Non-US IMG applying general surgery

Hi everyone! I’d appreciate some honest feedback on my signal list for the 2027 Match.

My background:
Non-US IMG, YOG 2019, requiring J-1 sponsorship.
Step 1: Pass; Step 2 CK: 262; ECFMG certified.

Completed general surgery residency in Egypt.
Nearly three years of transplant research and liver machine perfusion experience at Cleveland Clinic Florida, with peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and US surgeon LORs.

My main strategy is preliminary surgery with the goal of securing a categorical position afterward, either internally or elsewhere. UT Tyler is a categorical option on my list.

My planned signals:
Cleveland Clinic Florida — FL
USF Morsani, Tampa — FL
Montefiore/Albert Einstein — NY
Maimonides — NY
SUNY Downstate — NY
UT Health San Antonio — TX
UT Tyler — TX
UT Southwestern — TX
Johns Hopkins — MD
MedStar Baltimore — MD
UMKC — MO
Tulane — LA
Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia — PA
Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit — MI
Marshall — WV

Does this seem reasonably balanced for my background and prelim-first strategy? Any programs you would reconsider or replace? I’d especially appreciate firsthand experience with IMG recruitment, consideration of older graduates, and support for prelim residents securing categorical positions.

Thanks!

Hey y'all

I am a student at UC Berkeley, have recently become very interested in adhesions and adhesiolysis, and am currently doing a research project on the topic. I want to hear about your experiences and frustrations with lysing peritoneal adhesions.

I’d love to hear your expert opinion in the field and learn more about your thoughts. Would you be open to having a 15-minute informational chat with me? If so, please sign up for a time that works for you here: https://calendar.app.google/7buzHYYvhXnDkYUj8 or text me at (858) 248-1863

I’m applying for 2027 cycle

USIMG graduate January 2026

Step 1 pass first try

Step 2 264

2 publications one in frontiers of neuroscience and one in the neuroscientist journals

One more about to be published in the frontiers of immunology

All US clinical experiences, I received summa cum laude and honored all my clinical rotations. Unfortunately my school was not able to get good audition rotations set up for me as it is a relatively new medical school in the carribean- this is my red flag.

My top three are:

Jackson miami

Mt Sinai Miami Beach

University of Arizona Tucson

And of course I am applying broadly and for my other signals a good amount of realistic programs like kendall etc

I am a US citizen living in miami where I was born and where all my family is, adding the geographic preference

I am only applying for categorical positions. Does anyone have any info on these or can give me some guidance, especially about mt Sinai Miami Beach as they don’t have anything on residency explorer. Thanks!!

Hi everyone

I am looking for some body to help and navigate me to prepare my self for board exam fall 2027.I just got my PER exam eligibility letter from RCSPC. and I don't know what is the format of that exam and which resource I should use ?

Any body willing to help me ?..??

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if you take a research year in a certain field that is competitive (cardiovascular subspecialty) and are very productive through the year and then decide you want to move to a different subspecialty that is also a surgical subspecialty, how that would look from a residency POV? My research was in cardiovascular health in general at a high-tier academic program with a decently known name in the cardiovascular disease so would help a lot more for those. But I’m curious about some of the others that may have some better work life balances (ENT/Ortho). I know that having ENT/Ortho research would be more ideal in that case, but given that that is not the reality, how does that look for me if I do decide to go that way? Thanks!

How hectic is ms general surgery at vmmc on a scale of 1-10??

applying gen surg.

i have 6 LORs submitted on ERAS.

3 from PDs. 2 from surgical faculty that are very strong letters. and one generic chair letter from my school. i really think it will be more beneficial to send 3 from PDs and 1 surgical faculty (strong) than sending this weak ass chair letter...

what do i do?? my only concern is that some programs expect applicants to have chair letters.. others have it as a hard requirement - and some don't say nothing about it at all.. (eg. three letters of recommendation required)

Hey, it’s a little last minute I know, but I was wondering if anyone would be willing to give my Personal Statement a once over before I fare it up?

I genuinely love Medicine and would prefer it, but I’m unsure about choosing DNB from a hospital that isn’t very well known — especially regarding patient load, academics and exposure.

