My dad is 49 years old. He wants to continue his career he had in medicine before we came to the US, but no one will accept him because the time he has been out of practice is too long, and the years since medical school is also too long. Maybe he should go back to school? I know he would have the determination and willpower to make it through. He's a really smart guy so thats not my question. My question is if by the time he finishes, will he be too old to be considered for residencies? Would it be worth it, or is it better for him to stay in his current job ( as an anesthesia technician). Is there another option? Thank you!
Age too old?
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deleted480308
is his medical degree not accepted here?
I'm not sure about that. I think it might be, but he has been out of medical school for too long to be accepted into residencies. Maybe it's his only shot in doing what he loves. His job right now is in the medical field but he wants to do something better.
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deleted480308
that's pretty basic information for you to not know and it's kind of important for you to get answers for him......your best bet for him to get answers is to get him on SDN himself
I'm sorry if that sounded like I didn't know. When I said he might be I mean yes. I'm just trying to help him out
My mom had a medical degree from another country and it was not accepted in the US. However, she was not required to go back to medical school, she simply had to take the US board exams. She eventually learned all the concepts and terms in English in her off time (she worked other jobs) and passed the exam. She eventually got matched for a residency and is now an American certified MD at a very late age (close to 50). It was really difficult getting a residency though.
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I'd leave his age out of it. That's a distractor. There are residents over 50, end of story.
What this is, is a complicated question about qualifying for residency in the US. This thread should most likely be moved to international, where such matters are discussed by people who know what they're talking about. That said, a couple of notes:
What matters isn't time on the planet, but time elapsed since graduating med school, ability to get that coursework evaluated, language proficiency, clinical experience in the US, and all the other stuff foreign medical grads need to do, which you can find on ECFMG.org.
It's one thing to have a fresh medical degree from outside the US or Canada, and try to get a residency in the US. It's a very different thing to bring a 15-20 year old degree from outside the US or Canada. I would expect it's difficult to get that vintage foreign degree evaluated.
In his shoes I'd start identifying some US residencies that don't fill. These are not going to be in the nicest places to live, they're not going to pay very well, and they'll be in primary care. I would then reach out to the directors of those programs, and start a conversation. Gotta get in their game. See the data on NRMP.org.
There are a couple of states that allow MDs to work as the equivalent of PAs while working their way into residency. Missouri is one. This could address the US clinical experience issue. There used to be a "fifth pathway" option at some med schools, but as I understand things, this is no longer allowed.
Best of luck to you.
What this is, is a complicated question about qualifying for residency in the US. This thread should most likely be moved to international, where such matters are discussed by people who know what they're talking about. That said, a couple of notes:
What matters isn't time on the planet, but time elapsed since graduating med school, ability to get that coursework evaluated, language proficiency, clinical experience in the US, and all the other stuff foreign medical grads need to do, which you can find on ECFMG.org.
It's one thing to have a fresh medical degree from outside the US or Canada, and try to get a residency in the US. It's a very different thing to bring a 15-20 year old degree from outside the US or Canada. I would expect it's difficult to get that vintage foreign degree evaluated.
In his shoes I'd start identifying some US residencies that don't fill. These are not going to be in the nicest places to live, they're not going to pay very well, and they'll be in primary care. I would then reach out to the directors of those programs, and start a conversation. Gotta get in their game. See the data on NRMP.org.
There are a couple of states that allow MDs to work as the equivalent of PAs while working their way into residency. Missouri is one. This could address the US clinical experience issue. There used to be a "fifth pathway" option at some med schools, but as I understand things, this is no longer allowed.
Best of luck to you.
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Does this apply only to people with degrees from other countries, or people who have completed their training and worked as full-fledged doctors elsewhere? Because if I'd been seeing patients on my own in my home country for twenty years, I'd be mad as hell if I had to go through a residency to be able to work in the States.
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deleted480308
then you would be mad (coming from most countries)
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Wow. So even if a world-renowned surgeon wanted/needed to move here (say, for political or religious asylum), he or she would have to spend five years in residency proving that he or she knows how to do surgery? Even if it's universally acknowledged that he or she is a better surgeon than any attending in the country? I mean, I definitely get it - different country, different standards, and the responsibility is to the patient, not to a transplanted doctor's convenience. Still, it seems inefficient to make doctors who knows what they're doing delay their careers for years just because they didn't initially learn their craft in the States. Seems like they should be able to take an equivalency exam of some sort and "test out" or the residency or whatever.
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Has your dad considered becoming a physician assistant or nurse practitioner?
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Fully trained and practicing docs used to be able to complete just one year of training in the US in order to get licensed, but I don't know if that is still the case. Sounds like the OP hasn't been practicing in years though (if they ever did a residency) and therefore would be better off getting trained again (and if they can't get a foot in the door to residency repeating med school might be the only way left, but honestly at 49 i don't think I would be willing to start that process).
Yes, I've met a cab driver who was a former cardiac surgeon in eastern europe. He had been a cab driver for many years. He mentioned it as casually as if he had been a plumber in his home country. The drive simply to be able to come to america is strong.
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And the best Chinese restaurant in the South Suburbs of Chicago was owned and operated by a Cardiac Surgeon from China.
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