Fighting Foreign Female!!

[JINX]

Hello All,
My classmate is female from a foreign medical school. She is fighting to obtain an orthopaedic surgery residency. Her step one score is in the low 90's. She also has submitted papers in orthopaedics for publication. What are her chances of obtaining an orthopaedic surgery residency? Are orthopaedic surgery residencies non-foreign friendly? Can you offer any advice for her?
Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[O'doyleRules]

Sadly, no matter what her qualifications are, her chances are slim to none. Her best chance is to pick one of the lower programs and go there to do research.

 

[JINX]

So does that mean she has a slim chance because she is foreign or because she scored in the 220's (90+ percent) on step 1?
Which programs are you referring to when you mention completing research at a lower center?
Thanks.

 

[O'doyleRules]

She has low chance because she is foreign. Enough of the overqualified american applicants don't match for the program directors to take foreign applicants. Additionally, 220 is not a score that will blow anyone out of the water. That is only the national average -- for her to have improved her chances, she needs to have done better, because that score would HURT an American applicant.

As for what I meant by going to a lower program and doing research, I meant exactly that. She needs to take time after graduation from medical school and work at one of the lower tiered programs for a year or two. That is how one of the foreign grads got into gen surg at my school. Otherwise, I can't see her having much of a chance. She should talk with program directors about whether this would be possible, and whether they would consider taking her on after that research.