NS for FMG?

[washomatic]

Hi,

I am an FMG from India..top 1% grad class..average scores on the MLEs 90/220 and 94/230 ..currently doing a PhD in the UK studying cerebral injury..will finish my Membership of the royal college of surgeons too.4 published abstracts and hopefulyl atleast 2 publications before i finish my PhD...Hope to aim for the 2009 match..what are my chances..what sayeth u guys? Semblance of a chance? or should i forget about NS? and Im 26..

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[soeagerun2or]

Hi,

I am an FMG from India..top 1% grad class..average scores on the MLEs 90/220 and 94/230 ..currently doing a PhD in the UK studying cerebral injury..will finish my Membership of the royal college of surgeons too.4 published abstracts and hopefulyl atleast 2 publications before i finish my PhD...Hope to aim for the 2009 match..what are my chances..what sayeth u guys? Semblance of a chance? or should i forget about NS? and Im 26..

220 is the minimum a lot of programs will look at. As an FMG you are at a disadvantage. However, publications and a PhD may help.. I'd give it a push.

 

[Tired]

Hi,

I am an FMG from India..top 1% grad class..average scores on the MLEs 90/220 and 94/230 ..currently doing a PhD in the UK studying cerebral injury..will finish my Membership of the royal college of surgeons too.4 published abstracts and hopefulyl atleast 2 publications before i finish my PhD...Hope to aim for the 2009 match..what are my chances..what sayeth u guys? Semblance of a chance? or should i forget about NS? and Im 26..

On a completely unrelated note, something I've been wondering about for a while.

Most of the Indian graduates I've seen post questions like this always start with "I was in the top 1% of my class". Do you have to be that high to go abroad for residency/research? Or is it similar to my high school where the top 10% got a letter from the school that they were in the top 1%? Also, where do your other 99% go?

 

[Spine Specialist]

Hi,

I am an FMG from India..top 1% grad class..average scores on the MLEs 90/220 and 94/230 ..currently doing a PhD in the UK studying cerebral injury..will finish my Membership of the royal college of surgeons too.4 published abstracts and hopefulyl atleast 2 publications before i finish my PhD...Hope to aim for the 2009 match..what are my chances..what sayeth u guys? Semblance of a chance? or should i forget about NS? and Im 26..

Hey,

YOU are the one who has to decide what you want in your career. Dont ask anonymous people about your chances and let them discourage YOU. There is no one in this forum who has more credentials that you at age of 26. Just do it buddy.

http://www.med.wayne.edu/neurosurgery/setti.htm

^^
If this guy from india can do it..you could also do it.

 

[Jackofknives]

Does it even matter what class rank you are on if you are a FMG? Do PDs even care?

 

[washomatic]

On a completely unrelated note, something I've been wondering about for a while.

Most of the Indian graduates I've seen post questions like this always start with "I was in the top 1% of my class". Do you have to be that high to go abroad for residency/research? Or is it similar to my high school where the top 10% got a letter from the school that they were in the top 1%? Also, where do your other 99% go?

hey..thanks for the 'entirely unrelated note'..well its a matter of individual choice really for a person to chose whether to stay back and get trained in India or any other country of origin or go to the other side of the globe..I merely mentioned my position to see if I had a better chance at cracking the match than anybody else really..Well I can't comment for the rest of the 99% as they chose to do whatever they want to do!!

All I can say for myself is that I have been fascinated with neurosurgery from the beginning and hope to train in the states. Unfortunately being bitten by the Wanderlust bug early on in my life dint help either.As I believe a person is a sum total of his/hers experiences I thought I should get some experience living and working elsewhere too..might settle on a remote farm in Melanesiafor all I know..So after going off an obtuse tangent there Id like to say that the bottomline is : its one's choice really!

Thanks to the others for the kind words of encouragement..

 

[washomatic]

Hey,

YOU are the one who has to decide what you want in your career. Dont ask anonymous people about your chances and let them discourage YOU. There is no one in this forum who has more credentials that you at age of 26. Just do it buddy.

http://www.med.wayne.edu/neurosurgery/setti.htm

^^
If this guy from india can do it..you could also do it.

Thanks Spine specialist! Is that Van Dyck moustache on your profile picture?

 

[Northerner]

Hey,

YOU are the one who has to decide what you want in your career. Dont ask anonymous people about your chances and let them discourage YOU. There is no one in this forum who has more credentials that you at age of 26. Just do it buddy.

http://www.med.wayne.edu/neurosurgery/setti.htm

^^
If this guy from india can do it..you could also do it.

For the record, it looks like the guy to which you are referring did an internship year first at SUNY, then did a year in gen surg at SUNY, then got an NS position at Kansas. The OP is asking for advice on whether he'd match straight into NS. Providing one example of an FMG who ended up in NS in the U.S. does not answer his question on what his odds are. Maybe the guy had connections. Maybe the guy had phenomenal scores. What we do know is that he came to NY as an intern without a NS residency, obviously worked hard to get the gen surg position, and even harder to get the Kansas NS position. A great and accomplished man, no doubt. But give credence to the steps he had to take.

