IMG Internal Medicine Applicants - Match 2019

[freespiriteddoctor]

what electives are recommended for intern year assuming I am interested in infectious disease?

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[CD16]

So far welcome email from co-ordinator and PD, personal welcome from PD, email from chiefs about scheduling, email asking if I prefer a J1 or H1B. Warm glow building.

Same for me. Which visa are you taking?

 

[gutonc]

what electives are recommended for intern year assuming I am interested in infectious disease?

Um...infectious disease.

Then do a bunch of stuff you'll never do again after residency.

 

[Virgo32]

Congratulations guys!! good to see all of you matched in your desired programs. Hopefully, I'll match next year Can anyone explain how to get the rotations in a program? I have searched a lot but I dont have any email address of any attendings. should I email directly to PD and ask him for rotations? please guide me. And how many months should I do if I get any?

 

[freespiriteddoctor]

Um...infectious disease.

Then do a bunch of stuff you'll never do again after residency.

Thank you

 

[Endorphins]

Congratulations guys!! good to see all of you matched in your desired programs. Hopefully, I'll match next year Can anyone explain how to get the rotations in a program? I have searched a lot but I dont have any email address of any attendings. should I email directly to PD and ask him for rotations? please guide me. And how many months should I do if I get any?

Hey best of luck at next year's match! I think the easiest way is through connections... if you have done research anywhere, email your PI/mentors and ask if they know anything or see if anybody from your school is currently doing residency/fellowship/research/is an attending somewhere and contact them asking for advice or possibility of doing rotations at their current hospital; they might be able to point you in the right direction. If none of that works and you live in the US, I would look up academic hospitals in your city and email/call the internal medicine department to ask. I wouldn't email the PD directly, maybe the program coordinator or if you decide to contact the PD make sure to cc the coordinator as well. I have heard there are some websites where you can sign up and pay for USCE opportunities but I am not 100% sure how they work, to be honest. I think there's some difficulties doing rotations as a graduate rather than a student but it's worth asking around. As to how many months, it depends on what they offer and if/how much you have to pay for it. If possible I would take 1-3 months... I think anything more than that you become a burden (my very personal opinion)

 

[yurtboat]

Same for me. Which visa are you taking?

I’m going to go H1
I’d like to do 1 to 2 years of community IM or hospitalist service while transitioning to a green card and maybe enjoying life a little bit.

 

[Virgo32]

Hey best of luck at next year's match! I think the easiest way is through connections... if you have done research anywhere, email your PI/mentors and ask if they know anything or see if anybody from your school is currently doing residency/fellowship/research/is an attending somewhere and contact them asking for advice or possibility of doing rotations at their current hospital; they might be able to point you in the right direction. If none of that works and you live in the US, I would look up academic hospitals in your city and email/call the internal medicine department to ask. I wouldn't email the PD directly, maybe the program coordinator or if you decide to contact the PD make sure to cc the coordinator as well. I have heard there are some websites where you can sign up and pay for USCE opportunities but I am not 100% sure how they work, to be honest. I think there's some difficulties doing rotations as a graduate rather than a student but it's worth asking around. As to how many months, it depends on what they offer and if/how much you have to pay for it. If possible I would take 1-3 months... I think anything more than that you become a burden (my very personal opinion)

Thank you so much for the response. I don't have connections. and yes, it's a good idea to ask from pc if they allow graduates. And what else can I do to make my resume strong? Letters from attendings are valuable, right??

 

[Ryuzaki]

For those reading this thread for next years match, this was my journey:

Med School: 2013/Caribbean, US Citizen
Step 1: 235
Step 2 CK: 224
Step 2 CS: Pass (1x)
Gaps: 10 month break between Y3 and Y4
EC Activities: Volunteered at a multiple clinics throughout my 3rd and 4th year, where I had pockets of free time.
Interviews:

• First time applicant to 242 IM / 40 FM programs (applied 3 days after ERAS opened up).
• Got 8 IM / 2 FM interviews. Attended all 10 interviews and all pre-interview dinners.
• Thank you messages sent to those programs that did not explicitly say "Don't send us thank you notices"
• Ranked all 10 programs.

Something I want new applicants and current 3rd/4th years to remember:

Letters of recommendation, the amount of effort and your rotations in your 3rd year/4th year make all the difference. I received a LOR from the PD where I did my IM Sub-I and core rotation and it was repeatedly brought up by other PDs in my interviews. In such a way that I was always asked the same question, "your PD said x, in your letter, can you tell me about a time where..." - And I had a great deal of those moments to draw from. Do not slack in your 3rd/4th year, I saw many of classmates not care about certain things and I haven't heard from them since match went on.​

Matched: Thankfully, by the grace of God, I was able to match at my number 1 choice.

