Clinical experience in US for IMG

[Ranana]

Hi guys! This is the first post I'm writing although I have been lurking around SDN for a few years now. I'm in a bit of a situation and would really appreciate some advice.

I'm currently a 4th year medical student in Ireland, and would like to apply for the Ophth match when I graduate. Currently preparing for boards. I'm at a stage where I'd like to gain some USCE next summer in Ophth, however I have been met by a few obstacles.

Firstly, most places I have contacted seem to only offer Observerships for foreign medical students- I don't know if this is an Ophthalmology thing or what but I haven't been able to find many places willing to accept students like me for a clinical elective

Secondly, since I know networking and contacts plays a huge role in securing electives, I have contacted many Ophthalmologists I personally know in the US and their institutions have also only offered me Observerships- I'm talking big places like Wills Eye and Bascom Palmer

I'm getting quite frustrated as I know Ophthalmology is extremely difficult to match into in the first place, and US Program Directors like to read about an applicant's clinical skills in a LOR and don't view Observerships as clinical experience as by definition they are not.... However since this is Ophthalmology and I can't really participate in patient care anyway is it okay for me to accept these Observerships, especially since they are at such big and well-known institutions, and would Program Directors look upon them favorably or would I be selling myself short and should look harder for "Clinical Electives"?

Your advice on this would be muchhhhh appreciated!!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[road2residency]

While these observerships are not official US clinical experience, I believe that they would not hurt your application. Personally, I view observerships as opportunities to see and be seen in an institution. More importantly, they are opportunities to impress the higher-ups at that institution and secure letters of recommendations from them. A letter from a well-known name in the field can go a long way in improving your chances for the match.

This is not to say that LORs alone will get you in, however. You still need to study hard and do really well on the boards to maximize your chances in this very competitive specialty.

Be careful, however. Many programs require OFFICIAL US clinical experience for applicants, so be sure to check your desired program's minimum requirements.

Best of Luck! I'm a US-born IMG and the LORs I got from my observership helped me match with my #1 choice!

 

[muscarinic]

Observerships aren't usually considered clinical experience here. However I know several people (IMGs) who have done the same and successfully matched. Use the opportunity to get LORs, maybe even a research project and of course the experience will still help you during residency.

 

[Fascia Lata]

I would say that the fine line between observership and "hands-on" elective is particularly blurry in ophthalmology. Contrary to medicine or general surgery, medical students do not generally have a direct patient care role in ophthalmology rotations, due to the relatively larger number of patients an ophthalmologist is squeezed to see in a given slot, the sepecialized nature of the skill set you need to be able to use the equipment and do a basic eye exam, and the fact that many of the surgeries are a one man show with literally no room for error.

I agree that an observership will never hurt, but as an IMG who has been through this myself, I strongly recommend you consider taking a year or 2 to do a pre-residency fellowship in research or a field like ophthalic pathology in order for you to have a serious shot at matching.