any suggestions for good schools to apply for Electives?

[Moslem Doctor]

and please any one know school which easy accept international student and cover his malpractice post it here

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[Winged Scapula]

try Baylor University in Houston.

 

[Moslem Doctor]

thank you so much doctor cox iam sorry for delaying in answer but i had my final surgery exam
what u think about yale and mount sinai it is good to have electives with them?

 

[leorl]

a lot of FMGs do Mt. Sinai, but will they cover your malpractice? Also...you could try Yale...but they probably would definitely require malpractice, and as far as I remember...it costs like 2000 $ to do the elective. If you want to, you could pay it...but I really don't think anyone should be paying that much to do an elective.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I agree with leorl - there are so many good programs out there that don't charge tuition that I fail to see why you would choose one that does. The reputation of Yale, Harvard or Stanford (3 places that do charge tuition for visiting clerks) does not significantly affect your application (presuming you get an LOR from one of their faculty).

The biggest problem for most FMGs/IMGs is malpractice coverage - many foreign schools will not cover the US/North America, so you need to find a program (like Baylor) which will offer it to you while rotating there.

 

[ManuNastai]

Hi! I'm a 4th year medical student from Romania; I've already gave my USMLE Step 1 exam and I want to benefit from the 2,5 years of Med School that I got left to get some USCE (elective rotations preferably) or some Research rotations.

I'd like to comunicate with those that are searching the web for these kind of things and post the gathered information here, so we all could share them.

I'd like to propose a type of reporting buletin for information you gathered from all the Universitys' websites and after emailing them:

Univ name:
Location:
Processing fee:
Tuition fee:
Insurances covered by institution:
Insurances covered by aplicant:
TOEFL requierment:
housing, transportation, meals:
Visa type:
Link:
Contact person:
Others:

a starting point in your search should be clicking here

this would be very helpful for all of us, because more searhers get more doors opened.

 

[ManuNastai]

OK, i'm going to post my findings now and I'd like to see people geting involved into my "project"

State Univ. of NY Downstate Medical Center
NY
175
none
none
malpractice, health
housing [email protected] for housing
???
http://sls.downstate.edu/registrar/visiting/international.html
Ms. Sandra Mingo [email protected], [email protected]
last year of me school and finnish all core clerkships

Mount Sinai School of Medicine
NY
200
300
malpractice??
health+40$ some other health insurance
???
900$ housing MSSM Real Estate Office at (212) 241-9620
J1
http://www.mssm.edu/students/handbook/electives/
Yovanna Torres at [email protected]
isn't necessary to finnsh all core clerkships before doing it

John Hopkins
Baltimore
250
none
none
health=182/month
no
??
??
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/students/policies/visitors.html
Mrs. Mary Foy [email protected]
International students are allowed to do only Research electives, I think there's no malpractice insurance needed

 

[ManuNastai]

Harvard University
Boston
100
3100
malpractice
personal health
no, interview through telephone required
none
??
http://medcatalog.harvard.edu/policies/clerk.html
Registrar asistant [email protected]
last year of med school and finnish all core clerkships

Brown University
Providene, Rhode Island
50
2873
none
malpractice, personal health
no
only housing covered by aplicant
??
http://bms.brown.edu/students/guide_vist_stu.html
Linda Bozzario,401-863-2293
last year of med school and finnish all core clerkships

 

[ManuNastai]

Check this out: (it's from the official Baylor website)

Be covered by malpractice insurance. You must show coverage by providing us with certification from your own institution that you are covered while taking an elective at Baylor. You may purchase malpractice insurance upon arrival at Baylor. Baylor offers malpractice insurance coverage at a one time fee of $12.00 (non-refundable). The Cashier's Office will accept cash, cashier's check, traveler's check and money orders.

..what does it mean? You can buy the insurance with only 12 $???

