IMG Internal Medicine Applicants - Match 2020

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Most of you end up in the match once. We are in the match every year. Getting feedback on where people we ranked went can be helpful in planning for future years. We don't get information that I would think would be objectionable -- like where we were on your rank lists.
 
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aProgDirector said:
Most of you end up in the match once. We are in the match every year. Getting feedback on where people we ranked went can be helpful in planning for future years. We don't get information that I would think would be objectionable -- like where we were on your rank lists.
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oh what a twist of faith..
that's a good thing to deter greedy applicants, who want to be ranked everywhere, having even to lie saying you are my ((top choice)) on my list, sending the same email to everyone.
no wonder, my program of choice (my no1) rank did not bother replying to my thank you note or letter of interest. they know by history that so many good applicants will lie just to guarantee their back up program
 
hopefull IM Candidate said:
oh what a twist of faith..
that's a good thing to deter greedy applicants, who want to be ranked everywhere, having even to lie saying you are my ((top choice)) on my list, sending the same email to everyone.
no wonder, my program of choice (my no1) rank did not bother replying to my thank you note or letter of interest. they know by history that so many good applicants will lie just to guarantee their back up program
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Everyone plays the game always have always will.
 
Good news mi amigos. Just received word from my program that the US Department of State will resume issuing J1 and H1 visa for all 4200 of the incoming visa requiring interns.

1585349846669.png
 
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Neurodoc2024 said:
Everyone plays the game always have always will.
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some would say it is a game.
IMHO I understand where does that come from and why.
But, I was not at ease playing by the same rules. I opted for sending 5 nice personalized letters to my top5 programs. i did not get many replies except, one nice one from my 5th ranked.
i felt bad. but, then i was like It doesn't matter, I ranked 20 Programs on my ROL. at the end of the day i will pply match. not the end of the world if i even did not.

thankfully, I matched into my No1. Program.

moral of the story, do what makes you comfortable.
if 20 min interview and long years of hard work into your med schools and USMLEs did not convince them to rank you. then, probably a love letter written by someone as good as Shakespeer won`t make them change their minds either.
 
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Bobbbyyyy said:
Good news mi amigos. Just received word from my program that the US Department of State will resume issuing J1 and H1 visa for all 4200 of the incoming visa requiring interns.

View attachment 300013
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canadians do not need visas.
we need Ds-2019 and some nice Yankee on the boarder crossing to tell us come in.
hopefully, the CBP will be notified that alien Phycisian are considered essential cross border workers ...
 
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hopefull IM Candidate said:
some would say it is a game.
IMHO I understand where does that come from and why.
But, I was not at ease playing by the same rules. I opted for sending 5 nice personalized letters to my top5 programs. i did not get many replies except, one nice one from my 5th ranked.
i felt bad. but, then i was like It doesn't matter, I ranked 20 Programs on my ROL. at the end of the day i will pply match. not the end of the world if i even did not.

thankfully, I matched into my No1. Program.

moral of the story, do what makes you comfortable.
if 20 min interview and long years of hard work into your med schools and USMLEs did not convince them to rank you. then, probably a love letter written by someone as good as Shakespeer won`t make them change their minds either.
Click to expand...

Agree I sent one letter and matched where I sent it. What hurts people is sending out more than one saying that’s where you wanna be because when you don’t match there you just burned a bridge in my opinion by not ranking each place you sent a letter to first, which obviously is impossible. To each their own.
 
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This is from a friend that is a fellowship Director

—————————-
For those in Residency or fellowship or coming to residency there should be no delay in VISAS #IMG
American Medical Association (AMA) AMA Ambassadors Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)

Department of State Signals Visa Processing for Medical Professionals Will Move Forward

Dear Program Director:

In a time when good news is scarce, we are pleased to send you a positive update. In a communication today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) signaled that it would resume the processing of J and H visa applications for medical professionals seeking to enter the United States. This creates an entry pathway for the 4,200+ foreign national physicians, selected in the March 20 Match to participate in U.S. programs of GME beginning July 1. These trainees will undoubtedly provide critical support to health care teams at teaching hospitals as they combat the current COVID-19 health care crisis.

