Chances of residency in US

[Kathleen914]

I hear all this talk abt finding out what is the percentage of a school's graduates that obtain a residency in the U.S.? I understand that it is a good indicator of a school's success rate (the good schools have rates of over 90%). However, as a Canadian, I feel that number doesn't really mean as much to me given that the majority of students are US citizens. Am I wrong here? If not, is there any info on or does anyone have an idea as to what the chances are of Canadians in schools such as Ross, Saba, etc getting US residencies?

I know frm the NRMP site that approximately 50% of non-US FMGs are matched. That's a long way from over 90%. I assuming the chances are considerably higher coming frm a good Caribbean school because of the advantage of having followed a curriculum close to the of the US (USMLE scores, letters of rec, etc). Also intersting is the fact that US FMGs had a similar placement rate.

Please let me know what to make of all of this. I'm still weighing my options and the only serious doubt I have abt applying for a Carribean med school (or any other for the matter) is getting a residency.

Thanks

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[Skip Intro]

The biggest obstacle "true" IMGs face is immigration. Many programs just don't want to deal with it.

Furthermore, you have to account for match applicants that drop out or are in other ways "disqualified" from the match, which drives the number down. Likewise, many drop-outs do so because they end up pre-matching. I know of one person this year already who's just done this (a fellow Carib student).

Overall, the hardest obstacle in going the Caribbean route is making it all the way through the program. There are a lot of people who, for one reason or another, just can't seem to make it all the way through.

Secondly, you have to be extraordinarily flexible in many more ways than just a few (e.g., you have to be willing to move to where they have a clinical clerkship opening during your clinical years, etc.).

Most importantly, come match time, is that you have to have a back-up plan. If you absolutely want to be a surgeon, and you apply to only 5 or 6 fairly competitive university-based programs, and you don't have 90+ on both Steps, great LoRs, etc., your chances of matching go down significantly. You've got to play the odds and pick a few back-up programs in less desirable places, and then you (of course) have to rank them in the end, even if at the bottom.

Good luck.

-Skip

 

[dbiddy808]

I graduated from Saba in 2001. Of all the people I know ended up getting a residency. One or two pre-matched and one had to scramble (into a good anesthesia program). I applied for radiology, but had to settle on medicine.