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*not to bash any residents at all in terms of competence or potential.
But, in terms of the residency matching system - is the "system" fair? Should it accept foreign residents on par with citizens who plan to then devote their education/financial support/research grants to help people in the country that educated them??
Esp with an ailing, aging, growing (literally) population?
*not to bash any residents at all in terms of competence or potential.
But, in terms of the residency matching system - is the "system" fair? Should it accept foreign residents on par with citizens who plan to then devote their education/financial support/research grants to help people in the country that educated them??
Esp with an ailing, aging, growing (literally) population?
*not to bash any residents at all in terms of competence or potential.
But, in terms of the residency matching system - is the "system" fair? Should it accept foreign residents on par with citizens who plan to then devote their education/financial support/research grants to help people in the country that educated them??
Esp with an ailing, aging, growing (literally) population?
By and large, American residencies are taking highly qualified FMGs. The competition for them is so steep that the middling candidates don't really have much of a shot. So we're pretty much getting the cream of the crop. I think America absolutely benefits from attracting many of the best doctors, scientists, artists, businessmen, etc from around the world to our country. I don't even really see where fair comes into it. It's not like there's any appreciable number of American medical graduates who can't match into any residency program.
Love it or hate it..foreign grads do help fill the spots in primary care..
And the truth is for an FMG to get into a super competitive specialty, they have to be even better than anybody else stats and resume-wise, which, in my opinion is more than paying your dues.
Unfortunately, even if these are some of the smartest of their classes in their original countries, most were trained in a different system that might not be on par with ours. Then, they end up training at below average US residency programs, so you end up with some of the worst practicing physcians being FMGs. I know there are exceptions, and I have seen some amazing FMG's, but that's not the norm (in my experience).
Unfortunately, even if these are some of the smartest of their classes in their original countries, most were trained in a different system that might not be on par with ours. Then, they end up training at below average US residency programs, so you end up with some of the worst practicing physcians being FMGs. I know there are exceptions, and I have seen some amazing FMG's, but that's not the norm (in my experience)..
I don't think so. The average American student is 6 figures in debt by the time they start residency. That's not the case with many FMG's.
Also, how you are on paper does not correlate with how good you are as a physician. Not to forget, ALL FMG's spend months to years preparing for step exams. We spend weeks only.
Are you guys talking about me
You're pulling this out of nowhere.
http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/img/0810-health-affairs-imgs.pdf
Why not? If I were a patient, I'd sure as hell want the best doctors in the world working on me. It's not a foreign resident's problem that someone else can't out compete them.
It's unfair to those countries that these docs come from, most of these countries desperately need them... No unfairness to slacker AMGs that are fearing for their own residency spot (to reiterate average and even slightly below average AMGs have no problems at all getting very solid residencies and at good locations also)..
if you can take Step I, II, III and get 99 percentile on them in a different language, and learn medicine alllllllllllll over again in a completely random language (medicinal English), and understand all the cultural barriers etc in the US, by all means, we need you! (most foreign medical grads can only get into primary care)
This should have been the first and last reply to this thread.The US has more residency slots than there are American medical school graduates. The only way to fill the rest of them is to import physicians from abroad.
1. Doctors who graduated from foreign medical schools, and who were not US citizens when they went to medical school, who then went on to practice in the US, had significantly lower mortality rates than a) doctors who went to US medical schools and b) doctors who went to foreign medical schools and who were US citizens when they went to medical school.
2. No significant difference in mortality rates between a) all international medical graduates and b) graduates of US medical schools.
I remember this study. Makes sense. They are the cream of the crop. They are top docs. They're the best grads from their school.
They can study months, years, for USMLE. And they are smart. They can certainly outscore American-mainland rejects, who resort to Caribbean for-profit schools.
Many US-IMGs from many caribbean schools have higher mortality rates.
I remember this study. Makes sense. They are the cream of the crop. They are top docs. They're the best grads from their school.
They can study months, years, for USMLE. And they are smart. They can certainly outscore American-mainland rejects, who resort to Caribbean for-profit schools.
Many US-IMGs from many caribbean schools have higher mortality rates.
I remember this study. Makes sense. They are the cream of the crop. They are top docs. They're the best grads from their school.
They can study months, years, for USMLE. And they are smart. They can certainly outscore American-mainland rejects, who resort to Caribbean for-profit schools.
Many US-IMGs from many caribbean schools have higher mortality rates.
Well said. I see this only as a positive thing for the US of A. We are like a giant magnet sucking up all the best talent and brains from the rest of the world. It's brilliant. I hope all the best and brightest FMGs all want to come the US.#1. America claims to be the land of the free. You cant have your cake and eat it too. FMGs have every right to be here as you do. They have the same tuition, they pay the same taxes, and they ultimately help the same American people when they practice here.
#2. If an FMG is better qualified than an AMG, is it selfish for you to say that they dont deserve the spot. That is highly unfair to sick Americans who just want the best possible healthcare.
#3. If an FMG can out compete you, well you dont deserve that spot and clearly did not work hard enough.
#4. FMGs fill the primary care spots that would normally be empty
Fact: The US NEEDS fmg's to fill in the spots in rural locations and provide health care to people who normally might be able to find it. This will change in a few years, but for now you should be thanking FMGs that they were willing to leave their country and family to come to the US to be a family physician (in most cases) and deal with fat complaining people who dont understand why eating at McDonalds 3x a day is making them unhealthy.
The obligation is to the patients, not to the doctors.Think people are forgetting that our taxes pay the salary and cost of training residents. So yes american citizens should get dibs thats a no brainer.
And somehow having american citizens getting first dibs on residencies will somehow treat fewer patients or treat them in a subpar manner? The obligation to the patients will be fulfilled regardless of who gets priority on residency placement. Im all for FMG filling vacancies but think any american citizen should get first priority.