Any suggestions on residency programs for decent stats, H1B visa, and kids at home?

[otherstuff12321]

Hi all!

I'm an MS4 at an American medical school on an F1 visa (originally from Canada), applying for anesthesiology this summer.

My stats are:

Step 1: 245
Step 2: 259
Class rank: "outstanding", member of the AOA society.
M3 grades: Honored everything except pediatrics and surgery (got commendation for them instead). No negative comments anywhere in my evals.
M4: Honored all anesthesia electives so far with really nice comments.
Research: Minimal. I helped with an anesthesia research project and submitted something for publication (still pending).
Letters: Got a letter from an anesthesia chair, an anesthesiologist, and a non-anesthesia doc who gave me amazing evals and knew me well.
ECs: Average to above average. Various volunteering, lots of hobbies and interests, leadership positions, etc.

I'm hoping to secure an H1B visa for residency and would like to apply somewhere with a big name and good training.

Would y'all know of any programs which have fewer work hours or intern year where interns don't grind to death? I promise I'm not spoiled. I just would like to start a family soon and I'm planning to pursue a private-practice career, nothing academic.

Thank you!

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[coffeebythelake]

Hi all!

I'm an MS4 at an American medical school on an F1 visa (originally from Canada), applying for anesthesiology this summer.

My stats are:

Step 1: 245
Step 2: 259
Class rank: "outstanding", member of the AOA society.
M3 grades: Honored everything except pediatrics and surgery (got commendation for them instead). No negative comments anywhere in my evals.
M4: Honored all anesthesia electives so far with really nice comments.
Research: Minimal. I helped with an anesthesia research project and submitted something for publication (still pending).
Letters: Got a letter from an anesthesia chair, an anesthesiologist, and a non-anesthesia doc who gave me amazing evals and knew me well.
ECs: Average to above average. Various volunteering, lots of hobbies and interests, leadership positions, etc.

I'm hoping to secure an H1B visa for residency and would like to apply somewhere with a big name and good training.

Would y'all know of any programs which have fewer work hours or intern year where interns don't grind to death? I promise I'm not spoiled. I just would like to start a family soon and I'm planning to pursue a private-practice career, nothing academic.

Thank you!

Let me share with you my perspective. I am also Canadian. I went to an American medical school. I am AOA. I excelled academically. You will jump through the same hoops that I did more than 10 years ago.

A lot of hospitals will sponsor J1 but it is much less desirable if you want to ultimately live and practice in the United States after training.

Not very many places sponsor H1B. It requires a lot of money, time and legal expertise to do properly, and it can be a huge headache if the application is done inappropriately. The places that do sponsor H1B will expect you to be a more competitive candidate. That being said, you are an excellent shot at mid tier, and a good shot at upper tier programs. Apply broadly.

The places I applied to years ago that supported H1B included: the Harvard programs, OHSU, WashU, UWash, Penn, Cleveland Clinic, UofC, UIC, Rush, Northwestern, UPMC. They probably still support H1B but best to double check.

Most of the big name and solid training anesthesiology programs will demand a significant amount of service-obligation. That is not the same as being malignant. You can't have good training without putting in a lot of time and effort to master your craft. The people you work with matter a great deal. The culture of the program is probably the most important consideration for you and will have the biggest impact on work-life balance.

Whatever achievements you have from medical school don't matter much when you are in residency. If you are worried about "grind to death" in your intern year, consider a transitional year program (under F1 OPT) instead of categorical.

 

[appcan]

Another Canadian here (in residency though). Do you have any recommendations for finding places that sponsor J1 visa waivers?

 

[coffeebythelake]

Another Canadian here (in residency though). Do you have any recommendations for finding places that sponsor J1 visa waivers?

what is your goal with the J1 waiver? the J1 to green card route? You do not intend to return to Canada?
you need to look for hospitals in healthcare professional shortage areas (HPSA) and/or medically underserved areas (MUA) that will support J1 waiver.
there are a LOT of them both in the boonies and in inner-city. some of them might even be in reasonably desirable locations.
start early with your job search. many places that offer J1 waiver will advertise as such.

 

[Drwine]

If you train in Buffalo you can live in Canada and drive across the bridge every day.