Jagiellonian Med School match into U.S. Ortho/Plastic/Cardio surgery?

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kolera16

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I haven't had success applying in the US, but I've leveraged my professional and medical background into being offered a position at JU. However, from experience I'm only interested in the above mentioned surgical specializations. What's the feasibility?

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Very slim.

In 2014, for ortho, only 44/156 independent applicants matched--that includes DO's. Even for people with a Step 1 scores >260 (pretty stratospheric), it was 50:50 odds. For plastics, only 18/28 independent applicants matched. Sounds pretty good, right? Not really. Again, that includes DOs and people with very high Step 1 scores. If you're dead set on these specialities, I strongly urge that you reapply/consider DO schools.

More information:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/jagiellonian-2015-applicants.1121071/
http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Charting-Outcomes-2014-Final.pdf
 
Very slim.

In 2014, for ortho, only 44/156 independent applicants matched--that includes DO's. Even for people with a Step 1 scores >260 (pretty stratospheric), it was 50:50 odds. For plastics, only 18/28 independent applicants matched. Sounds pretty good, right? Not really. Again, that includes DOs and people with very high Step 1 scores. If you're dead set on these specialities, I strongly urge that you reapply/consider DO schools.

More information:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/jagiellonian-2015-applicants.1121071/
http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Charting-Outcomes-2014-Final.pdf

Thank you for the resources, I've had an exhaustive time reading everything I can find online about prospectives out of JU for USIMGs. I found a couple unreported JU matches from >5yrs ago to specializations like neurological surgery at Rochester, but overall the matches are in primary care fields, for which I simply don't have the drive. The Charting Outcomes 2014 report you linked groups USIMGs with several other cohorts that effectively understate how I'd fit in the "independent" category... If only these values were adjusted by JU-graduation, Dual-citizenships, US undergrad and grad degrees, etc..

My MCAT was 32 (2013, can't use again), GPA around 3.3, strong LORs, etc. I'm 28 working management at a small healthcare/biotech startup.
 
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It's extremely unlikely you'll match into those fields. Even as a US MD those fields aren't easy to get into- if you are the sort of person that can only do X, Y, or Z competitive field or bust, you really shouldn't be going to medical school, as you're a physician first and an X, Y, or Z second- there's a good chance you won't make the cut for the tough fields, so if you're not happy with the other options, you're pretty much setting yourself up for misery.
 
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It's extremely unlikely you'll match into those fields. Even as a US MD those fields aren't easy to get into- if you are the sort of person that can only do X, Y, or Z competitive field or bust, you really shouldn't be going to medical school, as you're a physician first and an X, Y, or Z second- there's a good chance you won't make the cut for the tough fields, so if you're not happy with the other options, you're pretty much setting yourself up for misery.

yes, that is indeed the reality. I've worked on a few interdepartmental research projects for 2 years - neurosurg, plastics, ortho, and ER with some crosses into primary care, depending on the patient's profile... from that experience I know which fields I do and don't want to devote myself to. My goal isn't to be a physician, it's to be a surgeon.. were I to match into a primary care residency I know I wouldn't be happy - not because they're somehow "lesser" by any means - they're definitely not - but they're not the right fit for me personally, vis a vis temperament/interests/types of problems.

There is the option of staying in the EU... however there's a personal consideration here - I have a significant other for whom I care deeply so I couldn't ask her to move for me as she has her own career. I wasn't more diligent when I was younger about medicine, and now the cards are almost entirely stacked against me it seem, no?
 
yes, that is indeed the reality. I've worked on a few interdepartmental research projects for 2 years - neurosurg, plastics, ortho, and ER with some crosses into primary care, depending on the patient's profile... from that experience I know which fields I do and don't want to devote myself to. My goal isn't to be a physician, it's to be a surgeon.. were I to match into a primary care residency I know I wouldn't be happy - not because they're somehow "lesser" by any means - they're definitely not - but they're not the right fit for me personally, vis a vis temperament/interests/types of problems.

There is the option of staying in the EU... however there's a personal consideration here - I have a significant other for whom I care deeply so I couldn't ask her to move for me as she has her own career. I wasn't more diligent when I was younger about medicine, and now the cards are almost entirely stacked against me it seem, no?
Odds are pretty bad tbph. Though you should've been able to score a US MD admit somewhere with those stats.
 
Have you considered interventional fields like cardiology? That's pretty doable out of a foreign school if you were to match IM.
 
Have you considered interventional fields like cardiology? That's pretty doable out of a foreign school if you were to match IM.

I have an uncle who graduated JU and is a cardiologist in the midwest, he jumps around every few years for a change of pace and is always in high demand... however he made the transition in the early 90s, it's now an entirely different world. I've always been a more hands-on person, though. Also, JU hasn't matched anyone to cardio. There were some neurology matches, but that too is mostly intellectual.
 
I have an uncle who graduated JU and is a cardiologist in the midwest, he jumps around every few years for a change of pace and is always in high demand... however he made the transition in the early 90s, it's now an entirely different world. I've always been a more hands-on person, though. Also, JU hasn't matched anyone to cardio. There were some neurology matches, but that too is mostly intellectual.

There's a known connection between JU and Rochester (which is actually one of the best neurology programmes in the world). I'm not sure if that's for USIMGs or actual FMGs (the difference being that the latter cohort could presumably get into medical school in their own country).

Neurology is not just cerebral (so to speak). Stroke, interventional, neurointensivist--all very exciting stuff and procedural in the latter two subspecialties.

I mean this well, but there's simply no way that you're "sure you want to be a surgeon" after just two years of doing interdepartmental research. I've seen umpteen million medical students trot down this path only to retreat very, very quickly come time for clinical rotations (or after bombing Step 1--the hardest test you'll ever take in your life).

Until you're tediously closing skin at 1am only to get up to preround at 5am can you know that you couldn't imagine being happier doing something else--because that's what it takes to have a long and successful career in surgery.

What's wrong with rural FM? Lots of them run EDs, about 10% perform major surgeries, 20% do deliveries, and you can tailor your practice to be procedure-heavy.

To put it bluntly, what you're after ain't gonna happen. So many "ifs" it's not even funny. Do you have EU citizenship? That makes JU much more appealing. Otherwise, do everything you can to stay in the country you want to practice in. I wish you the best of luck.
 
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