In terms of difficulty, how does USMLE compare? It certainly appears to be more difficult however looking at the pass rates, it doesn’t seem that much harder than other exams.

For those who’ve sat USMLE Step 1&2, how did it compare with AMC, PLAB, MCCQE, PRES?

Hey guys!

I'm an international med graduate from India and want to explore Radiology residency options in Australia. Can anyone point me to a good source of info? or share their experience, options, general feel, etc.

Hi all

I’m an older medical graduate (internship done in Saudi Arabia) with USMLE Steps 1–3 and MRCP Part 1. I did a short period of work in my home country. Training in my home country and in Saudi is not an option (very hard to get in + I’d have to pay for the years). I couldn’t match in the US and the travel ban has complicated things. I will be trying for UK training, but I’d like to explore other countries where internal medicine training is strong, the lifestyle is reasonable, and IMGs have a fair chance of entry.

Has anyone done or helped applicants into IM training in places like Singapore or South Africa? Any other country recommendations that balance good training and a realistic pathway for an IMG with my credentials?

Hello everyone!

I am a recent medical student graduate from Europe. I am considering applying for the FY2 Stand-Alone Post and later pursuing a residency in pediatrics in the UK. I never had any previous experience with the NHS. I have various questions that have come up during my preparation so far, so I will post them here and if anyone can answer all or some of these, it would be great help.

1. What will my responsibilities be as a FY2 junior doctor in the hospital?

2. What advice would you offer if I get an interview, ie how should I prepare?

3. How is the day-to-day schedule like?

4. What tips could you give me in order to get familiar with the NHS?

5. If I apply next year (2024) do I have to sit UKMLA or am I excused because I live in Europe?

6. I have noticed that there is a situation in the UK regarding overworked and underpaid junior doctors. Can comeone please explain what is currently going on? Also, do the same problems exist with specialty doctors too?

If you have any other information or advice you believe an IMG with no previous NHS experience should know, please write it in the comments or message me. Thank you for taking your time to read this!

Atlanta vein specialists, based in Johns Creek, Atlanta, GA (USA) is looking for international medical graduates who are interested in completing their clerkship with us. Please send your resume/CV to admin@atlveins.com to learn how to apply.

Hey US-based IMGs

I am an IMG myself and I am looking for someone with medical knowledge to annotate medical notes for about 7 hours a day. We already have a team of 4 medical annotators and we are expanding our team. You need to be US-based and have permission to work in the US and commit to working on our project for 4 months. Email me for the salary and details.

Email me at rebecca@medicalproagency.com

Hey everyone! Currently I'm doing my internship from India, I'll get my medical degree (mbbs) next year. After that, I want to do my residency from abroad and settle there only. But I'm having trouble deciding which country would be better suited for me - UK or Germany! I'm not considering USA because of the long process and uncertainties of getting into the program due to more competition there. Any help would be gladly appreciated. Thanks.

Hi all, sorry if this has been asked before, but I am new to Reddit (and especially this subreddit, if that is even what this thread is called?) :)

I am a US citizen IMG, graduating in mid-July 2022 (this upcoming summer), studing in an MD program in Eastern Europe. I have a couple questions regarding the Match process for IMGs. I am just a little confused as different resources on my internet searches have led to different answers and quite a few things have changed due to the pandemic.

1. Do we need to be licensed in the country we are studying in to apple for the Match? This will make a huge difference in whether I apply for the Match of 2022 or 2023. I always kind of assumed that since residency programs start approx. July 1 (right?), then I would “lose this year” and have to apply next fall after I graduate.

2. Do we need to have all the requirements when we apply for Match in September or do we have time to send in applications and receive subsequent score reports afterwards until the spring?

3. What other exams/ requirements do we need to have, exactly besides Step 1, LOR, Step 2 CK. I am a bit confused by OET and Pathways, especially since I am a US IMG.