 

[ManuNastai]

Baylor Medical College
Houston, TX
500
500
malpractice bought with 12$
health=160/month
??
none
B1
http://www.bcm.edu/osa/visitingmed/
Donna Moore [email protected]
-

 

[leorl]

Hmm.. that is a good idea. I will make a template and sticky it to the top of the General International Med forums.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Check this out: (it's from the official Baylor website)



..what does it mean? You can buy the insurance with only 12 $???

Yes - if your school will not cover you in the US, you can purchase malpractice insurance from Baylor for a nominal fee. I didn't remember it being $12 but I know it was so little I didn't remember it.

They also require you to have health insurance which covers you in the US. On recollection, most schools will and either provide it for a fee (as I recall it was $150 or so at Baylor) or you can purchase traveler's insurance which will cover you.

I see you have listed that they have about $1000 in fees - that has certainly gone up, but then again, it was nearly 7 years ago that I was there!

 

[Moslem Doctor]

Dear Dr Cox
do you think that Baylor accept students easily in their electives? and also what about other schools in usa , alot of applications refused?!

 

[Winged Scapula]

I certainly didn't have any problem with Baylor but you are right - a lot of places won't accept IMGs/FMGs for electives. Either because of bias, ignorance or simply not wanting to devote the time it takes to verify credentials, etc.

I would suggest doing a search on this forum as there have been several threads about where people have been successful in getting electives. Bear in mind, that it is a tedious process that can take months to set up.

 

[ManuNastai]

hmm.. it seems that it is just as I thought: people coming, reading and passing.. right now there are 300 users on this forum and this is a hour with few users.. among these users there are a few who really read this section and among those there surely are a few who have done electives, but noone's lifting their fingers to write us a word or two about their experience. I think they're saying that if they didn't benefit from any help why should they help others...

there are a lot others that would like to do 'em. they're searching the web for info on how could they do electives. I can jus see 'em now googling for "electives international student" etc. But they just take the information available and not think to post their findings.. I think the prpose of these forums are to share, like I got informed, received some goods from this forum that helped me obtain something.. after doing that certain something I come back to the forum and post my experience on helping others obtain that thing. but this doesn't happend. why? is just the human way..

maybe the best example I could think of is the attitude of the people that after enormous efforts obtained a Surgery Residency. they got there and they say: **** everybody else, 'cause never helped me eather.. there are about 23% of surgery positions in the US who are IMGs, but noone is posting on forums.. there are another 25% of Ob/Gyn resdents who are IMGs, but nowhere to be found. Let's ask ourselves a question: Didn't any of them use these forums? Then why don't they write?

I'd like to thank leorl and dr. cox for not being like that. good luck you guys..

 

[leorl]

hehe let's not be so cynical. Just give it time. it's the holidays so many people are away or people who have experiences are swamped at work and may not have the chance to go on the internet and post. Just wait awhile. Kimberli Cox and I "work" for SDN, so we visit every day. Many others still don't know about details for electives. Although we can put what is posted on schools' websites and students can apply, it doesn't mean they'll be accepted so some may not have had successful experiences.

 

[doc2mohsen]

hi everybody i totally agree with u ManuNasti the posts in sdn so few . i have a question i want to know more about the 1 million in ithe insurance do we have to bay really 1million dollar?????????????

 

[ManuNastai]

this was the best!

 

[ManuNastai]

-Moom, I think I forgot the million $ for the malpractice insurance in my blue pants!!!
-I already put them in the washing machine, but donnot worry honey 'cause your father will be home soon with the other 12 million that he has made today.


...now seriously, get real my friend! do you think that if I had a mil. i'd waste my nights searching the web for info, learning months all day for steps, leaving my family here to go across the globe and give up my dream of becoming a plastic surgeon?

