pathology clinical experience

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usmlepatho

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Hi,
I am finding opportunities for clinical experience in pathology, so I can apply for match next year.Any guidance will be really appreciated!

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Please restate your question/request. It is not clear (to me at least) what guidance you are asking for.
 
I am looking for observerships/ externships in pathology to gain clinical experience, so that I can apply for match next year. I have taken step 1 (248).preparing for step 2 at the moment.I am an international medical graduate! I know a few programs that offer observerships but they require both step1 and 2. So I will be applying there. But I need some experience to build my cv.
 
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I don't know of any formal system for what you're looking for. You'll basically have to cold-call (or email) each program you are interested in and ask about the possibility of doing an observership. From a program's perspective, there is little reason to do this. Observers slow down faculty and residents, with pretty much nothing in return. At least med students pay tuition at that institution, which helps fund pathology faculty teaching monies. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not going to be easy.
 
E-mail pathologists at programs, and ask for opportunities to do an observership. Even if they have nothing available they may know someone who does. It might help if you direct your e-mails toward people from your home country who are familiar with, or maybe even alumni of your medical school. Sometimes there are also professional associations of pathologists from particular countries who may be able to help.

Apart from a few programs that charge exorbitant fees for observership opportunities, I don't know whether programs have much to gain by taking observers. They do get the opportunity to evaluate an IMG's knowledge, communication and interpersonal skills in more depth than an interview would allow, which might be useful at programs that have trouble filling or have had bad IMG experiences in the past. Also quite a few IMGs were attendings in their own countries, sometimes in other specialties, so they have a lot of knowledge and experience that they can contribute for free.

But I think part of the reason someone might take an observer is just personal. Especially in path, many of the attendings themselves were IMGs who know how difficult the IMG experience can be. Those IMGs probably themselves received help from a US-certified physician and consider it part of their job to pay it forward. As a non-US IMG I managed to match and I know someday that when I am in a position to help a struggling IMG, I will.

It's not easy to find an observership, but it's far from impossible. Try hard and good luck.
 
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