Family Practice
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"There are over 400 family medicine residency programs in the US. While it is relatively easy to get into many of these programs, there are many programs that are highly competitive. Some of these programs may have over a hundred applicants for five or ten slots."
- Dr. Michael Potter, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and career advisor at UCSF School of Medicine
We can help you match...
See how The Successful Match book has helped others
See how Success on the Wards has helped others
Why pursue Family Medicine as a career?
2010 Family Medicine Salary
Overview of Residency Training
To become a family medicine physician, four years of residency training are required. According to the AMA and AAMC, there are 9,391 residents training in 452 ACGME-accredited family medicine residency programs. Forty-four percent are USMDs, 40% are international medical graduates, and 16% are osteopathic graduates. In the 2010 NRMP Match, approximately 2,600 positions were available.
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Family medicine residents in the United States |
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# of total residents |
% USMDs |
% IMGs |
% osteopathic graduates |
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9,391 |
44% |
40% |
16% |
| Data adapted from Brotherton S, Etzel S. Graduate medical education, 2009 - 2010. JAMA 2010; 304(11): 1255 - 1270. | |||
2010 Match Results
U.S seniors are readily able to match into family medicine. In the 2010 NRMP Match, only 2.5% of U.S. seniors who applied to the field went unmatched. That said, top tier residency programs are competitive.
Many osteopathic applicants match into allopathic family medicine residency programs. Osteopathic applicants may also apply to AOA-approved family medicine residency programs. There are 190 osteopathic residency programs.
A substantial number of residency positions are filled with international medical graduates every year. However, many IMGs fail to match. IMGs are classified as independent applicants, and, in 2010, 56% of independent applicants went unmatched.
Why pursue Family Medicine as a Career?
Family medicine physicians discuss reasons why they chose to pursue a career in family medicine:
George Bergus, MD
Cathy Bishop, D.O., F.A.A.F.P.
Kevin Dieter, M.D., C.M.D.
John Gabis, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.
Charles Garvin, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.
Matthew Hintz, M.D.
Keith Holten, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.
Sanford (Sandy) Kimmel, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.
Keith Lehman, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.
Angela Leung Roberts, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.
Barbara Tobias, M.D.
Dana Vallangeon, M.D.
Kathleen Wittberg, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.
Gregg Warshaw, M.D.
Family Medicine FAQs (University of Alberta)
Victoria Murrain, DO
20 Questions with Dr. Charles Vega
2010 Family Medicine Physician Compensation/Salary
Find out how much a family medicine physician makes
Subspecialties of Family Medicine
Subspecialties in which family medicine physicians can pursue fellowship training leading to board certification include adolescent medicine, geriatric medicine, hospice and palliative medicine, sleep medicine, and sports medicine.
Excelling in your Family Medicine Clerkship
Our book, Success on the Wards: 250 Rules for Clerkship Success (pictured below), has an extensive chapter that will prepare you for this clerkship. Read pages 8 and 9 of the first chapter for more information.
See how our book has helped others.
Family Medicine Residency Application
Almost all residency programs require applicants to submit their completed application through the Electronic Residency Application Service, also known as ERAS. ERAS does not, however, allow applicants to submit their curriculum vitae or CV as part of this application. Instead, ERAS requires all applicants to transfer information from their CV to the ERAS Application Form. It is the ERAS Application Form that is then sent to programs for review along with the the rest of your application.
Once the application is received, program directors will read it closely and carefully. The application will be used to assess the quality of your written communication skills. Programs place considerable emphasis on communication skills because effective communication has been shown to directly affect the quality of care given to patients.
Therefore, it is imperative that all information in your application is well communicated and error-free. In our experiences reviewing and editing applications, errors are common. These errors can prevent even applicants with the highest USMLE scores from securing interviews. "We can not stress enough how important it is for an applicant to our program to possess both strong and written oral skills," writes the Department of Family Medicine at UCLA.
We have considerable experience reviewing and editing the ERAS Application Form can make sure that your application is polished, professional, and powerful.
Our ERAS Application Review/Editing Service can be purchased through our online store. All clients will work directly with Dr. Samir Desai, author of The Successful Match.
Important Information for Aspiring Family Medicine Physicians
Responses to medical students' frequently asked questions about family medicine
Physician career satisfaction within specialties
Professional satisfaction among new osteopathic family physicians: a survey-based investigation of residency-trained graduates
Interview with Beverly Woo, MD on the rewards and challenges of primary care medicine
Finding the perfect job
The future of Family Medicine: a collaborative project of the family medicine community
Family Practice in the United States