Quality Residency?

[arc1479]

Ok.. tell me if there is anyone in my sort of situation, and even if not, it would be great if you have wisdom to share. I want a career which contains clinical interventional cardiology and vascular biology research in equal measure. This may sound like something that goes without saying, but I get huge kicks out of research and really want to do good work in the area of restenosis and cell signalling.

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[axm397]

I dont know much about the legality of this - but is it possible for you to rotate at certain programs?

I did an internal medicine rotation at the Cleveland Clinic and saw that there were many FMGs there - especially from the middle east, also met some residents from India. I think doing a rotation and spending time with the attendings as well as getting letters of recommendations from them would be very beneficial.

You have 3-3 1/2 yrs to enhance your application - could you spare a few weeks to do a rotation? If not, can you contact an attending at a program you would want to go to - and see if he/she can "collaborate" with you on your research? Even if you end up doing a lot of scut work and lit searches - you can get a letter out of that as well.

Again, I don't know the legality of doing this.

 

[Blade28]

Hmmm...if you're thinking about a US residency (which it sounds like you are), you're going to need to jump through the same hoops as other IMGs/FMGs. I think you're going to need to plan for taking at least Step 1 of the USMLE; you may also need to take the CSA and TOEFL. I'm not too clear about this; anyone else have any input?

I would assume you would need to go through the NBME match process, as well.

 

[arc1479]

what will be the consequences of applying as a MD, PhD?

 

[axm397]

Best person to ask would be the coordinators at the institutions you are interested in . Here's the link for Cleveland. http://www.clevelandclinic.org/education/mse/mselect.htm

 

[Samir Desai]

Contacting the institutions that you are interested in is a great place to start. If you are interested in UW or Cleveland Clinic, look over the information they make available over the web but if your questions remain unanswered, feel free to contact them. Talking to current residents (preferably graduates of foreign medical schools) at these programs can also be very helpful. They may share their background with you and have some insight into what their residency programs are looking for in their IMG applicants. Once you have a better idea of what they are looking for, you can plan accordingly, especially since you have considerable time before you apply for residency training.

While observerships are not hands on, the attending can still assess your fund of knowledge, how you carry yourself, etc. These are important things that your attending can comment on in a letter of recommendation for the residency application. A strong letter of recommendation may open up other doors - perhaps an opportunity for you to do more than just observe. A phone call on your behalf from an attending might get you an interview at one of the programs you desire. Don't underestimate the importance of connections. Best of luck.

Samir Desai, MD

 

[arc1479]

Do good programs want candidates with that kind of profile?