doogiemd

Hi all,

Thought maybe better posting in this forum rather than the main one. Am a recent UK grad from med school. I scored 250 and 260 in my USMLE Step 1 and CK scores respectively.

I want to get into US residency training in Internal Medicine. I checked NRMP figures and around 4000 international grads needing visas were accepted into residency training last year. Also I checked and for internal medicine out of 7000 places only 3000 US grads applied so am hopeful for my chances.

Also I have US exp and US references. As for the H1 visa it is cap exempt for residency programs.

Any other advice or tips would be helpful. I am hopeful of my chances especially with the projected need for doctors in the US.

Kind regards

ian-mstm

Something to keep in mind... there is no H-1B cap for the non-profit sector... such as many hospitals! I suggest you look at medically underserved areas in the US... those are the places that would be more willing to hire foreign-trained doctors. The area where I live (eastern Kentucky, southern Ohio, Western West Virginia) is one such medically underserved area - but there are many others.

Ian

civilservant

I would agree with this - hoping to move New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco may not get you very far. The smaller (probably) the better.

jxv73

Congrats. Those are pretty good scores. IM is probably the best choice. I'm an MD myself so I can tell you the ins and outs:
1. Your very first step is to get something called an ERAS Token from eCFMG
2. Then, use ERAS to apply for as many IM Residency Programs as your budget allows. I believe applications open in Sept. 2 or so.
3. Make sure you find out past graduates from your Uni who are now in the US. Program Directors get 1000 to 2000 applications for maybe 400 spots. So you need someone to let the PD know about you, so he can fish out your application from the pile.
4. Take Step 2 CS no later than September.
5. If you get 4 interviews, this is good news. Less than 4 you ar elloking at a tough match,
6. At the interviews, ask specifically about H1B visas. All Residency programs are pretty much exempt, as they are affiliated with a university one way or the other. Don't be shy about this question. It is critically important that you NOT come on a J-1 visa.
7. Take Step 3. You won`t get an H1B visa unless you pass Step 3. You don't need a high score, just to pass.
8. After you have interviewed, you do the NRMP Match. It used to be possible to sign a contract without going through the match (I actually did), but no longer. The Match happens in March. If you don't match, there is a "Scramble", which these days is more like a second Match two days later.
9. Programs start in July. You really don't worry about applying for a visa until after the Match.
Do not be picky about geography. Programs in NYC are actually worse: the city is expensive, the salary however is the same than anywhere else.
As you can see, applying for residency has a very specific schedule. If you have not tried to schedule Step 2 CS by now, you are likely looking at a 2015 start date.

retzie

Just to clarify for future readers: medical residency programs are cap-exempt; veterinary residency programs are not. (I'm not sure about other fields with the residency specialisation structure.) I have a good friend who is a foreign vet and one of her classmates missed out on an H-1B for her residency under both the regular and US-higher degree caps!

Sorry, I don't have anything to add about human medicine. Although, it sounds like the match system is similar, so all I'll say is be careful about what you leave on the list!!

doogiemd

Hi retzie

Thanks!! Just to complete my profile I have already done CS and am ecfmg certified. Have already got my step 3 scheduling permit through also. Are you sure score doesn't count for that? I was worried about. I want to match in 2014 and already have my eras token and LORs ready

Any other advise

Thanks

jxv73

Retzie responded on vet residency. So I assume the question is for me.

On the Step 3 Score, I didn't receive mine until after I interviewed. They don't expect you to have it at all. Looks like you are ready to go. LoRs from US experience, good scores, things look up for you. The main advise is: don't be suckered into a J-1 visa.

doogiemd

Thanks jxv73 yes the question was for you i made a mistake. Yes I won't be suckered for j1. Some programs are strict on the no h1 though so I rather not apply to them tbh and save my $$$.

You got any tips for step 3 I just going to do uworld tbh. I think will be applying to approx 100 programs overall

Regards

jxv73

Funny you mention that... The program that sponsored my H1 had a warning on their website saying "we do not sponsor H1B visas".

My Step 3 was so long ago... I used the First Aid book, memorized that pretty much, and practiced with the computer system. Quote from a friend on Step 3: "Ortho residents pass, how hard can it be?"

doogiemd

thanks jxv73 that is the thing. short of contacting every j1 program and asking them how flexible they would be for h1-b for a decent 'uk grad' with good creds how can you find this out???

any ideas on this pls my friend

jxv73

I had two lists:
-Programs I really liked.
-Programs where I had contacts.

I applied to those. At the time of the interviews, I asked directly about H1B.
I did not let a "J1 only" policy online disocurage me from applying.

Pulaski

There are underserved areas in NC, and yet nationally recognised centers of excellence in the state too, so good for ongoing training and professional networking. Ted Kennedy came to NC for his cancer treatment when he (presumably) had the pick of any facility in the US.

doogiemd

@pulaski yes I agree I just did a short rotation in NC but the places are not very IMG friendly e.g Duke which is Ivy League.

@jxv73 i see where you're coming from guess a lot of it comes down to your individual creds too rather than some generic stuff written on their webpage!

jtlc2345

I would agree with what has been said so far. I don't know if you are currently working but the one thing I did not anticipate was how difficult it would be to schedule interviews alongside working a full time clinical job with on-call commitments. As a result, I didn't go on as many interviews as I would have liked, but it thankfully worked out all ok in the end.

Having just finished my first month, I have no regrets so far.

Jonathan