Worth doing US electives in unrelated field without getting LOR? (IMG)

[RN1]

Is it worth doing US electives in a specialty that you are not going to apply for and not asking for any LORs? Will extra unrelated US clinical experience help me get a residency? How many US electives should the IMG aim to do?

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[McGillGrad]

LOR are about vouching for you as a student. They can only help you if they are great. I used great LORs in other fields over a good one in the field I chose and I ended up just fine.

 

[gutonc]

For an IMG, USCE trumps almost everything else. The more you can get, the better. You need to spend as much time in a US hospital as you can. And if you get a great LOR out of it, so much the better.

 

[RN1]

How do the residency directors know that I have US clinical experience if there is no LOR? Is there somewhere in ERAS where you can add this information?

 

[cyneuron]

How do the residency directors know that I have US clinical experience if there is no LOR? Is there somewhere in ERAS where you can add this information?

I have similar doubt.

But you can (and will) surely add the USCE (Observership/Clerkship/Externship or whatever it is) in your Work Experience Section.

LOR, not only makes stating that USCE MORE official (in observeship, you usually don't get any official evaluation from attending or department), but serves its own distinct purpose (which is the real gold), that is recommend you, based on what Attending perceived of you while you were having USCE under his/her guidance, to residency programs.

But its really a hard job to get LOR out of Observeship unlike Clerkship/Externship, because you don't get to workup and present cases to Attending (this is the situation I am facing....)

 

[cyneuron]

For an IMG, USCE trumps almost everything else. The more you can get, the better. You need to spend as much time in a US hospital as you can. And if you get a great LOR out of it, so much the better.

Will 6 weeks make a significant difference over 4 weeks since I am thinking of doing 4 weeks of Observership followed by Research ?

 

[gutonc]

Will 6 weeks make a significant difference over 4 weeks since I am thinking of doing 4 weeks of Observership followed by Research ?

Is that all the USCE you'll have? Observerships barely count, but they're better than nothing and all you can really do if you've already graduated. But yes...that's 50% more. Again, you need as much as you can get. Like a whole year would be best.

 

[McGillGrad]

How do the residency directors know that I have US clinical experience if there is no LOR? Is there somewhere in ERAS where you can add this information?

You add the information to your transcripts, since there is some sort of paperwork associated with rotating, plus you add it in your personal statement and CV.

 

[cyneuron]

Is that all the USCE you'll have?

That kind of hurts...(Kidding).

But the truth is that it is becoming next to impossible to get Observership (practically the only thing you can get after graduation; finding Externship is like being able to find Aliens) these days (specially in non-IM fields (e.g. Neurology for me)). Its really a bad scenario these days for IMGs to get USCE.

And as you said, its better than nothing. And also, at least it gives you an opportunity to try to get a US clinical LOR (not saying necessarily a strong one).

 

[Buzz Me]

Not sure where some of our rotating students get their opportunities (connections with attendings perhaps?)...but every fall we have anywhere from 1-4 international med students rotating on the "popular" services here. And they're allowed to do whatever the other med students do, not just observe.