
- 25%ile: 245
- Median: 234
- 75%ile: 223
Step 1 Emergency Medicine Scores Are Middle of the Road (2022 Match)
Similarly, Step 2 CK scores for emergency medicine for matched US seniors reflect its moderate competitiveness.
Emergency Medicine Step 2 CK Scores (Matched Applicants in 2022 Match):
- 25%ile: 256
- Median: 248
- 75%ile: 239
Step 2 CK Emergency Medicine Scores Are Middle of the Road (2022 Match)
See this article for more on USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK percentiles for each specialty and the overall percentiles.
Matching into Emergency Medicine as a DO
Matching into emergency medicine as a DO is moderately competitive, with a 95% match rate and 25% of spots filled by DO Seniors in the 2022 Match. In 2022, 774 DO seniors applied for emergency medicine; 736 matched.
Emergency Medicine is DO-Friendly (2022 Match)
For more on the most DO-friendly specialties, see this article.
Is Emergency Medicine IMG Friendly?
Emergency Medicine is moderately IMG-friendly, with an overall 76% match rate and only 7% of spots filled by IMGs in the 2022 Match. In 2022, 215 US IMGs and 63 non-US IMGs applied to emergency medicine; 169 US IMGs and 43 non-US IMGs matched.
Emergency Medicine is IMG-Friendly (2022 Match)
We can see that US IMGs had a slightly higher match rate (79%) than non-US IMGs (68%) in emergency medicine.
For emergency medicine, US IMGs had a slightly higher match rate (79%) than non-US IMGs (68%) in the 2022 Match
For more on the most IMG-friendly specialties, see this article.
Emergency Medicine-Friendly IMG Residency Programs
For a list of the most IMG-friendly emergency medicine programs, see this article.
How Much Do Emergency Medicine Specialists Make per Year? Per Hour?
Emergency medicine specialists have an average annual salary of $373,000. This can vary dramatically based on practice setting, specialty training, and experience level.
Emergency Medicine Doctors make $373,000 per year on average
However, annual salaries can be misleading. Some specialties work much more than others. By considering the estimated hours worked per year for emergency medicine specialists, we get an estimated hourly salary of $169/hr.
Emergency Medicine Doctors make roughly $169/hr on average when taking in hours worked per year
See this article for more on physician annual salaries and estimated hourly wage by specialty.
How Important is AOA for Emergency Medicine?
AOA – Alpha Omega Alpha – is the med school honors society. Each school may elect up to 20% of the graduating class of students.
Having AOA membership confers a greater advantage to matching into some specialties more than others. Often this AOA advantage is greatest for the most competitive specialties.
AOA membership correlated with a 1% match rate advantage for emergency medicine in the 2022 Match
In the 2022 Match, the match rate for US seniors with AOA membership was 1% greater than that of US seniors without AOA membership. AOA membership did not provide a significant advantage to matching into emergency medicine residency.
A number of schools do not have AOA chapters. Even in those schools, many of them rank students against each other. Regardless of AOA status, we can see that class rank is not a remarkable factor in successfully matching into emergency medicine.
For more on AOA medical schools and the importance of class rank for matching, see this article.
How Many Publications for Emergency Medicine 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 an emergency medicine residency?
In 2022, the mean number of abstracts, presentations, and publications for US seniors who matched into emergency medicine was 5.1. The mean number of research experiences was 3.2.
Do I Need an MD-PhD to Match Into Emergency Medicine?
You may wonder how much an MD-PhD helps with matching into emergency medicine. It appears that having a PhD correlates with an advantage of 2% when applying into emergency medicine. Specifically, the match rate for those with a PhD is 2% higher than for those without one when applying into emergency medicine.
Having a PhD correlated with a 2% match rate advantage for emergency medicine in the 2022 Match
Note that those with PhDs are relatively rare among emergency medicine residents. In fact, only 1.2% of matched applicants into emergency medicine had a PhD in 2022.
1.2% of matched applicants to emergency medicine had an MD-PhD in 2022
Should You Attend a Top Medical School to Match Into Emergency Medicine?
Does attending a top medical school help with matching into emergency medicine? According to the program director survey results above, 36.5% of emergency medicine PDs consider medical school reputation when considering whom to interview. The mean importance score was 3.5.
Similarly, we can look at the advantage to attending a school in the top 40 by NIH funding. In 2022, there was a 0% advantage in match rate to those attending a school in the top 40 for NIH funding vs. those who did not.
Graduating from a medical school ranked in the top 40 by NIH funding correlated with a 0% match rate advantage for emergency medicine in the 2022 Match
Does an MPH or MBA Help Match Into Emergency Medicine?
Medical training is long. Despite this, many consider – or complete – other degrees, like MPHs or MBAs.
But how much of an advantage – or disadvantage – does an MPH (Master of Public Health) or MBA (Master of Business Administration) confer when applying into emergency medicine? Not much, it turns out. In fact, the match rate for US seniors with other degrees was 1% lower than the rate for those with other degrees.
These statistics imply that having a second degree that isn’t a PhD doesn’t appear to help your chances of matching into emergency medicine, and may even hurt them (slightly).
Having another degree like an MBA or MPH correlated with a -1% match rate disadvantage for emergency medicine in the 2022 Match
What Are the Best Emergency Medicine Programs?
While emergency medicine may be moderately competitive, the most desirable programs will always be extremely difficult to enter. So which are the best emergency medicine residency programs?
Opinions will vary. However, some of the most desirable emergency medicine residency programs would include:
- University of Alabama Medical Center Program
- Creighton University School of Medicine(Phoenix) Program
- Emory University School of Medicine Program
- HCA Healthcare East Florida Division GME/Aventura Hospital and Medical Center Program
- Cook County Health and Hospitals System Program
- Rush University Medical Center Program
Concluding Thoughts
So how competitive is emergency medicine in 2022? Based on the statistics, it appears to be low. It is not among the most competitive specialties like plastic surgery or orthopedic surgery. Nor does it require huge amounts of research or extra credentials like AOA membership or an Ivy League education to match.
That said, emergency medicine is still highly competitive, particularly for the most desirable programs. While it is true for all specialties, USMLE scores – and particularly Step 2 CK – will be emphasized moving forward, particularly given how reliant emergency medicine is on standardized screens to weed out applicants.
To learn more about how to master – not memorize – for impressive USMLE scores and higher class rankings, sign up for a free consultation. You can learn more about how Yousmle can help you to make the most of your time, to excel in your classes, Board exams, and the extracurriculars that are critical to matching.
Looking for an Emergency Medicine Residency Advisor?
Looking for an emergency medicine 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.
