HELP me understand the Basics...

[MGMC]

I am a final year medical student in India. I will be taking USMLE in the year 2012. Can some one guide me in understanding what happens next (Once i have cleared my USMLE) I want to do Cardiology or Oncology. I am aware that i need to do Residency there for 3 years and then i choose any one of the above option.

In order to do that do i have to take Internal medicine residency? and then choose Cardio or Onco fellowship? So does it mean that 3 years of Res + 3 years of cardio or Onco?

And do i have to pay for my residency like an annual fee or do i get payed?

I would be really grateful if someone guide me in understanding these things.

Thank you!!

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[Buzz Me]

You should do a quick search for some of your questions - they have been answered in-depth during other discussions.

Basically, pursuing a Cardiology or Hematology/Oncology fellowship means finishing a 3-year Internal Medicine residency first. You get paid an annual salary for each year you're a resident/fellow. Which Step are you taking in 2012?

 

[MGMC]

I will be doing all the steps (one, CK and CS) by 2012 so that i will register and be ready for march matching on 2013

I am starting this far out due to my one year CRRI in my med school

 

[Nellyakgo]

Hi Vasca,
Per your suggestion : How does one get an externship if one is an IMG and already finished school quite a while ago. What would be the incentive of any clinic or hospital to offer one to me?

Btw: Your description of where you are in Mexico sounds quite cute to me!

 

[bambi]

You will have to pay a ticket to the US with your own money to travel there and do the exam. It would be really reasonable for me because I just live south of the border, but it's probably really hard for you because you live in the other side of the world.

You know planes go from all sorts of countries to the US every day right? This comment just sounds so odd!

 

[Winged Scapula]

Hi Vasca,
Per your suggestion : How does one get an externship if one is an IMG and already finished school quite a while ago. What would be the incentive of any clinic or hospital to offer one to me?

Btw: Your description of where you are in Mexico sounds quite cute to me!

Vasca is wrong about this.

You cannot do any CLINICAL externship or any "hands-on" work in the US because of malpractice issues if you have already graduated from medical school.

As a graduate, you are limited to observerships, research positions or in rare cases, a residency elective (you have to be in residency training in your country) which requires malpractice insurance, health insurance, and a temporary/training medical license in the US. I've seen these rarely done.

I'm also not sure where she gets the idea that US residents get free food 3 times a day. Many places only offer food when you are on call, or a monetary limit (ie, $50 a month). Few residencies offer free food every day, all day to US residents. Maybe that's true in Mexico but not the US.

 

[bambi]

Vasca is wrong about this.

You cannot do any CLINICAL externship or any "hands-on" work in the US because of malpractice issues if you have already graduated from medical school.

As a graduate, you are limited to observerships, research positions or in rare cases, a residency elective (you have to be in residency training in your country) which requires malpractice insurance, health insurance, and a temporary/training medical license in the US. I've seen these rarely done.

I'm also not sure where she gets the idea that US residents get free food 3 times a day. Many places only offer food when you are on call, or a monetary limit (ie, $50 a month). Few residencies offer free food every day, all day to US residents. Maybe that's true in Mexico but not the US.

I'm pretty sure you can do externships as a foreigner, at least at some places, you just need to get insurance. I was looking at elective stuff recently and noticed at one of the schools I looked at (maybe one in Chicago but not sure) that there was a section about this under international grads.

As for the food thing, maybe they have been watching too much ER!

 

[Winged Scapula]

I'm pretty sure you can do externships as a foreigner, at least at some places, you just need to get insurance. I was looking at elective stuff recently and noticed at one of the schools I looked at (maybe one in Chicago but not sure) that there was a section about this under international grads.

Perhaps I overstated the case although Vasca is well known to try and extrapolate the Mexica experience to the US, especially in the pre-med forums.

Yes, you can do externships IF you can get malpractice insurance AND can afford it. This is a question asked every year by foreign grads and very few have found affordable malpractice insurance that will cover them on a clinical elective. Some require that the externs be US citizens, have an SSN, etc. Also some will use the term externship to mean observership so the OP needs to make sure of what they are getting for the experience.

At any rate, these are uncommon and difficult to get because of the availability and cost of malpractice insurance. The OP would be well advised to try and do an elective or two before he graduates.

As for the food thing, maybe they have been watching too much ER!

Maybe. Heck, we don't even have 3 meals a day in the attending's lounge.

 

[Nellyakgo]

What exactly is an externship? I mean, in terms of objectives, tasks, responsibilities?

I'm not sure whether I should try hard to find an observership or an externship i.e is it worth the trouble and expense - or just focus on passing the USMLEs with the best scores possible and then give my best shot at the Match.

And just out of curiosity (I suppose I shouldn't be asking this question) is Vasca an American doing residency in Mexico or a Mexican. Sorry guys, it's because her write/up description sounds so exotic and interesting to me. Almost romantic!

 

[Winged Scapula]

What exactly is an externship? I mean, in terms of objectives, tasks, responsibilities?

That varies from hospital to hospital. As I noted above, in some places they really mean an observership.

I'm not sure whether I should try hard to find an observership or an externship i.e is it worth the trouble and expense - or just focus on passing the USMLEs with the best scores possible and then give my best shot at the Match.

Bear in mind that some programs REQUIRE US clinical experience and without it, you are reducing your chances of matching. Is there no way for you to arrange an elective here while you are still in school? When you say graduating are you actually receiving your final medical diploma or will that not come until after you've finished the CRRI?

And just out of curiosity (I suppose I shouldn't be asking this question) is Vasca an American doing residency in Mexico or a Mexican. Sorry guys, it's because her write/up description sounds so exotic and interesting to me. Almost romantic!

Vasca is a Mexican citizen doing her training in Mexico.

 

[Nellyakgo]

Hey, thanks for the quick reply.

No, I'm not "graduating" - I wish I was! )
I actually graduated many many years ago - hence my interest in this thread and the OP's question. After graduating I worked in the health & beauty care industry but never practiced as a clinician. I'm an IMG but currently residing in the States.

I have to work to support myself and an observership/externship, aside from the difficulty of finding one, would mean that for that time I would be devoid of income. Hence the question of is it worth it.

How would I find out which programs have this requirement of US clinical experience?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Hey, thanks for the quick reply.

No, I'm not "graduating" - I wish I was! )
I actually graduated many many years ago - hence my interest in this thread and the OP's question. After graduating I worked in the health & beauty care industry but never practiced as a clinician. I'm an IMG but currently residing in the States.

I have to work to support myself and an observership/externship, aside from the difficulty of finding one, would mean that for that time I would be devoid of income. Hence the question of is it worth it.

Sorry, now I remember your posts.

How would I find out which programs have this requirement of US clinical experience?

There is no centralized list.

You'll have to do a little legwork yourself and contact programs/read their websites yourself to see if they have any requirements for USCE and if they have a limit on number of years since graduation.