Getting into Radiology after UAG

[Emmett]

I'm hopping to go to UAG and then I'm going to hold my breath until I get a residency spot in Rads. Another goal is to get my Titulo de Medico Cirujano along with my USA MD as my wife's family is all down there.

Now what does everyone think is the best / easiest / quickest route to this end? Should I go go the six years at UAG or would the 5th pathway be best?

Also, with Radiology getting more and more popular what can I do to be the most desirable canidate? FREIDA shows 192 Radiology programs with 715 first year positions...Theres gotta be a spot in there somewhere for me right?

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[dwstranger]

I'm finishing 5th Pathway in June and have matched in Ob/Gyn.

First, the 5PW vs titulo route: 5PW is the better option because you get back into the US system a year earlier and get US experience. That's what program directors want from any foreign grad -- US experience. Yes, it helps that you have lots of hands-on experience from Mexico, but it's different when you get back. Lots of "defensive medicine," and tests that need not be ordered (at UAG they say -- and it's true IMHO -- that tests are for confirmation of a diagnosis made clinically, not for making the diagnosis), but in the US we order some tests to CYA later, just in case someone sues.

If you do 5PW, it's 5 years (4 in Mexico + 5PW) instead of 6 in Mexico.

Anyway, there's another option to getting the titulo: to get an MD from the NYS Board of Regents, you finish 5PW and apply for licensure from the state, and they will give you an MD degree.

Now as far as the competitive specialties... This year, no one from 5PW got radiology. Very few got surgery, and of the ones who did (that I know of), no one got a categorical spot, only preliminary. Some got Ob. Most got IM, FP, psych.

So if you have your heart set on radiology,
(1) study your butt off for the Boards, starting from day 1 at UAG, and get great scores; take Step 2 either in 8th semester or in the first few months of 5PW so you'll have the scores when you interview for residency -- and likewise you'll need to do great on it,

(2) maybe you can volunteer in Mexico and/or on vacations in the US with a radiologist who will give you a good recommendation (unfortunately, it's only the US letters of rec that "count" in a program director's eyes),

(3) try to do your 4th year "electives" in the US to get US experience before you get to 5PW,

(4) do 5PW, not internado+servicio social, and

(5) use your 5PW electives to do radiology rotations at places where you might want to apply for residency. You're more likely to get something at a community hospital than a university program, so aim high, but don't be disappointed. Also, you need to research your possible residency programs before you apply to see if they currently have foreign grads in their program or have graduated any in the last few years. One of the places I wanted to apply didn't have any IMGs since 1990 (the earliest listing), so I knew that it would be a waste of time and money to even apply.

Finally, just in case rads doesn't materialize for you, start making a backup plan.

Hope this response wasn't too depressing. Let me know if I can be of more "help."

Diana

 

[Jasminegab]

Perhaps someone can explain to me how to qualify for 5th pathway. I read the ama site which says that a medical school must offer social/community rotation in order to qualify for 5th pathway. However, can someone in a 5th pathway explain to me in detail what the qualification are? And if your school has a community medicine rotation is that the same as social/commnity rotations?

Thanks,

 

[dwstranger]

http://www.nymc.edu/depthome/fifth.asp

This is the New York Medical College site for 5th Pathway. It lists the requirements for admission. Currently, NYMC is the only place in the country offering the program. There are 8 or 9 participating NYMC hospitals. CA is working on re-instituting 5PW there, but the law authorizing it was just passed in 2002-03, so they have a way to go.

Basically you can apply if you are a US citizen or permanent resident who goes to med school in a country that requires a year of internship and a year of social service (after the four years of school) before granting the MD degree. Most 5PWs are from Mexico, but we have a couple from Hungary in my class. You have to meet all the requirements to get into a US med school: MCAT plus all the required courses. Obviously when they say "meet the requirements," they only mean that you just have to have taken the courses, not done well enough in them to be admitted to a US school -- if we achieved that level, we probably would have gotten into a US school, right? You have to be within 2 years of your graduation from med school (so for the July 2004 entering class, you'd have to have finished no earlier than June 2002). You can't have already done the internship/social service, or have the MD degree already.

Could you clarify your question about community medicine rotations and maybe I can address that... I have never heard of that requirement. The AMA sites I have seen are:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/10255.html
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/9306.html

 

[Jasminegab]

Originally posted by dwstranger
http://www.nymc.edu/depthome/fifth.asp

This is the New York Medical College site for 5th Pathway. It lists the requirements for admission. Currently, NYMC is the only place in the country offering the program. There are 8 or 9 participating NYMC hospitals. CA is working on re-instituting 5PW there, but the law authorizing it was just passed in 2002-03, so they have a way to go.

Basically you can apply if you are a US citizen or permanent resident who goes to med school in a country that requires a year of internship and a year of social service (after the four years of school) before granting the MD degree. Most 5PWs are from Mexico, but we have a couple from Hungary in my class. You have to meet all the requirements to get into a US med school: MCAT plus all the required courses. Obviously when they say "meet the requirements," they only mean that you just have to have taken the courses, not done well enough in them to be admitted to a US school -- if we achieved that level, we probably would have gotten into a US school, right? You have to be within 2 years of your graduation from med school (so for the July 2004 entering class, you'd have to have finished no earlier than June 2002). You can't have already done the internship/social service, or have the MD degree already.

Could you clarify your question about community medicine rotations and maybe I can address that... I have never heard of that requirement. The AMA sites I have seen are:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/10255.html
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/9306.html

Based on this information you gave me then I would not qualify for the 5WP since my medical school does not require students to do social/community rotations after they have done 4yrs and before they can get their MD degree.

Community medicine is a rotation within the 80 weeks we have to do. Sorry I don't know what it is and I have to call them to find out. I will post as soon as I find out.

 

[dwstranger]

Well, you mentioned something about the AMA saying this was a requirement? What I can tell you is that it is not a requirement to get into 5PW. Some states require a family medicine (family practice) rotation to get licensed in those states (like CA), and we do it during 5PW if there's a chance we might go to CA, but it's definitely not a requirement for admission.

 

[Emmett]

dwstranger, could you tell me where you got this from?

Now as far as the competitive specialties... This year, no one from 5PW got radiology.

I checked out the NYMC 2004 match page and they show 15 matched spots for Diagnositc Radiology. As you're in their program I'm sure you know the rest of the class, but OTOH this is the official school page.

Congrats on your match.

 

[dwstranger]

Those are match results for NYMC students (the people who went to med school there for four years), not for 5PW students. Our list is separate, and is not published on their site. The 5PW office maintains the statistics and they have an Excel worksheet for each year and it's not been put together yet for this year (as far as I know, because I asked for a copy but haven't received it yet). I have results from 2001-2003. If you want copies, I can forward them to you (PM me and give me your e-mail address). But in 2001, 1 person got Dx Rad, in 2002, no one did, and last year 1 did.

I based my statement what I know from speaking to my classmates, although I haven't talked to everyone.