What is the hardest doctor to study?

Asked by: Tremaine Hills  |  Last update: December 31, 2025
Score: 4.1/5 (70 votes)

What is the most difficult type of doctor specialty? Neurosurgery is known to be particularly challenging because of the intricate nature of the nervous system and the significant risks involved in surgical procedures.

What is the most difficult doctor degree?

Among the most demanding medical specialties, neurosurgery requires expertise in the intricate realms of the brain, spine, spinal cord, and nervous system. Neurosurgeons specialize in treating patients with various brain-related illnesses or injuries, catering to individuals across age groups, from infants to adults.

What is the most stressful type of doctor?

Emergency medicine reported the highest burnout rates among physicians, with 65% of emergency doctors experiencing burnout. Close behind were specialties like internal medicine and pediatrics.

What is the hardest medical specialty to get into?

While competition levels can vary, plastic surgery often ranks as the most competitive medical specialty. Entering plastic surgery can be exceptionally challenging due to the need for both surgical skill and aesthetic judgment, combined with a limited number of available training positions.

What is the easiest doctor to study?

Least Competitive Medical Specialties
  1. Family Medicine. Average Step 1 Score: 216.1. ...
  2. Psychiatry. Average Step 1 Score: 223.1. ...
  3. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Average Step 1 Score: 224.2. ...
  4. Pediatrics. Average Step 1 Score: 226.4. ...
  5. Emergency Medicine. Average Step 1 Score: 231.1. ...
  6. Internal Medicine (Categorical) ...
  7. Anesthesiology.

Ranking Doctor Specialties from BEST to WORST [Part 1]

34 related questions found

What's the highest paid doctor?

Neurosurgery

A neurosurgeon is the highest-paid doctor on our list. Neurosurgery encompasses surgery of the brain, spinal cord/column, and peripheral nerves. Aspiring neurosurgeons must complete at least a seven-year residency.

What doctor goes to school the least?

Family Medicine is the medical specialty with the shortest training time, typically requiring a three-year residency after medical school.

What is the rarest doctor?

However, medical geneticists, also known as clinical geneticists, are believed to be among the rarest types of doctors. They specialize in diagnosing and treating genetic disorders that affect a relatively small percentage of the population. In the United States, there are only about 1,200 medical geneticists.

What is the hardest surgery to go through?

One of the most complex surgeries that patients can undergo is surgery related to the liver, pancreas, and gastrointestinal system. The surgery itself is a lengthy and complex process and requires a team of specialists to carry out the operation.

What is the least competitive doctor to become?

Least Competitive Residencies
  • Pediatrics.
  • Psychiatry.
  • Emergency Medicine.
  • Internal Medicine.
  • Anesthesiology.
  • Obstetrics-Gynecology.
  • Pathology.
  • Neurological Surgery.

What is the most overworked doctor?

At number one, with 63% of practicing physicians reporting burnout, is emergency medicine. EM doctors treat patients with urgent healthcare needs, from acute conditions like heart attacks to exacerbations of chronic health conditions to stabilizing patients involved in trauma.

Which medical specialty has the highest divorce rate?

While the family medicine and psychiatry specialties each reported the highest number of divorces (6 each, 10.5% of family medicine physicians and 16.2% of psychiatrists), no statistically significant correlations between specialty choice and marriage outcome were found.

What doctor works the least hours?

Most doctors, however, work 40-60 hours per week. Among them, according to a survey by Medscape, allergists and immunologists work the least number of hours at 44.1 hours per week, followed closely by dermatologists, emergency medicine doctors and psychiatrists.

What is the number 1 hardest degree?

Medical education courses are considered the hardest degrees in most countries. Due to the intensive training, high study hours and compulsory clinical rotations, medical degrees are considered the hardest in most countries.

What doctor degree takes the longest?

Average Length of Medical Residency by Specialty

Residency lengths vary by specialty. Most residencies last three to four years. The longest residency programs are neurosurgery (seven years) and plastic surgery (six to eight years).

Which surgery has the lowest success rate?

Surgeries that have high failure rates:
  • Hiatal hernia which is intended to fix the problem of the stomach protruding out of the diaphragm space into the esophageal area.
  • Hip resurfacing utilizes a metal cup that fits over the ball of the femur. ...
  • Grafts involve replacing patches of skin with treated cadaver tissues.

What is the number 1 painful surgery?

In general, research has found that orthopedic surgeries, or those involving bones, are the most painful. However, researchers also found that some minor surgeries or those classed as keyhole or laparoscopic could also cause significant pain.

What is the most difficult surgeon to become?

What is the hardest surgeon to be? It's difficult to become any type of surgeon, but if you want to equate “longest” with “hardest,” then the answer is neurological surgery, which has a seven-year residency—the longest of all postgraduate surgical residencies. It is (often) brain surgery, after all.

What are the top 3 riskiest surgeries?

Which Surgical Procedures Are the Most Dangerous?
  • Brain surgery. One of the most dangerous procedures is any type of surgery on the brain or skull. ...
  • Heart surgery. ...
  • Cancer surgery. ...
  • Transplants. ...
  • Spinal cord surgery. ...
  • What if my doctor made a mistake during my surgery?

What is the richest type of doctor?

The Highest Paying Medical Jobs
  1. Neurosurgery. Neurosurgery is the highest-paying medical job in the US. ...
  2. Thoracic surgery. Thoracic or cardiothoracic surgery is the second highest paying medical job for reasons. ...
  3. Orthopedic surgery. ...
  4. Plastic surgery. ...
  5. Oral & maxillofacial. ...
  6. Vascular surgery. ...
  7. Cardiology. ...
  8. Radiation oncology.

What is the hardest surgery to perform?

The hardest surgery in the world is often considered to be complex neurosurgery, particularly procedures like brain tumor removal or deep brain stimulation, due to the intricate nature of the brain's anatomy and the high risk of complications.

What is the easiest doctor to be?

Easiest Doctor to Become: Family Doctor

Why is family medicine, or a family doctor, considered the easiest doctor to become? The simple answer is that it takes the least amount of time.

What is the least paid doctor?

Medical Genetics and Genomics

In the number 1 spot for lowest paid medical specialty is medical genetics and genomics at $244,517. Medical geneticists focus on the relationship between genes and health.

What is the lowest GPA for a doctor?

What Is the Lowest Acceptable GPA for Med School? A GPA of 3.0 or higher is generally considered to be the minimum requirement for medical schools. Some schools may have a lower minimum requirement, such as a 2.5 or 2.75, but these are less common.