Advice Needed please

[hezayat]

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Hello everybody. I'm an IMG doing a CT surgery planning to do a fellowship in one of the top programs. my question is does ECFMG prevent IMGs from applying for residencies during or after they finish fellowships? Does ECFMG actually makes you sign not to apply for residencies and go back to ur home country after u finish your fellowship? I really need to know coz that way a fellowship would be a trap. Thanks and god bless

 

[JelloBrain]

AFAIK, ECFMG is just an administrative organization that processes paperwork for IMGs/FMGs to obtain their medical license in USA via the USMLE exams. It has nothing to do with who applies for residencies or fellowships.

Usually, a Fellowship is undertaken after a Residency; vice versa is usually very rare.

 

[turquoiseblue]

agree w/ jellobrain. also, you can do residency after a fellowship if you want to, if you are not happy in that field, e.g. Rads residency after NM residency and fellowship. however, sometimes it is hard because you used up GME funding with the first residency, so you'd have to get a hospital to fund you personally.

 

[Winged Scapula]

ECFMG has no role in the administration of the match or residency training. It is, as jellobrain notes, simply an organization formed to verify credentials of FMGs/IMGs.

They cannot and will not prevent you from applying to a residency.

You will not have used up GME funding since fellowships are only funded at 50% and are not terminal training programs (CT Surgery does not require completion of General Surgery in the US). Therefore, you will have used some of the funds, but it would appear to me that the "clock" is not set until you enter a residency in the US (which you would presumably be doing after you complete CTS).

 

[Buzz Me]

Hello everybody. I'm an IMG doing a CT surgery planning to do a fellowship in one of the top programs.

You should be prepared for the fact that a Gen Surg residency may be required in order for you to obtain a CT Surg fellowship position here in the US. There are some places (don't ask me which because I don't know) who fill their fellowship spots with IMGs but usually they've either completed a Gen Surg residency in the US or they're just a "clinical" (i.e. non-accredited) fellow.

 

[turquoiseblue]

how do you get a fellowship position without residency? which programs are those? i am interested in checking that out. if you don't want to share out here, can anyone PM me this info? I would really appreciate it.

 

[Winged Scapula]

how do you get a fellowship position without residency? which programs are those? i am interested in checking that out. if you don't want to share out here, can anyone PM me this info? I would really appreciate it.

Fellowships do not always require completion of residency training. There are many (ie, Burns, Critical Care, etc.) which only require X number of years of training. There are also research fellowships as well as clinical fellows that Buzz mentions.

CT surgery was long known for taking FMGs who often completed training in their own country. Many programs did not require preliminary GS training to be done here in the US; I do not know the current status and Buzz would be better placed to comment on that.

 

[Buzz Me]

how do you get a fellowship position without residency? which programs are those? i am interested in checking that out. if you don't want to share out here, can anyone PM me this info? I would really appreciate it.

I was referring to IMGs who had completed residencies in their home country before applying to US fellowships...not those who had never completed a residency anywhere.

 

[hezayat]

In fact I have completed my CT residency at my home country and preparing to get a fellowship here in the US after i finish the ecfmg exams (still have the CK to go). my concern was that I heard that the ECFMG can stop u from looking for a residency here in the US after the fellowship coz their main intention is to expose u to some training and get u back to ur home land. from your inputs I can gather that they dont have anything to do with a fellow (even if they'r the sponsor) looking for a residency program. plz correct me if I'm wrong.
and thank u all.

 

[Winged Scapula]

In fact I have completed my CT residency at my home country and preparing to get a fellowship here in the US after i finish the ecfmg exams (still have the CK to go). my concern was that I heard that the ECFMG can stop u from looking for a residency here in the US after the fellowship coz their main intention is to expose u to some training and get u back to ur home land. from your inputs I can gather that they dont have anything to do with a fellow (even if they'r the sponsor) looking for a residency program. plz correct me if I'm wrong.
and thank u all.

ECFMG's "main intention" is to verify your credentials to programs you apply to. They play no role in whether or not you get into training beyond that, or whether you stay in the US (although they also offer information on visa applications and can serve as sponsor for J-1).

ECFMG will simply verify to US programs that you have already trained in CT surgery in your home country. It is up to the programs to decide whether or not they wish to re-train you (some may not) and up to the US government to decide what to do if you should overstay your visa.

 

[hezayat]

Thank you winged scapula. much obliged