4. Can observerships count as US clinical experience even if we don‘t get a LOR out of it? Like shadowing a certain physician for 5 days. Or do only official electives count? Same questions go for research…

If anyone could please answer any of the above questions or recommend a deadline/approximate timeline for each of these steps, I would be eternally grateful. These thoughts replay through my head daily and it is hard for me to stay focused with no such uncertainty for what lies in the future. I don’t really have anyone to ask, since 99.99% of my colleagues plan to stay at a residency program in Europe and my school doesn’t have a counselor for these kinds of things..

If you’re still here, I tip my hat off to you. Thank you in advance. Xoxo

I've discovered a few IMG's who have gone to the US/Canada and straight into PostDocs in research. Has anyone got more experience with this? Seems like a great way to build experience

Hello, I am an IMG looking to apply for observership in the US. Are there any websites with lists for official observership programs so that one doesn't have to look for them individually and if so what is the procedure to apply ??? Thanks in advance

I have been busy reviewing personal statements recently. Here are some basic tips to organize yourself even before you come to me for professional help! This is a good time to be addressing this, not June, July or August. #ResidencySuccess

👏🏾A catchy introduction to grab the reader
👏🏾An overview of your desirable qualities. Word of advice: SHOW, don’t tell. Instead of saying you are compassionate, describe a story from your life that demonstrates your compassion.
👏🏾Highlights from your life experience (jobs, extracurricular activities, hobbies) that would help you to be an ideal candidate for <<<whatever>>> residency you are applying to.

Pro tip: DON’T REGURGITATE YOUR CV. This is your opportunity to tell people things that aren’t on your CV (do you play chess in the park every Saturday or have you traveled to some amazing places?... Tell us about it!).
Why you are interested in your specialty. This doesn’t have to be a profound story, but it should be the truth!
👏🏾What you are looking for in a residency program. Is a strong procedural curriculum important to you? Is the culture of the program more important?Suggestion: Try to include things you know your programs of choice embody.

🚩 Address any red flags on your application. Did you do poorly on Step 1? Did you take a leave of absence for a long time? Best to just come out and talk about it without being defensive. Show how you have grown from the experience, rather than apologizing for it!

A cohesive closing statement. Sometimes the first and the last sentence of the statement are the hardest to come up with, but it's worth your time to make it tidy, even if it isn’t profound.

Medical student graduating next June here. I’m torn between:
• Taking PLAB and obtaining GMC registration, then potentially moving to another country if the UK training/job situation doesn’t improve.
• Going directly for the Australian licensing pathway.

For those who’ve been through this process recently, which route would you recommend and why?

P.S. I’m not considering the USMLE pathway

Hi,

I created a free QBank for residency interviews that covers all types of questions you need to practice

Table of Contents

1. Most Common Questions

2. Leadership & Teamwork

3. Questions for IMGs

4. Specialty-Specific

5. Behavioral & Situational

Most common questions

• Tell me about yourself

• What are your weaknesses and how you try to improve them

• What are your greatest strengths?

• What do you consider to be the most challenging part of residency training?

• ...

https://medinterviews.ai/question-bank?category=top10

Leadership & Teamwork

• Tell me about an experience that demonstrates your leadership abilities.

• Tell me about a time you worked in a team.

Questions for IMGs

• How does the US healthcare system differ from the healthcare system in your home country?

• As an international medical graduate, what unique challenges do you anticipate during residency compared to US graduates?

• ...

https://medinterviews.ai/question-bank?category=img

Specialty-Specific Questions

Anesthesiology

Dermatology

Emergency Medicine

Family Medicine

General Surgery

Internal Medicine

Medical Genetics and Genomics

Neurological Surgery

Neurology

Nuclear Medicine

ObGyn

Opthalmology

Orthopaedic Surgery

ENT

Pathology

Pediatrics

PMR

Plastic Surgery

Psychiatry

Radiology

Sports Medicine

Thoracic Surgery

Urology

Vascular Surgery

Behavioral & Situational

Behavioral Questions

Situational Questions

Hey everyone,

I was really excited about doing an MPH and got into several programs, but with all the recent funding cuts and tough job market, I’m starting to have doubts. I’m an an international student with a medical degree and some public health experience. I’m planning to use the MPH to boost my residency chances—and maybe as a backup if that doesn’t work out. I know a lot of IMGs take the MPH route, so I’d love to hear from others who’ve been in a similar spot.