 

[freakeenyc]

yo virgo dude,shoot me a message if u want, couldn't private message u. it was my 2nd time applying and i got in, luckily.(not really a great candidate). take step3 if u need a score boost or just in general just an extra thing to have, get letters from attendings/ program directors help. like 2-3 of em just in case some of em dont pan out, some lady said she'd write me one, busted my ass for her, and she never got around to it?! I'm still incredibly salty about it and wanted to send an eff u letter to her(besides the pt). research helps but i think it's almost overkill if u have stuff already, they (PDs) seem to care about continued clinical experiences. as mentioned above there are hospitals which u can look thru websites which have options to do rotations in for lors which may be cheaper than going to a company like americlerkships/ fmg whatever but these companies can be useful as a last resort if ucant find any. u got this bro just sucks waiting

 

[Virgo32]

yo virgo dude,shoot me a message if u want, couldn't private message u. it was my 2nd time applying and i got in, luckily.(not really a great candidate). take step3 if u need a score boost or just in general just an extra thing to have, get letters from attendings/ program directors help. like 2-3 of em just in case some of em dont pan out, some lady said she'd write me one, busted my ass for her, and she never got around to it?! I'm still incredibly salty about it and wanted to send an eff u letter to her(besides the pt). research helps but i think it's almost overkill if u have stuff already, they (PDs) seem to care about continued clinical experiences. as mentioned above there are hospitals which u can look thru websites which have options to do rotations in for lors which may be cheaper than going to a company like americlerkships/ fmg whatever but these companies can be useful as a last resort if ucant find any. u got this bro just sucks waiting

Thank you so much I'm trying to take step 3 and hope it will boost my application.

 

[Applicant019]

Anyone know if there could be an issue if I get a J1 from my home country but travel to a 3rd country and enter on a J1 from there?

 

[Endorphins]

Anyone know if there could be an issue if I get a J1 from my home country but travel to a 3rd country and enter on a J1 from there?

I don't think there's a problem (I've done it with a J1 visa for research scholar) but I would call ECFMG and ask just to double check

 

[Applicant019]

I don't think there's a problem (I've done it with a J1 visa for research scholar) but I would call ECFMG and ask just to double check

I'll give them a call.

Currently, my plan is to attend a function on a b1, go to the uk for a couple of days then enter on a j1. Hope it's not an issue

 

[Endorphins]

I'll give them a call.

Currently, my plan is to attend a function on a b1, go to the uk for a couple of days then enter on a j1. Hope it's not an issue

I've been advised not to travel into the US during the time period between any visa application submission and approval, when your USCIS status is pending regardless if you have another current visa you can use. Make sure to ask ECFMG when you call to ask about the other thing! You've worked too hard to have something like this complicate things

 

[Applicant019]

I've been advised not to travel into the US during the time period between any visa application submission and approval, when your USCIS status is pending regardless if you have another current visa you can use. Make sure to ask ECFMG when you call to ask about the other thing! You've worked too hard to have something like this complicate things

Thank you!

 

[il pani]

I'll give them a call.

Currently, my plan is to attend a function on a b1, go to the uk for a couple of days then enter on a j1. Hope it's not an issue

Do not leave the US if you have an application pending with USCIS. If you leave, your visa application is automatically denied and you won't be able to enter the country. Unless you start the process from the UK, then that would be different.

 

[Applicant019]

Do not leave the US if you have an application pending with USCIS. If you leave, your visa application is automatically denied and you won't be able to enter the country. Unless you start the process from the UK, then that would be different.

I'll be starting the process in Nepal. I need to go to the US for an event on the 12th of may.

 

[Endorphins]

I'll be starting the process in Nepal. I need to go to the US for an event on the 12th of may.

Talk with ECFMG and an immigration lawyer if necessary but I would not go the event on the 12th of may unless your J1 visa has already been approved (which I doubt because issuing the DS-2019 takes some time). Make sure to talk to someone that's an expert on the subject and plan based on the worst case scenario... don't listen to the anecdotal "I did it and everything worked out fine". About 2 years ago, my spouse was processing the J1 visa from our home country and had Step 3 scheduled in the US in april/may and ECFMG advised to cancel the test instead of entering the US and risk having the visa denied. Personally, if it was anything else other than my own wedding, I would not risk it hahaha but that's just me!

 

[Virgo32]

LORs from residents are valuable or not?

 

[Animalcules]

LORs from residents are valuable or not?

No

 

[gutonc]

LORs from residents are valuable or not?

If you're out of toilet paper? Very. Otherwise, no.

 

[yurtboat]

LORs from residents are valuable or not?

I don’t think so really.

Maybe a chief resident as a 4th LOR but even that is not great. Arguably a resident letter would be damaging to an application.

 

[IMreshopeful]

I don’t think so really.

Maybe a chief resident as a 4th LOR but even that is not great. Arguably a resident letter would be damaging to an application.