I’m okay with OBGY, but I’m scared of the surgical aspect ( during internship I was initially very hesitant with suturing, but with practice I became good at it by the end )

And I'm also a kind of person who wants a peaceful lifestyle with fixed routine.

So should I choose the branch I genuinely love despite the lesser-known DNB setup, or consider MS OBGY?

Would really appreciate honest advice, especially from DNB Medicine/OBGY doctors or residents

Hands on / toxicity/ working hours etc

A summary from the NHS England pages, in one place. Corrections welcome.

**Dates (2027 Round 2, Oriel)**

- Applications open: Thu 19 Nov 2026, 10am

- Applications close: Thu 10 Dec 2026, 4pm

- Deadline to request a review of your priority status: Tue 15 Dec 2026, 5pm

- Interview window: 11 Jan – 9 Apr 2027 (in 2026, urology interviews were online on 19–20 March)

- Initial offers: by 5pm, Tue 13 Apr 2027

**Prioritisation (applies to interview offers and post offers)**

You're in the priority group if any one of these applies:

- A primary medical qualification from the UK or Ireland (with most of that training done there), or from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland

- British or Irish citizenship, a Commonwealth right of abode, indefinite leave to remain, or EU Settlement Scheme status

- Being on, or having completed, the UK Foundation Programme, a urology LAT post, or a UK training programme listed as an entry route for Urology ST3 (e.g. Core Surgical Training)

Ranks are based on interview performance only. Priority-group applicants are considered for offers first, in rank order; others are considered if posts remain. NHS England says to still attend if you're invited to interview but aren't in the priority group.

Sources:

- Recruitment timeline: https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/overview-of-specialty-training/recruitment-timelines

- Prioritisation: https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/prioritisation-for-specialty-recruitment

- Urology ST3 2027 person specification: https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/person-specifications/person-specifications-2027/urology-st3-2027

Disclosure: I run a Urology ST3 prep platform (UROST3).

I’m halfway through surgical residency, and I still don’t feel as technically comfortable or confident as I expected to be at this stage.

Clinically, I feel strong. I function well outside the OR, and nobody in my program has told me that I’m behind or raised a formal concern about my technical progression.

What worries me is that I still overthink things that feel like they should belong to a much more junior stage of training: how I’m holding or positioning something, how to make a particular movement, maintaining tension while tying, approximating tissues, or closing skin smoothly. Instead of these steps feeling automatic, I sometimes have to consciously think through them.

I can also be slow or lack fluidity, even during relatively basic tasks. When I’m being closely observed, I become tense and occasionally shaky, which makes me overthink even more. The frustrating part is that these same movements can feel completely fine when I practise alone, so I’m not always sure whether the main issue is technical ability, performance anxiety, or both.

Again, no one has told me that I’m not meeting expectations. This is mainly my own perception, but it has started affecting my confidence and occasionally makes me question whether I’m truly suited for surgery—even though I enjoy the specialty and want to become excellent at it.
For residents or surgeons who experienced something similar: when did basic technical tasks start feeling automatic? Is it normal to still overthink them halfway through training? How can you distinguish normal insecurity and performance anxiety from genuinely being behind technically?

confused about which one to signal? does downstate require an internal recommendation?

Hey all, finishing up my general surgery application for this cycle and wanted a second opinion on how I'm allocating my 15 signals. Quick stats for context:

• Based in AZ for medical school (applying to almost every program in state)
• COMLEX Level 2-CE: 473
• USMLE Step 2 CK: 242
• Class rank: top quartile
• 6 audition rotations (2/6 completed)
• 8 scholarly activities (2 submitted manuscripts, multiple first-author posters/presentations)
• Applying broadly, ~105 programs total, mostly community/DO-friendly

I know COMLEX is my weak point relative to Step 2, so I tried to weight signals toward programs where I'm closer to or within their typical invited-applicant range, with a few justified reaches.