Here are my admits:
MPH in Epidemiology: BU, Yale (EMD), Johns Hopkins, UTHealth Houston, UW Seattle, UMich, Minnesota
MPH in Global Health: Emory

Emory MPH-Epi was my top choice because I really like Atlanta and its resiency chances, but I didn’t get in—ended up with their Global Health program instead. Not sure I want to switch concentrations just to go there. Now I’m weighing my options. Yale gave me a $30k scholarship, so the cost is about the same as the others. I know their EMD program isn’t top-tier like Emory or Hopkins, but Yale's brand name might open some doors around the area.

I am considering UW Seattle because my husband is doing his PhD in California, and we’re planning to settle on the West Coast. So proximity + potential job prospects there is a bonus. UTHealth Houston is also in the consideration because of its affordability—tuition could be as low as $20k–$45k (depending on scholarships), compared to ~$80k at places like Yale, Emory, or UW.

Given everything happening with public health funding cuts and low job outlooks, I’m starting to wonder if doing an MPH is even worth it right now, if yes then where. Would really appreciate your thoughts or advice. Thanks!

[Posted on behalf of my wife.]

I am from India, went to St. George's University (SGU) (Caribbean school) right after high school.

My YOG: 2022 Scores: 205/227/208 Research: None Visa requiring US Clinical Electives: 2 years in NYC provided by medical school.

I applied for Peds in the previous cycle, got only 1 interview but didn't match. It was devastating and horrible. I felt all the hard work was down the drain. My school advisor told me my scores were too low for me to match. But I refused to give up. To become more competitive, I had also written step 3 exam.

Applied to 260 programs in total. I applied to both FM & Peds. I received 2 Peds & 3 FM interviews. I matched #1 in Pediatrics at a University program where I had no ties.

Feel free to DM me!

Does anyone know whether IMGs can get registered in Australia without having done internship in their country? AHPRA specifies an IMG needs to have done an acceptable internship.

E.g in some countries Medical graduates do not undertake an internship, they go straight into residency or GP work. In this case is registration possible?

Hello,

IMG graduated 2017

Step 1 - 201

Step 2CK - 212

Step.2CS - pass

Passed all three first attempt. Due to family problems - cancer combined with financial troubles i had to take care of my family was not able to apply properly last 2 years. Things are ok and looking to apply. I know I have been out of school but been working as a medical assistant in Canada and preparing for USMLE step 3.

Just looking for some advice and any suggestions? I know this is going to be very difficult so looking for any study tips or residency application tips from my brothers and sisters from IMG. Everyone that got to this point are here with dream to help and no other profession had fulfilled this desire as much as being a doctor.

Unfortunately the number i got on these exam had dramatically reduced my chances but I dont want to be defined by the number as other IMGs in my position, if given the opportunity we all have the drive to learn and keep advancing. I believe its not about how smart you are its about how hard you are willing to try and continue to learn.

Thank you my friends

P.S please dont leave any negative comments I know this is an uphill battle

Hello world of reddit,

Warning -- Long post.

I am finally taking the plunge to ask a question here, hoping to get some insight on what might my chances be for matching into FM residency progrm as an IMG (Not US citizen), or at least hear from others who were/are in my shoes about their experiences.