 

[doc2mohsen]

thnx ManuNastai for your nice reply . i just asking about that issue as i found it in many sites of american colleges . if u seriously know anything about it please tell us about it

 

[ManuNastai]

you gotta pay a sum of money to an insurance company that would pay up to 1 mil $ if you get sewed (I'm not sure if this is the correct spelling). usually they ask to be covered for 1 mil/3 mil. I don't know that the 3 mil figure means; maybe it means that the insurance should pay up to 1 mil for one occurence and up to 3 mil if you get sewed multiple times in the certain period you are insured.

the thing that I dunno is the thing that I heard that you gotta get the insurance for the whole year. Can't you just get the insurance for 1 month or two that you need?

Sorry doc2mohsen for making fun of you; your lack of knowledge is understandable.. all of us need some things cleared from people in the US system, so I probably shouldn't have been such a dick

 

[leorl]

firstly, does your school at home require indemnity insurance for you to be able to do your clinicals at home? If so, ask which company they go through and then question that firm about whether the indemnity works at overseas electives. I don't really know of any hospital which doesn't require it's staff (including students) to have indemnity insurance in case something goes drastically wrong and a patient wants to sue.

 

[doc2mohsen]

thanx leorl for yr reply

 

[leorl]

http://www.medicalprotection.org/ - Check them out. I don't know what country you're from so I don't know if what they offer applies to you. But I bet if you contact someone from the MPS, they might have an idea or at least point you in the right direction.

 

[doc2mohsen]

hi lerol my country is Egypt

 

[ManuNastai]

Does anybody have a sample of a Dean's letter and a sample of a Letter of recommendation? I realy need an example. Please attach them here if you have them or send 'em to [email protected] . Thanks a million!!!

 

[leorl]

I wouldn't recommend asking for a sample of an LOR. They are quite personal and I don't think people will be willing to share theirs on an anonymous forum. Not to mention the fact that technically the only ones who can share them are FMGs because we can get around the whole waiver to see them. Not saying that you should deliberately try to circumvent the waiver.

Just a point that often, it's not the content of an LOR that matters, but WHO has written the LOR that's important. An LOR from the Chief/Director Attending of a division is way better than just a regular attending from the program. You see, most LORs are very good and so the baseline level of LORs are good...everyone submitting one will "be a star in your program, has shown excellent committment, etc." An attending is most likely to agree to write you an LOR if it will be a good one. If the attending does not think you can perform, he/she would simply not write you one instead of writing a bad one. So the importance of the content of an LOR is diminished...unless the attending specifically says something like: if you do not accept this student into your program than we will certainly accept him/her into ours. If you can, try to get an LOR from someone with a title: Director of ___ , Program chair of __, Associate Director of ____ . etc.

 

[leorl]

A Dean's letter is just a statement of competency from your school. For instance, something like :

ManuNastai is a 6th year (final year) medical student at our ____ university. She/He is in good standing for an elective at your establishment, as she/he has passed ____ in the past years and received honors in _____ . Our curriculum includes the following courses: _____ . At this point in time, ManuNastai has completed x of them. We are confident that she/he will perform well in your rotation.

Basic stuff like that.

 

[ManuNastai]

thanks leorl. I've done some searching and found this with LoR, dean's letter samples and more.

also, I just got response to my mail from MPS saying that they don't cover Romanian sudents for malpractice insurance. It seems noone knows how I could buy one of those, even if I wanted...

this electives wanting-to-do business is damn hard and damn expensive!!...

 

[wonderwall]

Hi!Do you know if there are summer electives that lasts 2 months(August and September)?

 

[leorl]

universally, electives last 4 weeks. You can however, do two electives at the same place ... so there goes August and September.

 

[wonderwall]

thank you leorl..you are a mine of knowledge..

 

[fennek]

hey folks, 3rd year student from Singapore here. i'm also thinking of heading to the States for my electives (in Spring '08, lasting 4 months). still in the process of sourcing out possible colleges now. this thread and the other sticky are gems!

i'll definitely add whatever i can find here, and i hope others will do the same.

and yeah, ManuNastai, it does suck that with tuition, housing and all that, most colleges add up to quite a hefty sum.