Is plastic surgery a competitive field?

Plastic surgery is the most competitive field in surgery nowadays whether you apply after medical school or after a general surgery residency. Post medical school have always been competitive. The match rate has range from 50 to 65% (some years are less.) The two most competitive specialty when you are applying as a medical student are: plastic surgery and dermatology. Post general surgery residency, plastc surgery is now the most competitive sub-specialty. An applicant is now required to finish 5 years general surgery residency before you embark your training in plastic surgery. To make matters worst, they will be making the plastic surgery fellowship into a 3 year mandatory training starting in 2010. The match rate used to be 65% a decade ago, but the match rate currently is around 35%. There were around 265 applicants for 93 spots in 2007. Moreover, the applicants nowadays are extremely competitive. Not only they take into account your grades and USMLE scores, they also take into account your ABSITE (surgery in-service exam) scores. Some of the previous applicants had multiple fellowships, such as in burn, hand or craniofacial surgery. Plastic surgery is now more competitive than getting in to the pediatric surgery fellowships.