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Motivate MD

The residency atlas · 2026–2027

Every residency you can match into.

37 specialties open to medical students, measured against each other rather than described one at a time — from 5,578 accredited programs.

30 of 31 specialties report training length. Hover a mark, or read the list below.

37 of 37, sorted by training length

  1. Neurological SurgerySeven years, the longest residency in medicine, covering cranial, spinal, and vascular operative work at the highest intensity in training.7 years29 of 30 below
  2. Plastic SurgeryReconstruction and aesthetics across the whole body, entered integrated from medical school or independently after another surgical residency.6 years27 of 30 below
  3. Thoracic SurgeryHeart, lung, and esophageal surgery, entered integrated from medical school or after general surgery, with among the longest training in medicine.6 years27 of 30 below
  4. General SurgeryFive years of broad operative training that is as much perioperative decision-making as it is time in the operating room, and the gateway to most surgical fellowships.5 years21 of 30 below
  5. Interventional RadiologyImage-guided procedures as a primary specialty rather than a fellowship, combining radiology's diagnostic training with a growing operative practice.5 years21 of 30 below
  6. Orthopaedic SurgeryRestoring the musculoskeletal system, from arthroplasty to trauma, with a heavily operative week and near-universal subspecialty fellowship.5 years21 of 30 below
  7. OtolaryngologyHead and neck surgery spanning oncology, airway, otology, and endocrine work — broad operative range in a small, tightly-knit field.5 years21 of 30 below
  8. UrologySurgical and medical care of the urinary tract, heavily endoscopic and robotic, matched early through the AUA rather than the NRMP.5 years21 of 30 below
  9. Vascular SurgeryOpen and endovascular treatment of arterial and venous disease, entered integrated from medical school or after general surgery.5 years21 of 30 below
  10. AnesthesiologyPhysiology in real time: airway, hemodynamics, and analgesia managed minute to minute, almost entirely in the operating room and on procedural floors.4 years12 of 30 below
  11. Diagnostic RadiologyReading the imaging the rest of the hospital orders, with little direct patient contact and a workload measured in studies rather than beds.4 years12 of 30 below
  12. Internal Medicine-PediatricsFour years to full board eligibility in both adult and pediatric medicine, built for care that does not stop at the transition to adulthood.4 years12 of 30 below
  13. NeurologyLocalizing lesions by examination and then managing chronic disease — stroke, epilepsy, and neurodegeneration — across inpatient and clinic settings.4 years12 of 30 below
  14. Obstetrics & GynecologySurgical and primary care for one population, combining continuity clinic, operative gynecology, and the unpredictability of labor and delivery.4 years12 of 30 below
  15. OphthalmologyHigh-volume microsurgery and clinic in roughly equal measure, matched a year early through SF Match rather than the NRMP.4 years12 of 30 below
  16. PathologyThe diagnosis behind the diagnosis, split between surgical specimens and the clinical laboratory, with almost no direct patient contact.4 years12 of 30 below
  17. PsychiatryDiagnosis and treatment of mental illness through pharmacology and psychotherapy, weighted toward outpatient practice after training.4 years12 of 30 below
  18. Radiation OncologyTreating cancer with targeted radiation, combining physics and oncology in a small, clinic-based specialty with long patient relationships.4 years12 of 30 below
  19. Child NeurologyNeurology for developing brains, entered through two years of pediatrics — heavy on epilepsy, neurogenetics, and long relationships with families.3 years4 of 30 below
  20. DermatologySkin, hair, and nails, overwhelmingly in clinic, mixing pattern recognition at speed with a steady procedural and cosmetic component.3 years4 of 30 below
  21. Emergency MedicineUndifferentiated patients on the clock — broad, procedural, shift-based, and the specialty where the schedule genuinely ends when the shift does.3 years4 of 30 below
  22. Family MedicineThe widest scope in medicine and the largest number of positions, spanning newborns to hospice with continuity as the core of the work.3 years4 of 30 below
  23. Nuclear MedicineFunctional imaging and radionuclide therapy, a small field sitting between radiology and oncology and increasingly defined by theranostics.3 years4 of 30 below
  24. Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal MedicineManual medicine as a specialty in its own right, focused on musculoskeletal diagnosis and osteopathic manipulative treatment.3 years4 of 30 below
  25. PediatricsMedicine for growing bodies, weighted toward outpatient continuity and prevention, and the entry point for every pediatric subspecialty.3 years4 of 30 below
  26. Physical Medicine & RehabilitationRestoring function after stroke, injury, and amputation — a mix of inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient musculoskeletal care, and procedures.3 years4 of 30 below
  27. Aerospace MedicineOccupational medicine for pilots, aircrew, and astronauts — a small, largely military and federal field built around fitness-to-fly rather than treatment.2 years0 of 30 below
  28. Medical Genetics & GenomicsDiagnosis and management of inherited disease, increasingly defined by sequencing — a small field with an unusually large share of research time.2 years0 of 30 below
  29. Occupational & Environmental MedicinePopulation health at work — exposure, injury, and fitness for duty — one of the few specialties routinely practiced outside a clinical setting.2 years0 of 30 below
  30. Public Health & General Preventive MedicineMedicine practiced at the level of populations rather than patients — epidemiology, policy, and program design, usually paired with an MPH.2 years0 of 30 below
  31. Internal MedicineThe diagnostic backbone of adult medicine and the largest residency in the country — three years that open onto nearly every medical subspecialty.—Not reported
  32. Internal Medicine/Medical GeneticsA combined pathway for adult genetic disease, pairing internal medicine with genomic diagnosis in a very small number of programs.—Not reported
  33. Internal Medicine/PsychiatryA combined pathway for patients whose medical and psychiatric illness cannot be treated separately, concentrated in a handful of programs.—Not reported
  34. Neurodevelopmental DisabilitiesCare for children with cerebral palsy, autism, and complex developmental disability, entered through pediatrics and practiced over years.—Not reported
  35. Pediatric Medical GeneticsA combined pathway pairing pediatrics with genetic diagnosis, for congenital and metabolic disease presenting in childhood.—Not reported
  36. Pediatrics/Psychiatry/Child & Adolescent PsychiatryA five-year triple-board pathway to pediatrics, psychiatry, and child psychiatry at once, offered by very few programs.—Not reported
  37. Transitional YearA single preliminary year of broad clinical training, taken to satisfy the intern requirement before an advanced program in another specialty.—Not reported