Do 3 year J1 waiver jobs kill my chance at academia?

[gangstasanta]

Basically if i want to pursue haem/onc in an academic setting, is j1 really the best option for me? Sure, there's better chances of matching than h1b, but from what i understand you'll have to do the J1 waiver jobs which last for 3 years and are mostly involving primary care only. If I take up the j1 visa and work in such a setting for 3 years will it kill my chances at entering academic medicine completely, provided I have some research experience under my belt from residency+fellowship? Or will it just reduce my chances, but still be possible?

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[mvenus929]

I don't have any specific insights into heme/onc, but one of my co-workers is on a waiver right now, and we're affiliated with academic practice. One of our previous fellows was also on a waiver and moved to a site that was removed from the main hospital, but is now the medical director for the library and has won teaching awards from the medical school at his primary site. These are sites in relatively rural mid-west that are subspecialty.

 

[gangstasanta]

I don't have any specific insights into heme/onc, but one of my co-workers is on a waiver right now, and we're affiliated with academic practice. One of our previous fellows was also on a waiver and moved to a site that was removed from the main hospital, but is now the medical director for the library and has won teaching awards from the medical school at his primary site. These are sites in relatively rural mid-west that are subspecialty.

Hmm thank you for your reply. But as far as I know getting waiver jobs in your own subspeciality and in academic centers is very hard. What I want to ask is, if i get good research in residency+fellowship, but then switch to primary care at a non academic setting for 3 years, will that affect my chances into getting into academic medicine (especially research) later on

 

[mvenus929]

Hmm thank you for your reply. But as far as I know getting waiver jobs in your own subspeciality and in academic centers is very hard. What I want to ask is, if i get good research in residency+fellowship, but then switch to primary care at a non academic setting for 3 years, will that affect my chances into getting into academic medicine (especially research) later on

I mean, if you don't practice a subspecialty for 3 years, yes, that will impact your ability to get a job in that field, particularly in academics. Doing a subspecialty in a community setting for 3 years and then trying to move to academics would be easier. But again, I don't have much insight into the waiver process.

 

[Medisaint]

Basically if i want to pursue haem/onc in an academic setting, is j1 really the best option for me? Sure, there's better chances of matching than h1b, but from what i understand you'll have to do the J1 waiver jobs which last for 3 years and are mostly involving primary care only. If I take up the j1 visa and work in such a setting for 3 years will it kill my chances at entering academic medicine completely, provided I have some research experience under my belt from residency+fellowship? Or will it just reduce my chances, but still be possible?

Your other post made it sound like you were already a J1 in Heme/Onc. What stage of training are you?

DO NOT DO A J1 PHYSICIAN VISA if you can help it. Do whatever it takes to do an H1b, even if it means going to a lower-tier residency/fellowship. Doing J1 is pushing the snooze button on a 7 year alarm and is setting yourself up for heartache later on in your career. If it's J1 or nothing then you probably have to do J1. In that case just know that you are about to walk a very difficult path.

 

[rokshana]

Basically if i want to pursue haem/onc in an academic setting, is j1 really the best option for me? Sure, there's better chances of matching than h1b, but from what i understand you'll have to do the J1 waiver jobs which last for 3 years and are mostly involving primary care only. If I take up the j1 visa and work in such a setting for 3 years will it kill my chances at entering academic medicine completely, provided I have some research experience under my belt from residency+fellowship? Or will it just reduce my chances, but still be possible?

Gutonc is going to know better for hem/onc specifically, but not impossible to get j1 waiver in academia… but you may need to be in the middle of nowhere… Nebraska instead of Cali…but remember if you can’t match into IM to begin with because you narrowed your chances by only looking at h1b spots, getting into hem/onc fellowship isn’t really going to be an issue.

 

[gangstasanta]

Your other post made it sound like you were already a J1 in Heme/Onc. What stage of training are you?