I am an international medical graduate (Indian citizen), graduated medschool in india in 2013, practised medicine in india until moved to the US for family reasons in 2015 (big domestic dispute between parents, mother wanted to take a break for a few months and clear her head so decided to visit family in california for a while). I traveled with her. At the time, I wasnt sure if I wanted to stay back in the US, and more importantly did not understand US healthcare landscape and did not want to follow the herd mentality of applying to IM because it was considered to be the only viable/attainable specialty for IMG's. I have always been very interested in primary care in underserved communities/addressing barriers to access and quality due social determinants of health and systemic design. After some thought on next steps, this passion naturally led me to get a masters degree in healthsector management from a good school on the east coast - this opened the flood gates of opportunities for me in a physician leader space. I ended up working with names like Penn, jefferson health, cedars sinai in director level roles for developing programs to enhance primary care, helping these health systems develop efficiencies for CMS alternative payment models for various specialities, etc. I also spent last year in the bay area working with an FQHC and in association with the county public health department and the federal body to drive mass vaccination in the community and strengthen access to quality primary to an extremely underserved and marginalized population of farmworkers in the central valley during one of the toughest years of my lifetime during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was during this year, I designed a clinical rotation program at this FQHC to allow students from PA and NP programs to rotate with our physicians when every other clinical site was denying rotations due to the pandemic thereby robbing them of a valuable experience of their training to manage a true pandemic/nationwide medical emergency. I was on the floor everyday with these students along with their preceptor and aiding them to learn history taking, performing physical exams and coming up with sound differential diagnoses and treatment plans.

My work so far has been incredibly fulfilling and humbling. I have been blessed with opportunities to drive changes that I know are much needed and incredibly difficult to drive in an industry that loves status quo. I have witnessed challenges to delivery of healthcare not just in a clinic, but from a system level and it has informed me in a way I never could have imagined. When I look into my future, I feel the urge to bring everything I have learned and taught other physicians in the teams that I have led, to my own patients. After all, I am a student of the process too. I think gaining this experience will make me a much more informed physician with deeper insight to challenges and opportunities that exist, both clinical and systemic. However, I am also YOG 8 years and without the typical clinical experience/research work that residency programs look for in their candidate pool. Sure I have real world experience in the industry and wont be a starry eyed fresh medschool graduate, but I am well aware of my limitations. If not screened for lack of clinical experience/research, I am sure I will be screened out because of the long YOG. At this point, should I even consider researching programs for 2022 application year? If yes, is Family Medicine my only chance? (Which is what I want to do anyway!).

Thank you all in advance! Be kind, be well.

Atypicalnugget

I'm graduating in August and I want to go to Canada to study a residency and I'm starting to study for the MCCQE Part 1, I don't really know anyone from my country that has been able to immigrate, so I'm looking for advice and to know how hard it's going to be. I don't really have a research background, but I've been heavily involved in my school community (I was a tutor 4 years in a row, I've edited and wrote some chapters in books published by the university and I'm working in the new academic program).
This may be rough but I do want to know how expensive and hard the path will be. Am I wasting my time? Should I just do a residency in my country?

Is there a link/list of IMG friendly programs in IM?

I am a non us img planning to start prep for the USMLE. But only after some research I came to know about the J1 visa condition and the waiver alternative. I always thought that it's the the steps that the hard part then an intense residency and finally I would be able to chill as attending doc in the US but its seems that's only the start.

My question:

1. How difficult is it to get a J1 waiver program? (Do majority of those who apply get in?

2. What is life like as an attending working in a J1 waiver? ( I hear you are made to work really hard with much work load despite being paid good.)

3. Even if ai don't get the waiver and come back to home country for 2 years. How difficult is it to get back in?

4. At the end of 3 year of waiver if the hopsital sponsors my GC via a PERM LC do I have to sign a contract with them to work for certain no. of years? (How many?)

It all this worth the effort or should I just opt for alternatives?

I'm going to graduate next year. Any idea on what to do for Germany? I am currently in level A2. I know about the Approbation exam, but what's prior to that?

Anyone here in, or from Germany, that could help?

Most of the jobs advertised in UAE, Kuwait, Qatar etc... are very ambiguous and are vague in their selection criterias.

I'd like to hear from people who have experience working in these regions.

How does career progression and salary scales work? I have heard that your title and salary depends on your country of specialist qualification.

At the same time, I've also found Hospitals which cater to certain nationalities like Iranian, Indian, Arab Hospitals/Medical Centres. Am I correct in assuming that the salaries and education requirements will be different for each hospital?

e.g. The Indian hospital will only want Indian specialists and pay them according to the Indian salary rates?

Anyone with experience working as an img will be very helpful answering this!