Residency Specialties
Residency specialties in the United States differ in training length, entry route and competitiveness. Use these pages to understand how long training takes and what published data says about applicant categories, then read outcomes alongside the Match guide.
Competitiveness varies by reporting year and applicant type. No medical school guarantees entry to a specialty, and placement counts should always be read with the cohort size behind them.
- Internal MedicineGenerally 3 years, plus optional fellowshipThe largest categorical residency pathway in the United States by number of positions offered, and a common entry route into subspecialty fellowship training.
- Family MedicineGenerally 3 yearsPrimary-care focused training covering ambulatory, inpatient, pediatric and obstetric care across the lifespan.
- PediatricsGenerally 3 years, plus optional fellowshipTraining in the medical care of infants, children and adolescents.
- General SurgeryGenerally 5 years, plus optional fellowshipBroad operative training and a prerequisite pathway for several surgical subspecialty fellowships.
- DermatologyGenerally 1 preliminary year plus 3 yearsMedical and surgical management of skin, hair and nail conditions, entered after a preliminary or transitional year.
- Neurological SurgeryGenerally 7 yearsOperative and perioperative care of disorders of the brain, spine and nerves.
- Orthopaedic SurgeryGenerally 5 yearsOperative and non-operative management of musculoskeletal conditions.
- PsychiatryGenerally 4 yearsDiagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions across care settings.