Another "Do I stand a chance" thread

[Oana]

Ok, really sorry to bother you guys, but... here it goes:

I'm a citizen of Romania. I have graduated from a top Romanian School of Medicine in 2004. Since then, I have passed the Step 1 examination with a not so great 226/92. I am scheduled to take the Clinical Skills exam at the beginning of August, and the Clincal Knowledge at the beginning of September. I have had some research activity, a couple of publications / congress posters. I'm confident that I will receive some excellent LORs (pediatrics rotation attending, child psychiatry professor - did my final disertation there, and internal medicine attending).

What I do NOT have:
- US clinical experience
- US LOR
- not in top 10% at my school

Obviously, I would very much like to pursue a pediatric residency in USA, preferably in an academic center. However, every resonable program I came across seemed to require 6 mo / 1 yr US clinical experience / ground-breaking research / god-like academic status .

Is this just a skewd perception? Basically, in a good ol' fashioned way, the question you've all been waiting to hear: do I stand a chance?


Thank you in advance,
Oana

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[notstudying]

There are plenty of programs that take FMGs, and the fact that you come from a European med school (more of a known commodity amongst US PDs), and appear to have excellent english language skills are a definate plus. The most successful FMGs I have seen have arranged to do away electives in the US at the school (s) they are interested in-I'd talk to your medical school about whether they could arrange this. If you can't do clinical work, they trying to arrange a research fellowship so they faculty in the programs know you would be good too.

Another thought-are you interested in child psychiatry? There is a pathetic dearth of child psychiatrists in the US, and the route to it is psychiatry residency and child psych fellowship. I think psychiatry is a bit less competitive than pediatrics, and they are very interested in recruiting people interested in child psych.

 

[Lara]

From what you wrote, I think the biggest strike against you is lack of US clinical experience.

To put in comparison, I've not done any research nor am I near the top 10% of my class (at an unranked US school), and my Step 1 is slightly lower...but everyone says I'm fine for peds. It likely won't be a "top" academic program like CHOP/Boston/Hopkins, but it should be a good one. I don't think it'll be difficult for you to match in general, I understand FMG's comprise 25-30% of this year's interns. You've got a good school, solid board score (in a way it's a good sign you're not satisfied with it!) and apparently good English skills. But it would definitely help to have LORs from the US. That's the one thing that could easily restrict you. If you can arrange for some experience I think it'd really help in terms of matching at a better program (there are some excellent community ones with ties to academia), because you sound strong enough otherwise.

Best of luck - I know it's hard not to become paranoid about one's chances! btw, is Oana a common Romanian name? I've come across it since I follow gymnastics.

 

[Oana]

Thank you for your kind answers.

As far as US experience is concerned, I am not in a position to secure any rotations through my medical school, since I have graduated in 2004. I am also concerned about prolonging the certification process; a lot of programs have a rule of not accepting candidates that graduated more than two years ago, so I am doing everything I possibly can to "catch" the 2006 Match.

I think that I will apply to some 30 peds programs... I am aiming for a 99 on Step 2, which should not be so difficult (like I said, I am already a physician) -- who knows. My back-up will consist of Prelim programs, with the possiblity of reapplying next year with fresh US LORs.

notstudying, I have tried my best to enjoy child psychiatry, but to no avail . To tell the truth, I am more of a hem/onc kind of physician . On a funnier note, my disertation was based on EEG specifics in children diagnosed with ADHD, and I am pretty sure that I talked a lot more about the neurology of ADHD than about its psychiatric belongins!

Lara, my name -- Oana, pronounced Wanna -- was quite fashionable when I was born. I suppose in every country you can figure somebody's age based on his / her given name. 1979 was a good year for "Oana" .

 

[APACHE3]

Since you are already a graduate, you can't do any clinical rotations. but you can do observerships, which are not as strong as clinical rotations, but better than nothing. I think with your scores and European education, you will have several programs to choose from by the time of the Match 2006. Try looking in the South, where there are big academic centers, but maybe not so competitive as the Eastern coast schools. GL