Medical professionals with an approved U.S. non-immigrant or immigrant visa petition (I-129, I-140, or similar) or a certificate of eligibility in an approved exchange visitor program (DS-2019) are encouraged to review the website of their nearest embassy or consulate to request a visa appointment.

Since the suspension of routine visa processing for immigrant and non-immigrant visas went into effect on March 18, ECFMG|FAIMER has been in close contact with the DOS to raise awareness on the negative impact of the visa suspension on recently matched foreign national physicians. While there is still much work to be done, this is a small victory and a step in the right direction. Read the full ECFMG|FAIMER announcement here.
 
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Bobbbyyyy said:
Scranton PA my friend. FM. Shouldn’t be too difficult to find out the program name :cat: .
Ps. congrats on matching at your #1 buddy!
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the thread is like over 119, i acknowledge stalking your post may have got me the answer.
congrats for hustling it mate. Scranton is not that far from Toronto.
keep up the funny avatars & positive vibes on here.
 
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hopefull IM Candidate said:
the thread is like over 119, i acknowledge stalking your post may have got me the answer.
congrats for hustling it mate. Scranton is not that far from Toronto.
keep up the funny avatars & positive vibes on here.
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thanks bud! I will never stop the memes!
 
rokshana said:
This is from a friend that is a fellowship Director

—————————-
For those in Residency or fellowship or coming to residency there should be no delay in VISAS #IMG
American Medical Association (AMA) AMA Ambassadors Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)

Department of State Signals Visa Processing for Medical Professionals Will Move Forward

Dear Program Director:

In a time when good news is scarce, we are pleased to send you a positive update. In a communication today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) signaled that it would resume the processing of J and H visa applications for medical professionals seeking to enter the United States. This creates an entry pathway for the 4,200+ foreign national physicians, selected in the March 20 Match to participate in U.S. programs of GME beginning July 1. These trainees will undoubtedly provide critical support to health care teams at teaching hospitals as they combat the current COVID-19 health care crisis.

Medical professionals with an approved U.S. non-immigrant or immigrant visa petition (I-129, I-140, or similar) or a certificate of eligibility in an approved exchange visitor program (DS-2019) are encouraged to review the website of their nearest embassy or consulate to request a visa appointment.

Since the suspension of routine visa processing for immigrant and non-immigrant visas went into effect on March 18, ECFMG|FAIMER has been in close contact with the DOS to raise awareness on the negative impact of the visa suspension on recently matched foreign national physicians. While there is still much work to be done, this is a small victory and a step in the right direction. Read the full ECFMG|FAIMER announcement here.
Click to expand...


I just hope by that time we have enough PPE's to protect ourselves.
 
Neurodoc2024 said:
Agree I sent one letter and matched where I sent it. What hurts people is sending out more than one saying that’s where you wanna be because when you don’t match there you just burned a bridge in my opinion by not ranking each place you sent a letter to first, which obviously is impossible. To each their own.
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I sent a letter to every program but only told my #1 that i ranked them #1. For me it was just a genuine gesture of thank you, it just depends what you write in it. I kept it short and just wrote thank you for their time in each letter
 
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Just for anyone that reads this next year. I matched at my number 1 without having sent any Letter of Intent or love emails. My top few programs said no post interview communication so I listened.
I think for a lot of the well established programs, they don’t need to or care to do this at all. For newer programs that are trying to fill and have had difficulty filling in the past, I think they may take it into consideration more.
The best place is to show interest and enthusiasm about a program is at the interview itself. Tell them you’re excited to be there and thank them for the opportunity.
If you do end up sending them out, please be professional and ethical. Don’t tell all 14 of your programs that you are ranking them number 1 or highly; that’s not the kinda thing a doctor should be doing imo.
 