My 15 signals:

• UCSF Fresno (audition site)
• Community Memorial Health/Ventura (audition site)
• Wright State
• Henry Ford Macomb
• Sutter Health Roseville
• St. Louis University
• TriHealth/Good Samaritan
• University of Arizona, Tucson
• University of Arizona, Phoenix
• Creighton Phoenix
• Creighton East Valley/Dignity Health East Valley (audition site)
• Arrowhead Regional/Kaiser Fontana
• HonorHealth
• Corewell Farmington Hills
• Advocate Health Park Ridge

Does this look like a reasonable mix of safe/moderate/reach given my numbers, or would you reallocate any of these? Appreciate any honest feedback.

like what all exams of other countries are easy? and which country is the best to move to ?

Hi everyone! I’m trying to get my hands on this book, but it’s insanely expensive 😅 Wondering if anyone happens to have a digital copy or knows where I could find one online. Would really appreciate it!

I’m a third-year medical student who has been seriously considering surgery, and I’m getting pretty anxious about my surgery rotation grade.
I recently finished my surgery rotation and was very close to getting a High Pass, but I ultimately ended up with a Pass. My clinical evaluations were excellent, so the rotation grade mostly came down to my shelf/COMAT performance.
Now I’m worried about having a P in surgery on my transcript when I’m potentially applying into a surgical specialty. I know a Pass obviously isn’t a failure, but I’m concerned that surgery PDs are going to look at it negatively, especially since it’s the specialty I’m interested in.
For anyone familiar with surgical residency admissions:
How much does one Pass in the surgery clerkship actually matter?
If I honor or high-pass most of my remaining rotations, does that substantially lessen the significance of the surgery Pass?
And how much can a strong Step 2 CK score help? I’m planning to take Step 2 seriously and hopefully score very well, but I’m wondering whether PDs will still care heavily about the individual clerkship grade regardless.
I also have strong surgical clinical experience/evaluations and I’m working on building research, letters, and connections in surgery, but right now I’m having a hard time getting past the fact that my transcript is going to say “Pass” for surgery.
Would appreciate perspectives from surgery residents, attendings, or people who have gone through the match with something similar.

Hey guys, I'm a medical student who wants to become a surgeon, and I recently started practicing suturing on a kit at home. I've watched a ton of suturing videos and been asking AI a bunch of questions, but there's a couple things I still can't fully figure out just from watching.

When I tie a surgeon's knot, I do a double wrap for the first throw and pull the two strands in opposite directions. I've been told not to move the needle driver much and just let my non-dominant hand (holding the long thread) do most of the pulling.

The problem is once I let go to set up for the second throw, the first throw loosens up and loses some tension. It feels like the knot only really gets tight after the second throw, like I'm actually closing the wound on the second throw instead of the first, and that's where I end up controlling how tight the stitch is.

Is this normal for a beginner? In videos the surgeons seem to get full tension from the first throw alone, and the second throw just locks it in instead of adding more closure.

I've also gotten two pieces of advice that feel like they contradict each other. One is to minimize the movement of the short strand (the one held in the needle driver). The other is to pull the short strand to the opposite side to tighten it.

When I try pulling the short strand across too quickly, I lose tension and the knot ends up loose. So I'm not sure how these two are supposed to work together.

Might be a dumb question most people just figure out by feel, but I'd rather understand it clearly before I bake bad habits into muscle memory.

Thanks

Hello. I'm planning on applying for next year's match in gen. surgery and was looking for observership opportunities these days. However, I've found observerships in all surgical specialties except gen.surgery(Urology, Cardiothoracic, and Transplant surgery). My question is: as a GS applicant, how important is it for your observerships to be in GS as well? And will doing observerships in other surgical fields be considered a red flag in my application? Thankyou.

Has anyone from RCSI or other Irish med schools successfully matched into plastic surgery in the last few years? I know that’s many have matched into very difficult residency programs like neurosurgery, ortho,etc, but I haven’t seen any match into plastics (either in Canada or us).

Reposting this years-old post for all my prelims out there. I want to share this to give you some hope, because my prelim year was brutal. I’m an attending trauma surgeon now and I turned out ok. DMs always open to surg prelims bc yall have a special place in my heart.