IMG entering the Military

[NeedToStudy]

So I was looking at the requirement to be a Medical Corps Officer in the Army and one of the requirements is that you have to graduate from an American medical school. Of course as an IMG I don't meet this basic requirement. So my question is if an IMG finishes his intern year is there any way for him to get a waiver for this? I know I should ask a recruiter this question but I figured I'd also ask on SDN if any of you have experience in this area.

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[Red Lobster Actual]

Are you a US Citizen?

 

[NeedToStudy]

Are you a US Citizen?

Yes

 

[jabreal00]

To my knowledge there is no requirement to have graduated from an American medical school. As long as you have residency/citizen and have a year internship with an unrestricted medical license you can join the military. The scholarships are getting more competitive to get with the draw down in the wars so Army > USN > USAF in terms of easier to get. Talk to a recuiter if it is something you are really interested in.

 

[psychbender]

Well, at this point, its not really a scholarship, as he's not joining as a medical student. I'm not even sure how this would work, as FAP is for those persuing civilian residency, receiving a stipend and yearly check (ostensibly for loan repayment) from the military, and thus incur a military service obligation. With HPSP, the service picks up the tab for medical school, and in exchange, the recipient trains in the military, and pays off the time-debt owed for the monetary investment by the service.

This poster seems to be looking for a way to access military residencies, without first incuring an obligation through training or other financial assistance. I do not believe that there is a program that details the mechanisms for this, but I am sure some folk have entered in this fashion. However, this raises a huge red flag of why does this person seek training from the military when he/she does not already owe the military time? A couple of times a year (usually in the peri-match period) a few members come on this forum asking how they can enter the military GME system, and it is usually due to the fact that they are marginal (at best) students that failed to match (maybe again) in the civilian sector, and are desperate for training. Now, I do not know the OP, but it is based on this experience that I throw the shenanigans flag.

 

[pgg]

Are you a US Citizen?

FMG usually means a foreign-born person who went to school in their home country, and is looking to come to the US for residency training. Depending on where they went to school they can be really, really outstanding. Usually not citizens.

IMG typically means a US citizen that goes abroad, usually the Caribbean, for medical school. Those schools don't qualify for HPSP, and those graduate often have a lot of trouble matching in the US. It's a tough spot to be in, since those schools cost a fortune, and usually get financed at higher rates than students at US schools can get. So, as noted above, a couple times per year IMGs will ask about the military option in this forum, because they're in a corner and willing to take on the military payback just for a chance to train. I sympathize with them but the military medical corps aren't a backup plan when all hope is fading, a la the kid trying to escape the ghetto by enlisting. HPSP fills every year.

More and more IMGs are going to find themselves in this position, as US class sizes increase while residency spots stay constant. It's a harsh game of musical chairs.

 

[notdeadyet]

To pgg's comment, IMG is now used interchangeably with FMG. I posted something to the effect of what you wrote above and I was directed to an AAMC and ACGME document that indicated they use the single term IMG.

Irritating, but for folks going through med school now and beyond, we need to ask.


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[pgg]

I didn't know that. Interesting.

Wonder why they did that. Two very different groups of people deserve different labels.

 

[notdeadyet]

Wonder why they did that. Two very different groups of people deserve different labels.

I couldn't agree more. I did some digging and confirmed what I was told. ACGME specifically defines the term IMG to mean someone who graduated from a non-U.S. medical school. AAMC uses the term IMG interchangeably as well, but occasionally uses the term "USIMG" to refer to what what was previously considered IMG. FMG has faded out.

Not sure of the reasoning. I can accommodate change (sometimes slowly) but I hate when we lose specificity without a decent reason.

 

[jabreal00]

Well, at this point, its not really a scholarship, as he's not joining as a medical student. I'm not even sure how this would work, as FAP is for those persuing civilian residency, receiving a stipend and yearly check (ostensibly for loan repayment) from the military, and thus incur a military service obligation. With HPSP, the service picks up the tab for medical school, and in exchange, the recipient trains in the military, and pays off the time-debt owed for the monetary investment by the service.

This poster seems to be looking for a way to access military residencies, without first incuring an obligation through training or other financial assistance. I do not believe that there is a program that details the mechanisms for this, but I am sure some folk have entered in this fashion. However, this raises a huge red flag of why does this person seek training from the military when he/she does not already owe the military time? A couple of times a year (usually in the peri-match period) a few members come on this forum asking how they can enter the military GME system, and it is usually due to the fact that they are marginal (at best) students that failed to match (maybe again) in the civilian sector, and are desperate for training. Now, I do not know the OP, but it is based on this experience that I throw the shenanigans flag.

I did not mean to apply that an IMG will obtain a scholarship or get loan repayment. They'd be joining the military with an obligation of however many years of the length of a military residency without any loan repayment. I am not clear if the OP was also referring to joining after residency (more likely for residency). The requirements for military GME are US citizen/resident, an internship year at an accredited US hospital and finally an unrestricted medical license. pgg is right that those who graduated from international medical school looking to join military GME are doing it primarily because it is difficult to get a categorical residency if not a graduate of a LCME accredited medical school. It happens but one would have to be cream of the crop with excellent board scores. My original point is that with the HPSP scholarship becoming more competitive (for American grads) more military GME residency spots are being filled. Sneaking in this way may not be a viable option because the military can afford to be choosey. However if one is an IMG and has done residency here in the US, they can join as long as they have a specialty (psychiatry, primary care etc) in demand by the military.