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Motivate MD

The residency atlas · 2026–2027

Every residency you can match into.

Specialties open to medical students, measured against each other rather than described one at a time — built from the accredited program directory, not a survey.

Specialties open to medical students
37Specialties open to medical students
With a published program list
31With a published program list
Accredited programs indexed
5,578Accredited programs indexed

Training length

Median 4 years · 31 of 31 reporting

Accredited length across programs in this specialty. A few specialties run both lengths — Emergency Medicine has three-year and four-year programs — and are shown as a range.

Training length: 31 specialties, from 2 years to 7 years. The middle half sit between 3 years and 5 years, with a median of 4 years.

one specialtymiddle halfmedian

37 specialties shown, 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.124 programs · 43 states7 yearslonger than 30 of 31
  2. Plastic SurgeryReconstruction and aesthetics across the whole body, entered integrated from medical school or independently after another surgical residency.93 programs · 39 states6 yearslonger than 28 of 31
  3. Thoracic SurgeryHeart, lung, and esophageal surgery, entered integrated from medical school or after general surgery, with among the longest training in medicine.36 programs · 20 states6 yearslonger than 28 of 31
  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.367 programs · 48 states5 yearslonger than 22 of 31
  5. Interventional RadiologyImage-guided procedures as a primary specialty rather than a fellowship, combining radiology's diagnostic training with a growing operative practice.107 programs · 41 states5–6 yearslonger than 22 of 31
  6. Orthopaedic SurgeryRestoring the musculoskeletal system, from arthroplasty to trauma, with a heavily operative week and near-universal subspecialty fellowship.216 programs · 45 states5 yearslonger than 22 of 31
  7. OtolaryngologyHead and neck surgery spanning oncology, airway, otology, and endocrine work — broad operative range in a small, tightly-knit field.133 programs · 43 states5 yearslonger than 22 of 31
  8. UrologySurgical and medical care of the urinary tract, heavily endoscopic and robotic, matched early through the AUA rather than the NRMP.156 programs · 44 states5 yearslonger than 22 of 31
  9. Vascular SurgeryOpen and endovascular treatment of arterial and venous disease, entered integrated from medical school or after general surgery.84 programs · 34 states5 yearslonger than 22 of 31
  10. AnesthesiologyPhysiology in real time: airway, hemodynamics, and analgesia managed minute to minute, almost entirely in the operating room and on procedural floors.194 programs · 45 states3–4 yearslonger than 13 of 31
  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.201 programs · 46 states4 yearslonger than 13 of 31
  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.79 programs · 38 states4 yearslonger than 13 of 31
  13. NeurologyLocalizing lesions by examination and then managing chronic disease — stroke, epilepsy, and neurodegeneration — across inpatient and clinic settings.204 programs · 47 states3–4 yearslonger than 13 of 31
  14. Obstetrics & GynecologySurgical and primary care for one population, combining continuity clinic, operative gynecology, and the unpredictability of labor and delivery.311 programs · 46 states4 yearslonger than 13 of 31
  15. OphthalmologyHigh-volume microsurgery and clinic in roughly equal measure, matched a year early through SF Match rather than the NRMP.129 programs · 41 statesPGY-2 entry4 yearslonger than 13 of 31
  16. PathologyThe diagnosis behind the diagnosis, split between surgical specimens and the clinical laboratory, with almost no direct patient contact.143 programs · 44 states4 yearslonger than 13 of 31
  17. PsychiatryDiagnosis and treatment of mental illness through pharmacology and psychotherapy, weighted toward outpatient practice after training.361 programs · 50 states4 yearslonger than 13 of 31
  18. Radiation OncologyTreating cancer with targeted radiation, combining physics and oncology in a small, clinic-based specialty with long patient relationships.86 programs · 37 states4 yearslonger than 13 of 31
  19. Child NeurologyNeurology for developing brains, entered through two years of pediatrics — heavy on epilepsy, neurogenetics, and long relationships with families.84 programs · 38 states3 yearslonger than 4 of 31
  20. DermatologySkin, hair, and nails, overwhelmingly in clinic, mixing pattern recognition at speed with a steady procedural and cosmetic component.144 programs · 42 states3 yearslonger than 4 of 31
  21. Emergency MedicineUndifferentiated patients on the clock — broad, procedural, shift-based, and the specialty where the schedule genuinely ends when the shift does.299 programs · 46 states3–4 yearslonger than 4 of 31
  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.820 programs · 52 states3 yearslonger than 4 of 31
  23. Internal MedicineThe diagnostic backbone of adult medicine and the largest residency in the country — three years that open onto nearly every medical subspecialty.702 programs · 51 states3 yearslonger than 4 of 31
  24. Nuclear MedicineFunctional imaging and radionuclide therapy, a small field sitting between radiology and oncology and increasingly defined by theranostics.33 programs · 22 statesPGY-2 entry3 yearslonger than 4 of 31
  25. Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal MedicineManual medicine as a specialty in its own right, focused on musculoskeletal diagnosis and osteopathic manipulative treatment.28 programs · 19 states3 yearslonger than 4 of 31
  26. PediatricsMedicine for growing bodies, weighted toward outpatient continuity and prevention, and the entry point for every pediatric subspecialty.219 programs · 49 states3 yearslonger than 4 of 31
  27. Physical Medicine & RehabilitationRestoring function after stroke, injury, and amputation — a mix of inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient musculoskeletal care, and procedures.116 programs · 36 states3–4 yearslonger than 4 of 31
  28. Aerospace MedicineOccupational medicine for pilots, aircrew, and astronauts — a small, largely military and federal field built around fitness-to-fly rather than treatment.5 programs · 4 statesPGY-2 entry2 yearslonger than 0 of 31
  29. Medical Genetics & GenomicsDiagnosis and management of inherited disease, increasingly defined by sequencing — a small field with an unusually large share of research time.44 programs · 28 statesPGY-2 entry2 yearslonger than 0 of 31
  30. Occupational & Environmental MedicinePopulation health at work — exposure, injury, and fitness for duty — one of the few specialties routinely practiced outside a clinical setting.20 programs · 16 statesPGY-2 entry2 yearslonger than 0 of 31
  31. Public Health & General Preventive MedicineMedicine practiced at the level of populations rather than patients — epidemiology, policy, and program design, usually paired with an MPH.40 programs · 25 statesPGY-2 entry2 yearslonger than 0 of 31

Directory in progress

These specialties are open to medical students but do not yet have an accredited program list published here, so they are left out of the comparison above rather than shown as zeroes.