EM residency without EM elective.

[MyNameIsAlex]

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posting for a family friend of mine, IMG (from Portugal), has never done an ER rotation but is interested in matching into EM in the US. Her scores are step 1 218, step 2 252. Should she even waste her $ on applying without an EM rotation and a low step 1?

Thanks.

 

[Dwindlin]

posting for a family friend of mine, IMG (from Portugal), has never done an ER rotation but is interested in matching into EM in the US. Her scores are step 1 218, step 2 252. Should she even waste her $ on applying without an EM rotation and a low step 1?

Thanks.

I'm fairly certain all ACGME programs require at least 1 SLOR which has to come from an EM rotation at a shop with a residency.

 

[MyNameIsAlex]

this doesn't make much sense in terms of IMG applications. E.g. that would make all IMG's who completed their medical school in another country ineligible. So my guess is if that rule truly exist on paper, it would apply strictly to US grads.

 

[RustedFox]

No rotation = No SLOR = No way.

 

[Apollyon]

I don't know that you can throw it all away so quickly. The SLOR isn't even 10 years old (when I applied in 2002, the SLOR was out, but no one was using it). To say no SLOR means no spot might be a little premature. PDs weren't exactly dumb before the advent of the SLOR. The purpose was to, well, standardize it. However, if PDs are able to compare "apples to apples", such as by rec letters that state how adequate the person is, and the likelihood of success in a program, then that serves the same purpose as a SLOR.

As I cannot say how EM goes in Portugal, I do not know about which apples we are speaking. It may be similar - I don't know.

 

[ccfccp]

The scores listed are certainly matchable for EM. However, being and FMG puts her at a bit of a disadvantage. From your post, I'm not sure whether your friend hasn't done an EM rotation in the States, or hasn't done an EM rotation period. If she has done several rotations outside the States, and has done well and has great letters from those (even if they're not SLORS), and has an application otherwise chocked full of goodies (research, extra-curriculars, jumping out of helicopters to fight fires, etc...), she may do okay. If that's the case I would say apply, and apply widely (like >50 programs.)

If your friend hasn't done any of that stuff, or has only done one EM rotation at her home program, I probably wouldn't bother. The point is that she is starting off at a disadvantage and needs to show she is "all in" for EM and that she is "all in" for practicing in the USA. She'll need to be able to answer that question (Why come to the States?), and if her application doesn't answer that for her, it may find the dustbin and I think it's likely she'll be hurting for interviews. If she really wants to be here, the best advice I could give is to rotate at a US program with a residency. That proves she's serious. If that's no possible, it will be hard, but not impossible (see above example), to match.