Competitive Specialties

[Arttomed]

Hi

 

Does anyone know where I can find which specialties are competitive to match?

 

I am mostly interested in Cardiology, neurology , vascular surgery, cardiac surgery, and head and neck surgery but well everything can change when I start med. For now can someone give me some general info on the competitiveness of these specialties (I am open to rural residencies too if it makes it any easier) and some advice on how I should make myself competitive.

 

Thanks  

[Depression]

Here are the stats for the 2015 CaRMS match. You can find match rates for the speciaties you mentioned here.

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hm68QhK1Jifs4OFN6oLQPCxWcmdhrQTdJl4DrlFrWMQ/edit#gid=0

 

I don't think I'm in any position to give you advice to make you competitve though, haha. (Still in undergrad) 

[Bambi]

And it is important to remember that things can change - and quickly. The provincial government are the funding gate keeps and they control the number of residency positions available to any field. Whereas in one specialty, one school offered 13 positions, it was reduced to 8 - and this year to only 3 residency positions. So assuming there are 40 interviewees, you can do the math as to how your chances have decreased over a short few years, i.e., between the time of starting med school and CaRMS, 10 spots disappeared. And this has happened in more than one field. Being flexible especially in these times helps. To be competitive, face time, excellent evaluations, being easy to work with, enthusiastic and a hard worker does wonders, as do the all important Motivational Letter & LORs do receive an invite for an interview. I would downplay the importance of research. Finally, you have to kill that interview, demonstrating your personality and answers those questions with frankness and directly. What appears to be an incidental question can be a deal breaker depending upon your answer.