Orthopedics had one of the highest fill rates among U.S. medical school graduates, according to data from the National Resident Matching Program.
Four notes:
1. Orthopedic surgery had a 92.1% fill rate. Other specialties with high residency fill rates include thoracic surgery (95.8%), otolaryngology (95.8%) and internal medicine/pediatrics (94.5%).
2. The number of unfilled residency positions went down 4.6% from 2023 with 2,562 empty spots. There were 41,503 total positions.
3. DO degrees had an all-time high match rate of 92.3%.
4. Orthopedic residency's higher fill rates come at a time when the specialty is anticipating a physician shortage. By 2025 orthopedics is projected to be down by 5,050 physicians, according to Physicians Thrive.