The 10 Least Competitive Medical Specialties in the United States

Many students aspire to become a doctor, but often many may not know in which field they would like to specialize. Moreover, some premed students may prematurely fix their interest in a specialty without exploring all of the possible options. Therefore, this article aims to provide a glimpse into the ten least competitive (also least popular) medical specialties in the United States. For context, these ten specialties were chosen by the Med School Insiders website using various metrics: the average residency match rate, the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, the number of publications, the percentage of matriculants in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AOA), and the percentage of applicants from a top 40 National of Institutes of Health (NIH) funded medical school. Med School Insiders was chosen as the main reference because it provided a comprehensive overview of each specialty and its list had a significant overlap with those in other sources. 

The first specialty on the list is family medicine, which provides primary, continuous, comprehensive, and personalized care for an individual and family. The average annual income of a family medicine practitioner is $236,000, and working hours are usually from 9 to 5. Family medicine offers great flexibility, as these physicians can choose to work in a diverse range of environments. This field is also seen to be rewarding as they can see their patients throughout their lifetime. 

The second least competitive specialty is pediatrics. Many may already know that pediatrics involves the care of younger individuals, but some may be surprised to hear that there is no age limit for seeing a pediatrician. The American Academy of Pediatrics eliminated the upper age limit (which was originally 21), so pediatricians can assist in the transition to adulthood according to the needs of individual patients. The average annual income of a pediatrician is $244,000. 

The third on the list is psychiatry, which focuses on mental health and psychological disorders. Despite being third on this list, psychiatry is known to be rewarding, as it provides psychiatrists with the opportunity to interact with their patients through longer individual appointments (of around 45 to 60 mins) over a prolonged period. Psychiatrists also usually enjoy a desirable lifestyle, with an average income of $287,000 as well as 47 working hours per week. However, psychiatry can tend to be emotionally overwhelming, as it involves engaging in long conversations with people suffering from substance use disorders and severe mental illnesses. 

The fourth specialty is emergency medicine. Emergency medicine specialists assist patients with acute symptoms, including heart attacks and myocardial infarctions. Emergency medicine is similar to psychiatry in a way that both have distinct pros and cons. Like psychiatry, emergency medicine can be rewarding, as it can involve medical situations that are a matter of life and death. Moreover, emergency medicine physicians work around 46 hours per week and earn around $373,000 per year. Yet, emergency medicine specialists experience high rates of burnout, as they have to deal with unpredictable situations that can be highly intense and stressful. In addition, emergency medicine doctors often have to live with irregular circadian rhythms, as they do shift work for three to four days a week. 

The fifth specialty is physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R), a field that focuses on helping patients with physical and neurological rehabilitation. The average PM&R physician has an annual income of $322,000 and a 45-hour work week. PM&R frequently involves teamwork, collaborating with physical, occupational, and speech therapists. PM&R requires a high level of patience, as it often takes a great deal of time to help these patients fully recover. 

The sixth least competitive specialty is neurology, which encompasses non-surgical methods of treating nervous system disorders. The range of neurological disorders varies greatly, including headaches and migraines as well as strokes and Huntington’s disease. Many neurologists work with outpatients, allowing them to enjoy regular working hours. Neurologists have an average income of $301,000 per year. 

The seventh specialty is child neurology, which focuses on neurological disorders in children. Child neurology, in particular, can be extremely rewarding as these specialists often witness improvements in conditions over a short period of time. However, this field also involves working with patients in severe conditions, such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancers. Child neurologists make an average of $253,000 per year. 

The eighth on the list is pathology, a specialty that focuses on the study of body tissues and fluids. Pathology is special in that it often involves more lab work than hands-on patient care. The average pathologist makes $334,000 per year and works 47 hours a week. 

The ninth specialty on the list is internal medicine. Internal medicine deals with diagnosing, treating, and preventing a wide range of diseases, allowing it to be the gateway to other subspecialties like cardiology and gastroenterology. Internal medicine doctors usually work with outpatients and have a desirable work week of 55 hours. The average internal medicine doctor earns around $264,000 per year. 

The tenth least competitive specialty is anesthesiology, which is concerned with taking care of patients before, during, and after surgery. Anesthesiologists are known to have high compensation and a great work-life balance, earning $405,000 per year and working 40-50 hours per week on average. 

It is important to note that these rankings are not conclusive and only show one perspective. If any of the specialties above interest you, you should conduct your own research to learn more about them. You may want to start by consulting the AAMC or ABMS website, which have directories of all medical specialties offered in the US. You can also consider looking for shadowing opportunities in the specialties that interest you.