FMG psych matching?

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medfoetus

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Hey everyone.
I'm thinking about doing residency in the US as an FMG from London,UK.
Does anyone know how much of a disadvantage it is and if good USMLE scores make much of a difference?
My grades/rank aren't fantastic and I don't see that changing much, I'd just like a perspective from people on psych programs currently.

Thanks guys...

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I went to med school in Australia. Wasn't really a significant disadvantage at most places, although there might be a handful of programs that filtered me out for being an IMG. Psych is a pretty IMG-friendly specialty, so if your USMLE scores are good, you'll probably have plenty of options. If you went to med school in a developed English-speaking country, most programs will recognize that your training should translate pretty well. Of course, it helps if you went to a school with a recognizable name.
 
Hey everyone.
I'm thinking about doing residency in the US as an FMG from London,UK.
Does anyone know how much of a disadvantage it is and if good USMLE scores make much of a difference?
My grades/rank aren't fantastic and I don't see that changing much, I'd just like a perspective from people on psych programs currently.

Thanks guys...


@medfoetus Are you planning on applying during final year of medschool or during FY1?
 
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Aren't the 4th year final exams held in June in the UK? Would it really be possible to graduate, get the diploma, get the ECFMG certificate, apply for and get the state license/permit and start residency by July 1? Not to mention the visa delays.
 
Hey everyone.
I'm thinking about doing residency in the US as an FMG from London,UK.
Does anyone know how much of a disadvantage it is and if good USMLE scores make much of a difference?
My grades/rank aren't fantastic and I don't see that changing much, I'd just like a perspective from people on psych programs currently.

Thanks guys...

You're a US citizen and went to med school in London? Why didn't you go carrib(sgu or ross?)......I'd much prefer working with them as at least they do there clinical years at fairly big hospitals in the US and rotate with m3s and 4s from american medical schools. American citizens who go to europe or other first world countries to med school I don't get.....unless it's substantially cheaper than sgu/ross(which I have no idea). You're not going to fool anyone about why you went to med school in germany or whatever.....

that said, psych being psych there is plenty of room for all US fmgs right now.
 
Thanks guys, I actually have a residency permit so no immigration papers. Sounds like 4th yr would be a rush but worth it maybe...
 
I grew up in London and my family is here and yeah - med school is less than a quarter of the cost. Didn't hear great things about the Caribbean and would much rather be in a major city. Can't remember trying to fool anyone during this process, that's a ridiculous statement.
Good to hear people still shy away from my favourite specialism!
 
Just keep in mind that ECFMG takes a few weeks to send you the certificate (if I'm not mistaken), and getting the temporary license/permit also takes an equally long time, depending upon the state. In most states, you cannot begin your residency (at least clinical duties) without this permit. Research the timeline thoroughly before you spend a lot of time and money on applications and interviews, only to end up not being able to start on time and potentially ticking off your program director, or worse, becoming ineligible for the match altogether (if your graduation date somehow falls beyond July 1 for instance).
 
Thanks @slappy I will definitely look into that!
The intricacies of the application process...I can hear my bowel sounds already.
 
I would do it sooner than later. Every year it will get harder as more US med schools are growing and residency spots aren't. Some programs automatically reject all FMG applicants now.

I don't think a year will make a huge difference. The statistics haven't changed at all for % IMG accepted for over 10 years (they may have slightly risen) despite all the doom and gloom. Some directors will also definitely be willing to extend the July 1 start date. Several of my classmates have successfully matched in 4th year, and we get our degrees on June 1st. None of them had trouble with the programs after they matched.
 
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I grew up in London and my family is here and yeah - med school is less than a quarter of the cost. Didn't hear great things about the Caribbean and would much rather be in a major city. Can't remember trying to fool anyone during this process, that's a ridiculous statement.
Good to hear people still shy away from my favourite specialism!

well that makes it a bit different....if you really grew up in London and you're family is there and you didnt get in to a US school, I could see going there instead of SGU/ross. But apart from those special family circumstances if I was a USIMG I'd much rather go to Ross or SGU than a med school in a first world country that doesn't have US clinicals.
 
@medfoetus I don't know to be honest. Part of me thinks to get everything over with as soon as possible. The other part thinks that it would be good to have a year of UK clinical experience which may be good preparation for American internship. I'll be applying after FY1, though I worry how I'll be able to find the time to go for interviews. :nailbiting:

I would do it sooner than later. Every year it will get harder as more US med schools are growing and residency spots aren't. Some programs automatically reject all FMG applicants now.

:nailbiting: x 2
 
well that makes it a bit different....if you really grew up in London and you're family is there and you didnt get in to a US school, I could see going there instead of SGU/ross. But apart from those special family circumstances if I was a USIMG I'd much rather go to Ross or SGU than a med school in a first world country that doesn't have US clinicals.
I wish they did have US clinicals believe you me! I'm going to try to arrange an elective (or three) if I can out there. I even wanted to transfer at one point but realised that would be totally impossible. Sort of wishing that I had done a masters to boost my GPA and just gone US, but the debt really would have been huge. Hindshight...yadayadahhhh
 
To the OP, the FMG status is generally a minus on the application at a competitive program, but at some places it's a plus and really up to the bias of the program director. At UCSF you don't see any FMGs. At a place like UCSD, FMGs are common with the idea being they work a lot harder than us lazy Americans. Some of that's true. But two hours north at UCLA NPI and Harbor you don't see any FMGs. It's really up to what the program directors like.
 
If you get your diploma in June, you won't be able to start in July. ECFMG takes 1-2 months to get you your certificate, and then it takes another couple of weeks (depending on the state) to get you your medical license.
 
If you get your diploma in June, you won't be able to start in July. ECFMG takes 1-2 months to get you your certificate, and then it takes another couple of weeks (depending on the state) to get you your medical license.

It takes a couple of weeks now for ECFMG to verify your credentials and issue a certificate since the verification with the medical school is now done online and not through postal mail (if the schools is part of EMSWP).
 
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