While it's obvious you're trying to be supportive, he's not asking for cheerleading, he's asking for advice. ..."no one in this forum who has more credentials that you at age of 26"? 1) You have no idea of the credentials of others on this forum, 2) many NS applicants have advanced degrees and are extensively published.

hey..thanks for the 'entirely unrelated note'..well its a matter of individual choice really for a person to chose whether to stay back and get trained in India or any other country of origin or go to the other side of the globe..I merely mentioned my position to see if I had a better chance at cracking the match than anybody else really..Well I can't comment for the rest of the 99% as they chose to do whatever they want to do!!

All I can say for myself is that I have been fascinated with neurosurgery from the beginning and hope to train in the states. Unfortunately being bitten by the Wanderlust bug early on in my life dint help either.As I believe a person is a sum total of his/hers experiences I thought I should get some experience living and working elsewhere too..might settle on a remote farm in Melanesiafor all I know..So after going off an obtuse tangent there Id like to say that the bottomline is : its one's choice really!

Thanks to the others for the kind words of encouragement..

Good luck to you. Hopefully you didn't take my discounting of the other guy's post as discouragement.
Looking at the stats on NS matching, in 2005, 15 IMGs matched NS out of ~150 total. 25% of IMG entrants into the match got a spot, compared to 60% of U.S. grads (keep in mind NS applicants are heavily self-selecting, however). Of all the entrants who matched, 21% were AOA, 13% had a Ph.D. The average USMLE Step I score for all who matched was 235. Pretty much the same for 2006. (This information is from the 2nd sticky thread at the top of the NS forum).

 

[Spine Specialist]

For the record, it looks like the guy to which you are referring did an internship year first at SUNY, then did a year in gen surg at SUNY, then got an NS position at Kansas. The OP is asking for advice on whether he'd match straight into NS. Providing one example of an FMG who ended up in NS in the U.S. does not answer his question on what his odds are. Maybe the guy had connections. Maybe the guy had phenomenal scores. What we do know is that he came to NY as an intern without a NS residency, obviously worked hard to get the gen surg position, and even harder to get the Kansas NS position. A great and accomplished man, no doubt. But give credence to the steps he had to take.

While it's obvious you're trying to be supportive, he's not asking for cheerleading, he's asking for advice. ..."no one in this forum who has more credentials that you at age of 26"? 1) You have no idea of the credentials of others on this forum, 2) many NS applicants have advanced degrees and are extensively published.

http://www.wcmc.com/body_neuro.cfm?xyzpdqabc=0&id=1466&action=detail&ref=1090

http://www.nycbrainsurgeon.com/


http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/Bio_Naray.htm


http://www.wehealny.org/whatsnew/sen.html


Dude,

Obviously you have no idea about becoming a member of royal college of surgeons and doing a PHD in cerberal injuries in the United Kingdom. BTW...i dont have time to give you a list of FMG neurosurgical leaders in the united states and around the world. For god sake please give this indian guy a chance to dream and reach his goal. He has all the credentials to become an american neurosurgeon. period.

 

[washomatic]

Thanks Spine Spcialist for the advice..Much appreciated.Thanks to you too Northerner for sparing your time to communicate your thoughts..Cheers..Looks like I will be giving the NS match a definite shot!

 

[Spine Specialist]

Thanks Spine Spcialist for the advice..Much appreciated.Thanks to you too Northerner for sparing your time to communicate your thoughts..Cheers..Looks like I will be giving the NS match a definite shot!

You are welcome.

Where there is no hope there can be no endeavor.
- Johnson

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

 

[Northerner]

http://www.wcmc.com/body_neuro.cfm?xyzpdqabc=0&id=1466&action=detail&ref=1090

http://www.nycbrainsurgeon.com/


http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/Bio_Naray.htm


http://www.wehealny.org/whatsnew/sen.html


Dude,

Obviously you have no idea about becoming a member of royal college of surgeons and doing a PHD in cerberal injuries in the United Kingdom. BTW...i dont have time to give you a list of FMG neurosurgical leaders in the united states and around the world. For god sake please give this indian guy a chance to dream and reach his goal. He has all the credentials to become an american neurosurgeon. period.

When did I say there weren't FMG neurosurgical leaders in the U.S. and around the world? Did you even read my post? I was contesting your "example" by illustrating the example you gave had an indirect route to NS, then gave him statistical evidence that (although no doubt difficult) people do it every year. Don't be so defensive, I don't know what you're trying to prove by posting examples of indian neurosurgeons, of course there are plenty, no one's arguing that. I'll give you time to reread my post and issue your apology.

 

[-Goose-]

An FMG matched today the University of Mississippi

edit: another matched at the University of Minnesota.

 

[Spine Specialist]

http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Neurosurgery-Setti-Rengachary/dp/images/0723432228

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/331/23/1597

The author is my hero, role model and my american idol.

 

[Spine Specialist]

When did I say there weren't FMG neurosurgical leaders in the U.S. and around the world? Did you even read my post? I was contesting your "example" by illustrating the example you gave had an indirect route to NS, then gave him statistical evidence that (although no doubt difficult) people do it every year. Don't be so defensive, I don't know what you're trying to prove by posting examples of indian neurosurgeons, of course there are plenty, no one's arguing that. I'll give you time to reread my post and issue your apology.

My apologies if you are NOT a dreambuster!

 

[washomatic]

this year's match has had a few FMGs matching (uncleharvey.com)..looks very promising!

 

[markneil]

2 people matched from a caribbean school this year. it's not impossible.