Even a chief resident letter is garbage
This is a terrible idea, letters should be only from attendings

 

[rokshana]

I don’t think so really.

Maybe a chief resident as a 4th LOR but even that is not great. Arguably a resident letter would be damaging to an application.

No...just no

 

[Doctortobe99]

No...just no

Don’t you ever think of adding a letter from a resident, program directors and attending’s will see it as an insult

 

[faisal 2000]

at I did match at Ochsner

congrat for matching
could you please or anyone give us advantages and disadvantages of Ochsner residency program
and also NS/LIJ. i do not care about the location

i am interested to be matched in university hospital any input regarding the programs what is the best
and what about the educational environment over there comparing to others

 

[faisal 2000]

could you please give me pros and cons of Vanderbilt , Ochsner, NS/LIJ, and UW ?
and how are you going to rank them ?

 

[residentDOIM]

could you please give me pros and cons of Vanderbilt , Ochsner, NS/LIJ, and UW ?
and how are you going to rank them ?

Per reputation: UW = Vanderbilt > NS/LIJ > Ochsner. They are widely different programs - you would need to be more specific in terms of what you want to know. Also, as an IMG it is pretty rare to get an interview in all 4 as they are not the IMG-friendly university programs.

 

[rokshana]

Per reputation: UW = Vanderbilt > NS/LIJ > Ochsner. They are widely different programs - you would need to be more specific in terms of what you want to know. Also, as an IMG it is pretty rare to get an interview in all 4 as they are not the IMG-friendly university programs.

When did that change? Ochsner and LIJ are full of I/FMGs

 

[whoknows2012]

When did that change? Ochsner and LIJ are full of I/FMGs

Nslij is almost entirely amgs. There are other satellite programs, ie forest hills, Lenox hill, that have more FMGs/imgs

In fact, as far as I can tell, there are about 5 non amg mds in all three classes. Most recent class (2018-2019) all amg mds

https://professionals.northwell.edu/sites/northwell.edu/files/inline-files/Department-of-Medicine.pdf

 

[residentDOIM]

When did that change? Ochsner and LIJ are full of I/FMGs

LIJ has fewer IMGs in their current 3-year class than MGH. Oschner might still have IMGs, however, I wouldn't consider the program IMG-friendly at a level of Cook County, Einstein-Philly, etc.

 

[rokshana]

LIJ has fewer IMGs in their current 3-year class than MGH. Oschner might still have IMGs, however, I wouldn't consider the program IMG-friendly at a level of Cook County, Einstein-Philly, etc.

Interesting...the Queensland thing must have made a difference with Oschner...when I interviewed there for both residency and fellowship, they were Carib and local AMGs heavy

 

[faisal 2000]

why no one talk about tulane ? i thought it is a great hospital
anyhow could you guys idea about their residency ?

 

[gutonc]

why no one talk about tulane ? i thought it is a great hospital
anyhow could you guys idea about their residency ?

I suspect nobody is talking about it in this thread because their current complement of IM residents includes a grand total of 2 IMGs (Saba x1, Ben-Gurion x1) in all 3 classes. Not a particularly easy target for IMGs.

 

[faisal 2000]

I suspect nobody is talking about it in this thread because their current complement of IM residents includes a grand total of 2 IMGs (Saba x1, Ben-Gurion x1) in all 3 classes. Not a particularly easy target for IMGs.

so do you have any idea about it? pros and cons of their residency comparing to other

 

[rokshana]

why no one talk about tulane ? i thought it is a great hospital
anyhow could you guys idea about their residency ?

Because they are not particularly IMG friendly...I interviewed there and was the only IMG that day...with some guy from Harvard interviewing that day. I suspect he was more the norm than I was as a candidate.

PD is amazing...they are strong clinically but weaker with research.
Have some innovative ideas...all their diadactics are on one day which is protected time for both the interns and residents.
I ranked them #2.

 

[residentDOIM]

Because they are not particularly IMG friendly...I interviewed there and was the only IMG that day...with some guy from Harvard interviewing that day. I suspect he was more the norm than I was as a candidate.

PD is amazing...they are strong clinically but weaker with research.
Have some innovative ideas...all their diadactics are on one day which is protected time for both the interns and residents.
I ranked them #2.

They are one of the few residency programs who have a criterion of " Applicants to Tulane must be graduates from an AAMC-accredited or an AOA-accredited medical school." So I doubt that as an IMG, you would get an interview there.

For reference: Tulane Internal Medicine Residency Program :: Contact Information

They are pretty open about their residency admission criteria.

 

[rokshana]

They are one of the few residency programs who have a criterion of " Applicants to Tulane must be graduates from an AAMC-accredited or an AOA-accredited medical school." So I doubt that as an IMG, you would get an interview there.

For reference: Tulane Internal Medicine Residency Program :: Contact Information

They are pretty open about their residency admission criteria.

