Is it any more difficult for a DO to obtain a surgical residency?
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The answer to this seemingly simple question is actually pretty complicated. MDs are only eligible to go to ACGME residencies, while DOs are eligible for ACGME residencies, as well as AOA residencies.
There are AOA residencies in virtually all medical and surgical specialties, from psychiatry to urology, and family medicine to neurosurgery. As MDs cannot apply to these residency programs, the applicant pool is obviously smaller.
There still exists some discrimination against DOs from some "old boys club" type programs, and ACGME surgical programs are some of the more notorious for this. However, if you rock out in medical school and are top 10% or so in your class, and do better than 90th percentile on step 1 of the USMLE, most residencies, both ACGME and AOA of any specialty are going to have a hard time telling you no.
There are AOA residencies in virtually all medical and surgical specialties, from psychiatry to urology, and family medicine to neurosurgery. As MDs cannot apply to these residency programs, the applicant pool is obviously smaller.
There still exists some discrimination against DOs from some "old boys club" type programs, and ACGME surgical programs are some of the more notorious for this. However, if you rock out in medical school and are top 10% or so in your class, and do better than 90th percentile on step 1 of the USMLE, most residencies, both ACGME and AOA of any specialty are going to have a hard time telling you no.