USMLE Low Step 1, Failed CK twice, CS once.. is there any chance?

[sksmstmdwlsdl]

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FMG with a Step 1 score of 207.
I failed CK once and got a 130.
Next time I failed with a CK score of 206. I think I have a hard time memorizing than my colleagues.

For CS, I failed all but the SEP. Mostly due to nervousness/technique.

I'm a MS4 about to graduate. I'm pondering whether to go into health informatics, due to my computer IT background.

Is there still a chance left in me to get a residency in the US, if I try to pass CK and CS?
I don't care which specialty anymore.. whatever that will let me practice medicine in US will be the one.

Please no sugar-coating, it won't help me get a clear sense of reality.

 

[sksmstmdwlsdl]

Bump.. anyone?

 

[notbobtrustme]

I think it will be a very difficult road to match, especially considering that you may be ineligible in many states due to your multiple failures. Some states don't allow anyone with 3 failures to obtain a license, so you'll have to do your research on where you are eligible.

A CS fail is basically the kiss of death for IMG/FMG applicants. Multiple CK failures are huge red flags because they correlate with clinical performance more so than Step 1.

Finally, what is your visa status like? Green card? J-1? H1-B? Depending on your visa status, it may be difficult to find a program to actually take you. Going through the visa process is something programs don't really want to do if they can avoid it. Finally, how much US clinical experience do you have? Successful IMGs/FMGs usually have a year or more of US clinical experience to help them with letters of recommendation.

If I were in your position, I'd stay in my own country to practice.

If you are really intent on coming to the US, I'd concentrate on passing CK/CS, getting US clinical experience and applying to literally every single FM/IM program in the country. Even then, I think you will be hard pressed to get enough interviews. There are simply too many IMGs/FMGs with no red flags and better applications.

 

[sksmstmdwlsdl]

Thanks for the information.

I'm a US citizen, and have done 5 months of clinical rotation in my fourth year in the US.
I understand it's an unimaginable uphill slope. It will be hard..

 

[Phloston]

FMG with a Step 1 score of 207.
I failed CK once and got a 130.
Next time I failed with a CK score of 206. I think I have a hard time memorizing than my colleagues.

For CS, I failed all but the SEP. Mostly due to nervousness/technique.

I'm a MS4 about to graduate. I'm pondering whether to go into health informatics, due to my computer IT background.

Is there still a chance left in me to get a residency in the US, if I try to pass CK and CS?
I don't care which specialty anymore.. whatever that will let me practice medicine in US will be the one.

Please no sugar-coating, it won't help me get a clear sense of reality.

I think it will be a very difficult road to match, especially considering that you may be ineligible in many states due to your multiple failures. Some states don't allow anyone with 3 failures to obtain a license, so you'll have to do your research on where you are eligible.

A CS fail is basically the kiss of death for IMG/FMG applicants. Multiple CK failures are huge red flags because they correlate with clinical performance more so than Step 1.

Finally, what is your visa status like? Green card? J-1? H1-B? Depending on your visa status, it may be difficult to find a program to actually take you. Going through the visa process is something programs don't really want to do if they can avoid it. Finally, how much US clinical experience do you have? Successful IMGs/FMGs usually have a year or more of US clinical experience to help them with letters of recommendation.

If I were in your position, I'd stay in my own country to practice.

If you are really intent on coming to the US, I'd concentrate on passing CK/CS, getting US clinical experience and applying to literally every single FM/IM program in the country. Even then, I think you will be hard pressed to get enough interviews. There are simply too many IMGs/FMGs with no red flags and better applications.

There's nothing wrong with not going to the USA. The USA isn't the best place to live anymore. And the health care system is objectively not the great. I mean, what country doesn't offer outright universal healthcare? Let alone the fact that all USA healthcare is absurdly expensive. The USA is known for having the world's most expensive healthcare and the greatest number of citizens (of any developed nation) not insured, despite the Obama administration's "success" in getting more people covered.

Australia, for instance, has no-questions-asked universal healthcare to ALL PRs and citzens. So as I said, I wouldn't freak out about not going to the USA. Take the above poster's advice, be pragmatic, and look into alternative options.

To be frank though, in terms of matching in the USA, the chances are likely next to nil. Family medicine is a possibility. You might have a shot at the rural states. And I would say all of this is if and only if you pass Step 3 on the first go. If you don't at least take Step 3 your application will get tossed.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Is there any chance? No. Maybe if you were a US MD you could match somewhere, but not as a FMG. Practice in the country you went to school in.