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Agree 100% with my learned colleague. My students who end up having to scramble usually either aim too high or fail to have enough back-up choices. I remember one kid who had UCSF as his only choice. That blew up in his face and became a Psych resident in a large east coast city.
As we have pointed out numbers times before, IMGs have defects that PDs are very well aware of, including but not limited to: failing to look before they leap, gullibility and an inability to delay gratification.
Yes, they can become post-docs.
As we have pointed out numbers times before, IMGs have defects that PDs are very well aware of, including but not limited to: failing to look before they leap, gullibility and an inability to delay gratification.
Who are you going to sue? Congress? ACGME? The booming number of IMG med schools?
The mass majority of AMGs are failing to match because of unrealistic expectations. They either don't apply broadly enough or to unrealistic specialties. They then have the option to SOAP or wait a year. With proper match strategy...the match rate for AMGs would be damn near 100%. DO typically fail to match due to unrealistic expectations as well...deciding to not go AOA and risk it for the NRMP. But DOs typically have the opportunity to scramble after the SOAP...and they can have a good chance of matching the following year by going AOA.
IMG is a different animal. Do people entering the IMG scenario not know the risks that they are assuming by attending? I find that hard to believe. The mass majority know the risks and go anyway...and then when they either attrite or don't match...the mass majority don't want to run off and sue. They are pissed...realizing the horrible investment that was IMG...but they don't blame everyone else for their decision. I'm sorry that the IMG situation sucks so much...and yes they are exploiting you...but the exploitation is well known by the people entering the contract.
By the looks of things...it appears that residency programs will be even more restrictive to IMGs in the future...and that's probably a good thing. It will hopefully prevent students from being enticed to going into the scam in the first place. They can open an infinite number of spots and the match rate will never be 100%.
Yes, they can become post-docs.
I'd like to add that an IMG-MD without licensure will still go very far in non-physician world. The same goes for DOs and MDs without licensure. You may even find a job that pays more than a doc if you chose to not pursue medicine anymore.
What are some other career options for those that don't match?
Im a US IMG, did my med school from india, second match with no dice....prob gonna give it one more shot with some more USCE and step 3 but after that if things don't work im prob gonna hang up the steth for good....any advice appreciated, thanks