The least competitive medical specialties to become a doctor in generally include Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R), and Emergency Medicine, with Family Medicine often ranking as the absolute least competitive due to high demand and lower USMLE score requirements for matched applicants. These specialties focus on primary care needs or have high fill rates, but "least competitive" doesn't guarantee a spot; a strong application is still essential.
With that in mind, the five least competitive medical specialties are:
The 7 Easiest Types of Doctor to Become & How to Get There
Public Health & Preventive Medicine
Because they are more likely to work in academic, governmental, nonprofit, or corporate settings, these jobs offer a similar work/life balance to many professions outside of medicine, working the fewest hours of many doctors.
For those prioritizing work-life balance, specialties like dermatology, ophthalmology, family medicine and psychiatry offer less stressful environments and lower rates of burnout.
Balamurali Ambati is a well-known ophthalmologist who made history by becoming the youngest doctor in the world at the age of 17.
Emergency Medicine
Emergency medicine is the primary physician specialty with highest burnout. This field reports one of the highest stress levels due to its high-paced, high-acuity environment.
Easiest Doctor to Become: Family Doctor
You can choose to enter any type of practice, from private practice to group practice, which have their advantages and disadvantages, but both types of practice means you get to choose your own hours.
Medical Specialities with Lowest Reported Salaries
Which medical specialty requires the shortest training time to become a qualified doctor? Family Medicine is the medical specialty with the shortest training time, typically requiring a three-year residency after medical school.
Ganesh Baraiya is the world's shortest doctor. he measures only three feet tall and weighs under 20 kilograms.
Some of the happiest medical specialties include dermatology, psychiatry, radiology, and family medicine. These fields provide opportunities for meaningful work without the intense demands found in other areas of medicine.
These alternative medical careers provide opportunities for rapid entry into healthcare, with many programs offering certification in just a few months to two years.
In summary, the longest residency, without including any additional research years or further fellowship, is neurosurgery (7 years) and the shortest are for 3 years with family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and emergency medicine (depending on the program).
Overview
According to a 2025 Medscape-based survey, some of the happiest specialties reported are Allergy & Immunology (94 %), Pathology (88 %), Dermatology (87 %), Public Health & Preventive Medicine (87 %), and Psychiatry (87 %).
The shortest residency programs, such as those in family medicine or internal medicine, typically last three years. Therefore, in the best-case scenario with an accelerated program and a short residency, it might take around nine to ten years after high school to become a practicing medical doctor.
Plastic surgery is the medical specialty with the happiest physicians, according to Medscape's 2023 Physician Lifestyle and Happiness Report. This is likely due to plastic surgeons having more control over their schedules and working with patients who have elected to undergo procedures.
For example, oral and maxillofacial surgery and plastic surgery are both considered among the rarest specialties in medicine. In the case of oral and maxillofacial surgery, professionals are trained in both dentistry and surgery, which makes it an even rarer specialty.
They were:
Akrit Pran Jaswal was born on April 23, 1993, in Nurpur, Himachal Pradesh. He became an internet sensation because of his extraordinary talents. At just 7 years old, Jaswal performed surgery on an 8-year-old burn victim.
Eligibility criteria to become a doctor
Age criteria: Minimum age of 17 years as of December 31 of the admission year.
Howard Tucker (July 10, 1922 – December 22, 2025) was an American neurologist who practiced medicine from 1947 until his death in 2025. In addition to becoming a lawyer and passing the Ohio Bar Examination at age 67 in 1989, Tucker was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest practicing doctor.