Moving to the USA as an IMG

[ChaudaryT]

Salam everyone, I'm in my first year of medical school here in the UK and I have the long-term goal of moving to the USA to practice in the future.

Does anyone here have experience in this matter and any possible tips regarding what I should be doing at this early stage to set up such a move?

 

[Colorblind Genius]

So to start off with, you need to verify that your med school is recognized by AAMC. If not, forget it.

Then, you will plan to take USMLE step 1, 2 and preferably step 3 before or right after you graduate. This usually takes two to three years of extensive study before you get ready to take the steps.

If you are a residency applicant in USA who is more than 3 years old of a graduate, your chances to get a match go down pretty drastically. And hence, you must be done with USMLE steps before graduating or right after graduating from the med school. The fresher of a graduate you are, the better your chances to match in the residency program.

Not a bad idea of you start looking into right now. Taking Kaplan courses help.

However, a very high USMLE steps score (which is a must) hardly increases your chances of getting a residency match. Everyone in the applicant pool will have mind boggling scores.

Two other factors that play a vital role are, your immigrant status. If you are moving here as an immigrant on a green card, then that's good for you.

Another factor is U.S., experience.
This is something you must try to get.
And the way to do is reach out to your medical school and see if they have an affiliation with an American Hospital where you can do a couple of rotations?
If not, there is some possibility that you can actually buy a rotation or two in United States. There are some agencies who could help you secure a rotation in a U.S., hospital. The cost is around US$10,000.00

Remember, there are four basic (unadvertised) tiers on the residency match list.
First preference is obviously given to American graduates.
Second, Caribbean graduates who are U.S., citizens.
Third, Foreign graduates (non-Caribbean) with a green card or U.S., passport
Fourth, Foreign graduates with J1 or H1 visa.

Also, have some realistic expectations. Top level specialties usually only take American Graduates.
For example, you will probably be wasting time and money if you apply into a residency program like, Urology, Radiation Oncology, Ophthalmology etc.
You wanna focus on Internal medicine, Family Medicine, and perhaps Anesthesiology or paeds.
Also, there are some indications that Radiologists may have a very poor future in the U.S., since it has started to get heavily out sourced to India.
So perhaps you wanna stay away from Radiology.


This is just a general outline.
You can also join student doctor network forum to find more info.

All the best!

 

[Syed1]

JPEG is a highly supported format, but you could try your luck as a PNG.




Ok I'll see myself out

 

[ChaudaryT]

Thanks for the advice [MENTION=151861]Colorblind Genius[/MENTION]

Yes my medical school is recognised by the AAMC.

I'm not quite sure if you're familiar with the teaching style in UK medical schools but we learn through a method called problem based learning which gives us a lot of flexibility in directing our study.

I think it would be quite possible for me to tailor my learning towards the USMLE curriculum so I can prepare for the exam during my time in medical school.

When do US medical students sit the USMLE? Do I have to sit it after graduation?

 

[kk1992]

Thanks for the advice [MENTION=151861]Colorblind Genius[/MENTION]

Yes my medical school is recognised by the AAMC.

I'm not quite sure if you're familiar with the teaching style in UK medical schools but we learn through a method called problem based learning which gives us a lot of flexibility in directing our study.

I think it would be quite possible for me to tailor my learning towards the USMLE curriculum so I can prepare for the exam during my time in medical school.

When do US medical students sit the USMLE? Do I have to sit it after graduation?

Buy First Aid and UWorld Q bank when you are ready (buy First Aid now so you know the high yield material and focus on it), understand every word in both First Aid and Uworld Q bank and you will rock your USMLE.

 

[Pakistanian]

Get at least a 240+ on the steps and aim for >260 to be competitive.

 

[Obeid]

US medical students sit for Step 1 after second year; Step 2 after third year.

US graduates cannot take Step 3 until after graduation from medical school; it is taken in the first year of residency.

 

[Obeid]

AMBOSS is another good resource which is new that is very helpful.

 

[Obeid]

So to start off with, you need to verify that your med school is recognized by AAMC. If not, forget it.

Then, you will plan to take USMLE step 1, 2 and preferably step 3 before or right after you graduate. This usually takes two to three years of extensive study before you get ready to take the steps.

If you are a residency applicant in USA who is more than 3 years old of a graduate, your chances to get a match go down pretty drastically. And hence, you must be done with USMLE steps before graduating or right after graduating from the med school. The fresher of a graduate you are, the better your chances to match in the residency program.

Not a bad idea of you start looking into right now. Taking Kaplan courses help.

However, a very high USMLE steps score (which is a must) hardly increases your chances of getting a residency match. Everyone in the applicant pool will have mind boggling scores.

Two other factors that play a vital role are, your immigrant status. If you are moving here as an immigrant on a green card, then that's good for you.

Another factor is U.S., experience.
This is something you must try to get.
And the way to do is reach out to your medical school and see if they have an affiliation with an American Hospital where you can do a couple of rotations?
If not, there is some possibility that you can actually buy a rotation or two in United States. There are some agencies who could help you secure a rotation in a U.S., hospital. The cost is around US$10,000.00

Remember, there are four basic (unadvertised) tiers on the residency match list.
First preference is obviously given to American graduates.
Second, Caribbean graduates who are U.S., citizens.
Third, Foreign graduates (non-Caribbean) with a green card or U.S., passport
Fourth, Foreign graduates with J1 or H1 visa.