Uh realize I interviewed in 2008...things may have changed...I matched elsewhere and went on to do fellowship...I have no reason to lie...someone asked about and I gave my 2cents...
Looked at that reference which is apparently from 2016?

Since they have 2 imgs in their current residents, one from saba and the other from Ben guion, I guess they changed back

Tulane Internal Medicine Residency Program :: Current Residents

Tulane Internal Medicine Residency Program, educational innovation, patient diversity, research excellence, career advancement and life fulfillment.

tulanemedicine.com

I did find this in my email as well

 

[residentDOIM]

Uh realize I interviewed in 2008...things may have changed...I matched elsewhere and went on to do fellowship...I have no reason to lie...someone asked about and I gave my 2cents...
Looked at that reference which is apparently from 2016?

Since they have 2 imgs in their current residents, one from saba and the other from Ben guion, I guess they changed back

Tulane Internal Medicine Residency Program :: Current Residents

Tulane Internal Medicine Residency Program, educational innovation, patient diversity, research excellence, career advancement and life fulfillment.

tulanemedicine.com

I did find this in my email as well

Oh, I didn't mean that you lied sorry if it sounded that way - the IMG I was referring to was the OP (faisal2000). I'm sure things have changed in the last 10 years as it has been for many programs.

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe Ben Gurion is AAMC-accredited (which I think is different from LCME-accreditation). For Saba, I have no idea but exceptions always happen. I haven't encountered a single IMG over the last 3 years, including this year that I applied myself, who got an interview from there (just my n=1 experience)

 

[Dr. Opout]

For everyone that matched, what are some of the things you're doing/planning to do in order to prepare for intern year? I haven't studied in months and would ideally like to not come in as the dumbest person in my class. Just traveled for vacation and got back, so trying to start slowly getting back into work mode.

Current residents, attendings, please feel free to weigh in.

 

[Endorphins]

For everyone that matched, what are some of the things you're doing/planning to do in order to prepare for intern year? I haven't studied in months and would ideally like to not come in as the dumbest person in my class. Just traveled for vacation and got back, so trying to start slowly getting back into work mode.

Current residents, attendings, please feel free to weigh in.

I considered doing the Online MedEd Intern bootcamp or look at NEJM 360 but decided against it. I am about 2-3 years out of school and have been doing research since then. I will finish up my research projects, travel back home for a while and deal with packing/moving to another city. I've been told that there's nothing you can really do to prepare and it is better to just chill before residency. The only thing I would do is get step 3 done to get it out of the way but I did that in december so...

 

[Virgo32]

I'm looking for a job that can give me patient and physician interaction? please suggest which type of job should I apply?

 

[Simplyaroy]

Sure - I don't see the point of the crazy anonymity around here. UNM, UArizona, UT-Houston, Corpus Cristi, Wake Forest and Dallas Methodist.

Hey M_channa, tried to pM you but I couldn't. Could you please permit me to?

 

[NK9]

For everyone that matched, what are some of the things you're doing/planning to do in order to prepare for intern year? I haven't studied in months and would ideally like to not come in as the dumbest person in my class. Just traveled for vacation and got back, so trying to start slowly getting back into work mode.

Current residents, attendings, please feel free to weigh in.

I'm in the same boat. Considered taking step 3 but no dates available for before residency starts so thats out of the question. But I did look at about 20 different blogs and the general consensus seems to be that the online meded intern bootcamp isn't helpful. Its not so much about medical knowledge but more so tells you how to take H&Ps, what is expected of you, how to give presentations, etc.

That being said, I've heard the Intern Content section on onlinemeded is helpful. And some have said the intern guide book that you can buy on onlinemeded is also a bit helpful.

 

[NK9]

Hi Guys! So I'm starting residency in july and though I have rotated through a few different clinics in the united states, I haven't rotated in a hospital setting. I know its a little too late but I've been a bit paranoid about this. Should I be trying to get some sort of hospital experience before july or is going by the "you'll learn as you go in residency" principle sufficient?

 

[SchoolBoy30]

The IMG match has gotten competitive this year. PM if anyone wants to know what it takes for the average human being to get in

 

[drwaluigi]

any news regarding h1s? did someone get it yet?

 

[sss2g2]

Hi Guys! So I'm starting residency in july and though I have rotated through a few different clinics in the united states, I haven't rotated in a hospital setting. I know its a little too late but I've been a bit paranoid about this. Should I be trying to get some sort of hospital experience before july or is going by the "you'll learn as you go in residency" principle sufficient?

Relax. You will learn in residency. There's nothing you can do to prepare. Seriously this will be the last time you can relax before you'll pretty much be working the rest of your life.

 

[NK9]

Relax. You will learn in residency. There's nothing you can do to prepare. Seriously this will be the last time you can relax before you'll pretty much be working the rest of your life.

Can't argue with that. Thank you!