arc1479
07-15-2004, 03:53 PM
Ok.. tell me if there is anyone in my sort of situation, and even if not, it would be great if you have wisdom to share. I graduated from an Indian medical school a couple years back. I am in a good PhD program here in the states doing vascular biology research and will hopefully graduate in three to three and a half years. I want a career which contains clinical interventional cardiology and vascular biology research in equal measure. This may sound like something that goes without saying, but I get huge kicks out of research and really want to do good work in the area of restenosis and cell signalling.
The problem (if you can call it that), is that I am not ready to settle for the community based residency (and fellowship) programs that most international medical grads go in for (atleast the ones that I know), for lack of opportunity at the better university affiliated programs (top tier hospitals). One goes through all this training once in his life and, for better or for worse, one's alma mater sticks to him for life, which suggests that if I want a really successful career I will have to make top tier, research-oriented, residency and fellowship programs. I am going to take my boards before I graduate from here (and hopefully do well... ) and enter the match as a MD, PhD. What sort of chance do I have of making a top tier Internal Medicine program (say...ummmm... Univ of Washington or Cleveland Clinic)? Am I being realistic? I have completed a one-year clinical research fellowship, have three published abstracts (in society level journals), have presented at one national convention, have completed six studies and will try and do a whole lot more in the next three years. No published studies yet but have just submitted two for publication. Also, I have won the dean's fellowship merit award at my current grad school and was top of my med school class in Physiology, Anatomy and Internal Medicine. I think my lack of 'hands on' clinical experience in the US will hurt me and suggestions regarding acquisition of that will help as well. If I am indeed being realistic in aiming high, suggestions regarding improvement of my CV in the next three years would be particularly appreciated.
Thanks people.
arc1479, MBBS
(Cellular and Molecular basis of Medicine program- University of Rochester)
The problem (if you can call it that), is that I am not ready to settle for the community based residency (and fellowship) programs that most international medical grads go in for (atleast the ones that I know), for lack of opportunity at the better university affiliated programs (top tier hospitals). One goes through all this training once in his life and, for better or for worse, one's alma mater sticks to him for life, which suggests that if I want a really successful career I will have to make top tier, research-oriented, residency and fellowship programs. I am going to take my boards before I graduate from here (and hopefully do well... ) and enter the match as a MD, PhD. What sort of chance do I have of making a top tier Internal Medicine program (say...ummmm... Univ of Washington or Cleveland Clinic)? Am I being realistic? I have completed a one-year clinical research fellowship, have three published abstracts (in society level journals), have presented at one national convention, have completed six studies and will try and do a whole lot more in the next three years. No published studies yet but have just submitted two for publication. Also, I have won the dean's fellowship merit award at my current grad school and was top of my med school class in Physiology, Anatomy and Internal Medicine. I think my lack of 'hands on' clinical experience in the US will hurt me and suggestions regarding acquisition of that will help as well. If I am indeed being realistic in aiming high, suggestions regarding improvement of my CV in the next three years would be particularly appreciated.
Thanks people.
arc1479, MBBS
(Cellular and Molecular basis of Medicine program- University of Rochester)