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ZedMain said:
I just realized on my ERAS application, under the question "is there anything that could limit your hospital privileges" I answered YES.
I got a few interviews but didn't match. How much of an impact do you think that mistake may have had on my chances?
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An ENORMOUS impact
 
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Any thoughts on filing a I-129 petition for H1b visa without premium processing and then make an expedite request based on the following criteria? How to Make an Expedite Request
A case could be made for it being in the national/public safety interest?
 
ZedMain said:
I just realized on my ERAS application, under the question "is there anything that could limit your hospital privileges" I answered YES.
I got a few interviews but didn't match. How much of an impact do you think that mistake may have had on my chances?
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What why would you do that? Did you have something serious that could impact working at a hospital.
 
shelf exam 1959 said:
where I can see this on eras application. I can see limitations nowhere I can see hospital privileges
, can you plez let me know on which page.
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Thats it. its the "limitations" part. it doesnt say privileges on the pdf of your application.
 
ZedMain said:
9, surprisingly
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What’s done is done. Time to move on and get ready for the next season. Looks like you’ll be a competitive applicant For the coming season!
 
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Bobbbyyyy said:
Scranton PA my friend. FM. Shouldn’t be too difficult to find out the program name :cat: .
Ps. congrats on matching at your #1 buddy!
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I IV there! Really nice people. Should be a great work environment.
 
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My best friend matched with med -preliminary.Is it difficult to get PGY2 after complete PGY1 other place ? Because that program dosen't have any extra PGY2 position.
 
Zinzu said:
My best friend matched with med -preliminary.Is it difficult to get PGY2 after complete PGY1 other place ? Because that program dosen't have any extra PGY2 position.
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Correct me if I’m wrong... but it’s harder to get that jump straight into PGY2 after completing a prelim year. I do know one lucky person who was able to find a PGY2 spot at an outside program.

The game plan should be for him/her to do a great job in their first year and impress the program enough that they offer him/her their in-house categorical PGY1 for next year. But nonetheless they should apply broadly next cycle to PGY1 categorical positions as in-house matching is a hit or miss. Doing intern year twice is annoying but you gotta do what you gotta do.
There are websites out there to that show PGY2 openings if somebody happens to quit, so you never know, worth a try.
 
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Bobbbyyyy said:
Correct me if I’m wrong... but it’s harder to get that jump straight into PGY2 after completing a prelim year. I do know one lucky person who was able to find a PGY2 spot at an outside program.

The game plan should be for him/her to do a great job in their first year and impress the program enough that they offer him/her their in-house categorical PGY1 for next year. But nonetheless they should apply broadly next cycle to PGY1 categorical positions as in-house matching is a hit or miss. Doing intern year twice is annoying but you gotta do what you gotta do.
There are websites out there to that show PGY2 openings if somebody happens to quit, so you never know, worth a try.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for timely help.
 
Bobbbyyyy said:
Correct me if I’m wrong... but it’s harder to get that jump straight into PGY2 after completing a prelim year. I do know one lucky person who was able to find a PGY2 spot at an outside program.

The game plan should be for him/her to do a great job in their first year and impress the program enough that they offer him/her their in-house categorical PGY1 for next year. But nonetheless they should apply broadly next cycle to PGY1 categorical positions as in-house matching is a hit or miss. Doing intern year twice is annoying but you gotta do what you gotta do.
There are websites out there to that show PGY2 openings if somebody happens to quit, so you never know, worth a try.
Click to expand...

Wait people do intern year twice to be a family med or internal doc. Wow. That’s insane. Good luck that’s tough.
 
I'm sure if he worked his behind off ,
Neurodoc2024 said:
Wait people do intern year twice to be a family med or internal doc. Wow. That’s insane. Good luck that’s tough.
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People have done 2 to 3 years of prelim surgery just to get a PGY1 categorical surgery spot. It's all up to the individual how far youre willing to go and what their dreams are and how much they want to tolerate
 
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pengear0011 said:
I'm sure if he worked his behind off ,

People have done 2 to 3 years of prelim surgery just to get a PGY1 categorical surgery spot. It's all up to the individual how far youre willing to go and what their dreams are and how much they want to tolerate
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Wow that’s a lot. You cannot do that as a US grad or someone with significant debt your interest would be like paying for med school 2-3 more years. I never knew people had that hard of a time getting into what they wanted.
 