DO NOT DO A J1 PHYSICIAN VISA if you can help it. Do whatever it takes to do an H1b, even if it means going to a lower-tier residency/fellowship. Doing J1 is pushing the snooze button on a 7 year alarm and is setting yourself up for heartache later on in your career. If it's J1 or nothing then you probably have to do J1. In that case just know that you are about to walk a very difficult path.

I'm not in a visa yet. Still deciding between them. I'm 95 percent sure i wanna stay in research. So im not looking at j1 that much but I'm very worried about my chances to match in haem/onc with an H1B. And to make matters worse i am Indian so i can't just drop out of residency to earn a GC then join fellowship, since it takes decades to earn a GC as an Indian

 

[bellejolie]

Your other post made it sound like you were already a J1 in Heme/Onc. What stage of training are you?

DO NOT DO A J1 PHYSICIAN VISA if you can help it. Do whatever it takes to do an H1b, even if it means going to a lower-tier residency/fellowship. Doing J1 is pushing the snooze button on a 7 year alarm and is setting yourself up for heartache later on in your career. If it's J1 or nothing then you probably have to do J1. In that case just know that you are about to walk a very difficult path.

can i ask why the j1 is so bad? i'm from canada and the only reason i'm not eligible for h1b is i didnt do the steps. j1 doesn't require them but will allow me to do fellowship in the states. why is j1 so awful?

 

[Medisaint]

can i ask why the j1 is so bad? i'm from canada and the only reason i'm not eligible for h1b is i didnt do the steps. j1 doesn't require them but will allow me to do fellowship in the states. why is j1 so awful?

I wrote a long post yesterday on the OP's other thread: J1 Waiver jobs at academic centers for haem/onc and other competitive specialties

You trade ease of applying up front for difficulty getting off the J1 physician visa track later on. At the end of your training you'll have to decide whether you'll go back to Canada for at least 2 years or work in an underserved area of the US for 3. If you plan to end up in Canada then it may not be that big of an issue but a lot of things can change over your training years. Marriage, kids, career opportunities, are not easy to predict.

I don't know what the application landscape is for H1b but if it's a matter of simply taking pass/fail steps then you should at least consider it.

Just know what the J1 physician visa is and what it is not. It is a training visa that is not designed to help you launch your career in the US--actually quite the opposite. By design, it's an cinderblock around your ankle designed to prevent you from competing with American physicians for desirable jobs. Even if you marry an American you can't get a GC until you complete the waiver.

There are days that I wish I worked in Canada so maybe doing the J1 and going back makes sense for you, but just be mindful of the flexibility you'd giving up.

 

[Medisaint]

I'm not in a visa yet. Still deciding between them. I'm 95 percent sure i wanna stay in research. So im not looking at j1 that much but I'm very worried about my chances to match in haem/onc with an H1B. And to make matters worse i am Indian so i can't just drop out of residency to earn a GC then join fellowship, since it takes decades to earn a GC as an Indian

It's tough man. You're going to have to work harder and be better than your American peers in order to stand out.

1) I don't know how this would affect your application but only the J1-PHYSICIAN track has the waiver requirement. You could consider doing research on a J1-RESEARCHER visa and then switch out of it later. You'd have to work it out with the sponsoring institution but this might let you get an in.

2) Fall in love and marry an American citizen (before entering the J1-Physician track)

 

[bellejolie]

It's tough man. You're going to have to work harder and be better than your American peers in order to stand out.

1) I don't know how this would affect your application but only the J1-PHYSICIAN track has the waiver requirement. You could consider doing research on a J1-RESEARCHER visa and then switch out of it later. You'd have to work it out with the sponsoring institution but this might let you get an in.

2) Fall in love and marry an American citizen (before entering the J1-Physician track)

damn i was hoping to meet my soulmate while in the US for fellowship!
I am happy to go back to Canada and work as well, like you said Canada is really not a bad place to work as a physician.
thanks for clarifying the issues. i dont think i can take all 3 steps in the next year so it'll be the j1 visa, and then whatever happens happens.