info please !

[neoplasia]

Hi there !
I am an FMG. I graduated from a good medical school in India. I am now on an F1 visa doing an MS in Biomedical Sciences(Molecular Biology and Genetics) and am preparing for my MLE.
I plan to match for 2004. I have a couple of questions:

Q1. I want to match for Pathology(and only, only only Pathology). I know its like are you crazy or what ! No I am NOT. even my Dad is a clinical pathologist so I really wanna be one too.
tell me , How good are the chances of getting into a pathology residency for FMGs like me ???

Q2. I am at present doing research in my school. Will it be of any use to me at all in getting to a residency program in pathology ? or do my research need to be pathology based/oreinted ?

Q3.How good are the chances of getting a H1 visa for FMGs who want to get into pathology ?

Q4. Anything specific that I need to look into as an FMG , I mean kind of some really friendly hospitals or something like that ?(for pathology )

Please advise ! I'd really appreciate anything and whatever info I can get !

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[GreatPumpkin]

----Q1. I want to match for Pathology(and only, only only Pathology). I know its like are you crazy or what ! No I am NOT. even my Dad is a clinical pathologist so I really wanna be one too.
tell me , How good are the chances of getting into a pathology residency for FMGs like me ???

I doubt you will find anyone here that thinks you are crazy. Most of us think path is the only place to go. It will be easier to answer this question after the match results come out for this year. It appears to many of us that path is getting alot of new interest from US grads. If this is indeed the case path will become tougher and tougher for FMGs to match. My program who has taken plenty of FMGs in the past did not interview any non-US citizen FMGs this year and only 2 US citizen FMGs. Most programs would take a US grad over a FMG almost regardless of stats due to government money that they receive for the US grad resident.

The FMGs that are in my program are highly highly qualified. High USMLE scores (230+) and with multiple years of research in the US or were practicing physicians for multiple years prior to coming to the US. Some actually practicing pathologists. I have no data to back this up, but I would imagine most of the FMGs that are successful in finding a program are similar to this.

So right now it is difficult to say, but it could be very tough.

Just a question can you get pathology training in India?


---------Q2. I am at present doing research in my school. Will it be of any use to me at all in getting to a residency program in pathology ? or do my research need to be pathology based/oreinted ?

Research is good for your chances, it doesn't necessarily have to be pathology. But, more important than research is your USMLE scores and maybe who you can meet in path programs.

-------Q3.How good are the chances of getting a H1 visa for FMGs who want to get into pathology ?

No idea on this one.


------Q4. Anything specific that I need to look into as an FMG , I mean kind of some really friendly hospitals or something like that ?(for pathology )

Look at the match results and find hospitals that had difficulty filling in the match.


Good luck.