Neurodoc2024 said:
Wait people do intern year twice to be a family med or internal doc. Wow. That’s insane. Good luck that’s tough.
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No, intern year twice for those who are prelims who want to stay in the same specialty. ie. A prelim internal med resident will do one prelim intern year then if he secures a categorical PGY1 internal Med position will have to repeat his intern year again(unless they are lucky and able to jump straight into a PGY2 position)

If you matched As a categorical right away like the majority of people, then you only do intern year once.
 
Bobbbyyyy said:
Correct me if I’m wrong... but it’s harder to get that jump straight into PGY2 after completing a prelim year. I do know one lucky person who was able to find a PGY2 spot at an outside program.

The game plan should be for him/her to do a great job in their first year and impress the program enough that they offer him/her their in-house categorical PGY1 for next year. But nonetheless they should apply broadly next cycle to PGY1 categorical positions as in-house matching is a hit or miss. Doing intern year twice is annoying but you gotta do what you gotta do.
There are websites out there to that show PGY2 openings if somebody happens to quit, so you never know, worth a try.
Click to expand...

Also true story; I know an IM prelim intern who applied for their in-house program’s categorical only and didn’t apply to any other program the following year. Guess what, their program didn’t take them, now they’re screwed out of a job for 1 year.

so it’s always a good idea to apply broadly, no matter what your program promises you, have a backup plan. Some people end up matching into a better program than before!
 
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Bobbbyyyy said:
Correct me if I’m wrong... but it’s harder to get that jump straight into PGY2 after completing a prelim year. I do know one lucky person who was able to find a PGY2 spot at an outside program.

The game plan should be for him/her to do a great job in their first year and impress the program enough that they offer him/her their in-house categorical PGY1 for next year. But nonetheless they should apply broadly next cycle to PGY1 categorical positions as in-house matching is a hit or miss. Doing intern year twice is annoying but you gotta do what you gotta do.
There are websites out there to that show PGY2 openings if somebody happens to quit, so you never know, worth a try.
Click to expand...

For some reason I had this misconception in my mind that doing intern year twice was not possible because of funding issues? I think I read somewhere that acgme has problems funding for an intern year twice for the same person. I thought if someone who did prelim IM and still wanted to do categorical IM, the only way would be to find a PGY2 spot the next year. But looks like this theory was absolutely wrong.

However, please elaborate on this funding issue if someone has any knowledge about it. Thanks
 
Reperfused said:
For some reason I had this misconception in my mind that doing intern year twice was not possible because of funding issues? I think I read somewhere that acgme has problems funding for an intern year twice for the same person. I thought if someone who did prelim IM and still wanted to do categorical IM, the only way would be to find a PGY2 spot the next year. But looks like this theory was absolutely wrong.

However, please elaborate on this funding issue if someone has any knowledge about it. Thanks
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I’ve seen most people go into PGY1 from prelim. I think it’s easier to justify getting 4 years of stipend from the govt in fields such as IM FM Peds Psych as the residency duration is normally short (3 yrs) compared to other fields like neurosurg radiology etc which have a really long resiency duration.

peope could run into trouble for funding if they switch from one specialty to another later on in their training ie. A PGY3 IM resident trying to switch fields and applying for radiology.

Basically, I forgot where I read this but there’s a total residency cap of x years and so those with shorter residency specialties have more buffer to mess around with.

correct me if I’m wrong guys.
 
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Reperfused said:
For some reason I had this misconception in my mind that doing intern year twice was not possible because of funding issues? I think I read somewhere that acgme has problems funding for an intern year twice for the same person. I thought if someone who did prelim IM and still wanted to do categorical IM, the only way would be to find a PGY2 spot the next year. But looks like this theory was absolutely wrong.

However, please elaborate on this funding issue if someone has any knowledge about it. Thanks
Click to expand...
Prelim year comes with 4 years of funding vs. categorical PGY 1 one comes with 3 year of funding
 
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