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CHICAGO, March 21, 2025 — The American Osteopathic Association is pleased to announce a record-breaking number of osteopathic residency placements this Match Day. A total of 8,049 osteopathic (DO) medical students and graduates secured positions in postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) training programs through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Match. This new high represents a 92.6% match rate for the 8,392 participating DO seniors, a 0.3% increase from 2024. DO candidates matched into a diverse range of residency programs across 40 specialties, highlighting the significant contributions of osteopathic physicians in all medical fields.
Those who don’t initially secure a residency through the NRMP Match can participate in the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP), where programs offer unfilled positions. Additionally, a few medical students and graduates were previously placed via smaller matches like the Urology Match and the San Francisco Match. Final placement figures will be available in May. In 2024, DO seniors had the highest final placement rate among all applicant types, including MDs and international medical graduates.
“We are thrilled that residency programs in all specialties across medicine are actively seeking our osteopathic medical students and graduates,” stated AOA President Teresa A. Hubka, DO, FACOOG (Dist.), CS, an osteopathic gynecologist and obstetrician with over thirty years of experience. “Their success underscores the exceptional quality of our osteopathic education and training, as well as the unique skills and philosophy we bring to patient care.”
Reflecting the profession’s dedication to producing frontline physicians focused on serving underserved communities, 4,098 DO seniors matched into primary care programs, including family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics. The remaining 3,675 osteopathic medical students matched into placements across a wide array of specialties, demonstrating osteopathic medicine’s continued growth in all areas of medical practice.
DO seniors account for over a third of the total-filled PGY1 positions in specialties such as physical medicine and rehabilitation, emergency medicine, and family medicine. Furthermore, DO seniors matched into 20% of PGY1 positions in psychiatry, pediatrics (categorical), transitional (PGY-1 only), and obstetrics and gynecology.
“With a strong emphasis on comprehensive frontline care, this next generation of DO residents will be vital in addressing the anticipated physician shortage that is projected to significantly impact our nation’s healthcare infrastructure in the coming decade,” said AOA CEO Kathleen S. Creason, MBA. “We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and confident that they will have a profound impact on the future of medicine.”
Both DOs and MDs complete a four-year medical school program, followed by residency training in a specialized field. DOs receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system and practice medicine with a whole-person care philosophy.
Top-matched specialties
The following are the top 15 specialties matched into by DO seniors:
- Internal medicine (categorical)
- Family medicine
- Emergency medicine
- Pediatrics (categorical)
- Psychiatry
- Anesthesiology (PGY-1 and PGY-2)
- Transitional year
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Surgery (categorical)
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PGY-1 and PGY-2)
- Diagnostic radiology (PGY-1 and PGY-2)
- Neurology (PGY-1 and PGY-2)
- Medicine-preliminary (PGY-1 Only)
- Orthopedic surgery
- Pathology
About the AOA
The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) represents over 197,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and osteopathic medical students; advocates for public health; supports scientific research; and acts as the primary certifying body for DOs. For more information on DOs and the osteopathic medical philosophy, visit .
SOURCE American Osteopathic Association