Also, have some realistic expectations. Top level specialties usually only take American Graduates.
For example, you will probably be wasting time and money if you apply into a residency program like, Urology, Radiation Oncology, Ophthalmology etc.
You wanna focus on Internal medicine, Family Medicine, and perhaps Anesthesiology or paeds.
Also, there are some indications that Radiologists may have a very poor future in the U.S., since it has started to get heavily out sourced to India.
So perhaps you wanna stay away from Radiology.


This is just a general outline.
You can also join student doctor network forum to find more info.

All the best!

Anesthesiology is too competitive for US MDs, most IMGs will struggle for that specialty. Internal Medicine or Pediatrics the way to go.

 

[moghul]

I primarily visit this wonderful forum to discuss cricket and enjoy to do so just as another cricket follower and never felt to talk about by own profession but to answer your particular question, I can tell you that I'm a faculty in a University Academic center and teach fellows and residents and have been involved in interviewing and selecting fellows and residents in University program and also in an affiliated hospital. With this background I try by best to help you with your question.

I think colorbild genius's posting is wonderful in this regard and he/she gave you very good description of the current situation , although in some areas my experience is slightly different , as I interview and select the resident for the residency.

In our university program , almost all residents are American MDs , not even DOs. In our affiliated hospital, there are ,mostly non-US MDs, including DOs and FMGs.

After US MDs, US DOs are preferred and also applicants from St. George's University in Grenada as we have found they are very well trained and educated. Other schools in caribbeans are not the same and we prefer good FMGs applicants, many from India and Pakistan. You being a med student from England would have an advantage to be from an English speaking and developed country. If I would be selecting you that would be big plus factor.

THE most important factor is your USMLE score, particularly in STEP 1, after that if you have any publication or any research work and then your recommendation letters and your clinical rotations. For you being a med student from England, it is not very important to have US rotations.

How you present yourself during the interview is very important.

So, take good score in STEPs, get some abstracts or if possible article published, and sooner you do is better, during or just after your medical school graduation and you can get into residency program in USA, a good one.

Colorblind Genius has already given you all the infos you needed, I don't have much to add on that, but would be glad to answer any question you have. Hope you won;t ask me some specific question like which university hospital I work in.

I interviewed many candidates this week , both US MDs , DOs and FMGs.

 

[WC-Passion]

So to start off with, you need to verify that your med school is recognized by AAMC. If not, forget it.

Then, you will plan to take USMLE step 1, 2 and preferably step 3 before or right after you graduate. This usually takes two to three years of extensive study before you get ready to take the steps.

If you are a residency applicant in USA who is more than 3 years old of a graduate, your chances to get a match go down pretty drastically. And hence, you must be done with USMLE steps before graduating or right after graduating from the med school. The fresher of a graduate you are, the better your chances to match in the residency program.

Not a bad idea of you start looking into right now. Taking Kaplan courses help.

However, a very high USMLE steps score (which is a must) hardly increases your chances of getting a residency match. Everyone in the applicant pool will have mind boggling scores.

Two other factors that play a vital role are, your immigrant status. If you are moving here as an immigrant on a green card, then that's good for you.

Another factor is U.S., experience.
This is something you must try to get.
And the way to do is reach out to your medical school and see if they have an affiliation with an American Hospital where you can do a couple of rotations?
If not, there is some possibility that you can actually buy a rotation or two in United States. There are some agencies who could help you secure a rotation in a U.S., hospital. The cost is around US$10,000.00

Remember, there are four basic (unadvertised) tiers on the residency match list.
First preference is obviously given to American graduates.
Second, Caribbean graduates who are U.S., citizens.
Third, Foreign graduates (non-Caribbean) with a green card or U.S., passport
Fourth, Foreign graduates with J1 or H1 visa.

Also, have some realistic expectations. Top level specialties usually only take American Graduates.
For example, you will probably be wasting time and money if you apply into a residency program like, Urology, Radiation Oncology, Ophthalmology etc.
You wanna focus on Internal medicine, Family Medicine, and perhaps Anesthesiology or paeds.
Also, there are some indications that Radiologists may have a very poor future in the U.S., since it has started to get heavily out sourced to India.
So perhaps you wanna stay away from Radiology.


This is just a general outline.
You can also join student doctor network forum to find more info.

All the best!

Maybe I'm just being highly cynical, but this does not seem worth doing unless you have direct links and contacts in the US.

 

[moghul]

Maybe I'm just being highly cynical, but this does not seem worth doing unless you have direct links and contacts in the US.

Wrong, totally, every year thousands of FMG gets residency in USA and there is no reason anyone with right effort and planning would not succeed. Particularly FMGs from western Europe medical schools get very good residencies, I know many surgeon in my university program from Western Europe.

 

[WC-Passion]

Wrong, totally, every year thousands of FMG gets residency in USA and there is no reason anyone with right effort and planning would not succeed. Particularly FMGs from western Europe medical schools get very good residencies, I know many surgeon in my university program from Western Europe.

If you're planning to live in the UK though there's no reason not to do it here. Residency in the US is only a good idea if you're wanting to live abroad imo, mainly because residency in the US is very intense and it's main benefit compared to the UK is that it's shorter and more recognised around the world. Otherwise you're spending a lot of money, time and effort for a slightly better outcome than what you could get here.