Can you help please?

[saudi arabia]

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good morning everyone

Please, I need clear road map to get position at ophthalmology residency program.

And any comment, advice, to be added
I am waiting


thank you

 

[orbitsurgMD]

good morning everyone

Please, I need clear road map to get position at ophthalmology residency program.

And any comment, advice, to be added
I am waiting


thank you

What do you mean by calling yourself "school admin?"

Where are you writing from?

At what point are you in your education?

 

[saudi arabia]

What do you mean by calling yourself "school admin?"

Where are you writing from?

At what point are you in your education?

1-I am new member here and I dont know whats that mean?

2- I am writing from kingdom of saudi arabia.

3-I have MBBS (Medical Bachelor and Bachelor of Surgery) and I will joining kaplan soon and I am looking for Ophthalmology.

 

[Eyefixer]

Welcome to the forum. Rule number one, please use a search feature before you post a question since various topics have been discussed before.

You might want to take a look at this thread.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=588015&highlight=img+ophthalmology

A short answer to your question is that there is no clear path for you to get into Ophthalmology in the United Sates. You can do it, but odds are againts you as only about 30 IMGs get residency spots every year. If you decide to go down this road, expect to struggle for many years no matter what the level of your training is in your home country. Also, you have to know that your efforts may not be successful at the end of this road.

I know this may be harsh, but it's reality.

Good luck.

1-I am new member here and I dont know whats that mean?

2- I am writing from kingdom of saudi arabia.

3-I have MBBS (Medical Bachelor and Bachelor of Surgery) and I will joining kaplan soon and I am looking for Ophthalmology.

 

[orbitsurgMD]

1-I am new member here and I dont know whats that mean?

2- I am writing from kingdom of saudi arabia.

3-I have MBBS (Medical Bachelor and Bachelor of Surgery) and I will joining kaplan soon and I am looking for Ophthalmology.

You posted earlier on this subject.

I don't think there is any such thing as a "clear road map" upon which you can rely for getting a training slot in the USA. I think you might entertain doing the following things:
1. Take, pass and pass well your USMLE, all three steps.
2. I won't kid you about the difficulty you will face in getting a visa here or in Europe for advanced training in medicine. Events of the past decade here and in the UK and elsewhere are making that kind of accommodation subject to great scrutiny by our Homeland Security officials. Just be prepared.
3. If you can get a visa for study, I would strongly urge you consider a pre-residency fellowship to gain contacts here, get a record of publishing and be able to apply while in country. You will have to plan on doing an internship year here prior to beginning a residency, even if you have done one already in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere. You might also extend your inquiries to the UK and Canada, in the event you are not successful here.
4. If ophthalmology is your interest, consider options of training somewhere else as well, including elsewhere in the Gulf, Lebanon, Syria, South Africa, Egypt, India.
5. Join an English language group, practice your English writing and reading as much as you can. If you want to come here as an IMG, you really have to be English language-proficient at a professional level.

 

[eyelander]

Is there a way to place a 'sticky' for IMG questions on how to get an ophthalmology residency in the USA? This way we could have a specific area, just like the other FAQs stickies, where all these questions could be addressed.

 

[ocularphd]

You posted earlier on this subject.

3. If you can get a visa for study, I would strongly urge you consider a pre-residency fellowship to gain contacts here, get a record of publishing and be able to apply while in country. You will have to plan on doing an internship year here prior to beginning a residency, even if you have done one already in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere. You might also extend your inquiries to the UK and Canada, in the event you are not successful here.

Just wanted to chip in about the UK route. Ophthalmology is just so competitive these days wherever you apply to do postgraduate training in the world due to the fact that it's such a nice speciality to get into.
Due to UK immigration changes that were introduced in Feb 2008, has essentially made it extremely difficult for Non-UK IMG to enter any speciality training (in general), let alone ophthalmology.

I totally agree with the advice orbitsurgMD and others have provided.
It will be a long and hard journey, which may not lead to success at the end.
Work hard to score high on your USMLEs, and look into doing research or pre-residency fellowships to get contacts in the US. Nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it. Just realize that it will be difficult.

There is so much more to life than ophthalmology, and many other rewarding careers in medicine.

All the best in your decision making and your future career.