my chances in next yrs match

[futurepsy]

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hi guys
step1 230
step2 220
3 LOTR yale/harvard
research experience : surveys in psych
Publications pending

ps : i am IMG

what are my chances for top prgrams in psych
thanks 🙂

 

[DrBosse]

hi guys
step1 230
step2 220
3 LOTR yale/harvard
research experience : surveys in psych
Publications pending

ps : i am IMG

what are my chances for top prgrams in psych
thanks 🙂

Sounds pretty good to me . . . as long as you have a good letter of recommendation from a psychiatry rotation and maybe some volunteer experience. Mostly what programs seemed to ask about at interviews is why you love psychiatry, and if you have a good story for that and some experiences on your resume to back you up, you should be fine. Your numbers are super competitive but I am a shining example of psychiatry programs not caring too terribly much about very high numbers. Any research or publications help. As for the fact you're an IMG . . . I'm not sure if this means you're a US citizen who went abroad for medical school, or whether you're from another country? I always get IMG and FMG mixed up. Either way, though, you should be ok, I ran into a lot of both kinds at great interviews out on the interview trail. Good luck! 🙂

 

[futurepsy]

i am an IMG from another country however my family is american and i am in the process to get a green card
:>

Sounds pretty good to me . . . as long as you have a good letter of recommendation from a psychiatry rotation and maybe some volunteer experience. Mostly what programs seemed to ask about at interviews is why you love psychiatry, and if you have a good story for that and some experiences on your resume to back you up, you should be fine. Your numbers are super competitive but I am a shining example of psychiatry programs not caring too terribly much about very high numbers. Any research or publications help. As for the fact you're an IMG . . . I'm not sure if this means you're a US citizen who went abroad for medical school, or whether you're from another country? I always get IMG and FMG mixed up. Either way, though, you should be ok, I ran into a lot of both kinds at great interviews out on the interview trail. Good luck! 🙂

 

[Slartibartfast]

You appear to have some pretty good statistics. I've been involved in recruiting at my residency for the last couple years and I can tell you that things have become a lot tougher for IMGs. For IMGs applying to solid psychiatry programs, USMLE scores have become more important in securing an interview.

But, just as important are your language/cultural skills and your presentation in the interview. Many IMGs have great resumes and think that is all they need. I would caution you away from that trap.

Your visa status also plays a big role. If you can get your greencard prior to ERAS opening, you would have significant advantages over other IMGs as well as for yourself as many places only sponsor J-1. As I'm sure you know, if you get the J-1 you risk being stuck with those restrictions, regardless of your family connections. Someone I know on a J-1 got married to a citizen, had a child and then tried to apply for a hardship waiver, unsuccessfully. They are now actively looking for a waiver job.

The other factor is how long it has been since you have had clinical experience. This often plays against IMGs with research backgrounds. By passing Step 2 CS & 3 solidly before ERAS opens, you can mitigate against this and make yourself a more attractive candidate.

 

[Daftrage]

I agree with the above poster but wanted to add that "top" program is oft debated and never settled on here.

It might be worth your while to go look at the websites of places you would like to go and see how many IMG's they have. There are plenty of places that have no problem accepting IMG's but they are plenty of places that only accept an IMG once in a great while if at all.

 

[Manicsleep]

I agree with the above poster but wanted to add that "top" program is oft debated and never settled on here.

It might be worth your while to go look at the websites of places you would like to go and see how many IMG's they have. There are plenty of places that have no problem accepting IMG's but they are plenty of places that only accept an IMG once in a great while if at all.

Agree, it really depends on what you consider to be a top program. There are several definitions of this.
Psychiatry is getting more difficult although this is by very small amounts every year. However, this is getting to be very noticeable in the traditionally more competitive programs.

Language and interview skills are also very important when you interview. If you have LORs from yale and harvard, is it because you have rotated there clinically? Clinical skills assessment by attendings mentioning your interview skills will be very valuable. LORs from research attendings not so much.

 

[toothless rufus]

Agree, it really depends on what you consider to be a top program. There are several definitions of this.
Psychiatry is getting more difficult although this is by very small amounts every year. However, this is getting to be very noticeable in the traditionally more competitive programs.

Language and interview skills are also very important when you interview. If you have LORs from yale and harvard, is it because you have rotated there clinically? Clinical skills assessment by attendings mentioning your interview skills will be very valuable. LORs from research attendings not so much.

How little do they help? What if they are from clinically oriented research, and from someone who is at the top of their field?

 

[futurepsy]

Hello
thks for your reply , yes i had been rotating at harvard and yale but i had been involved more i research with yale , and i would be applying there too , i think i have good chances but again you never know how the selection would be .
:>

Agree, it really depends on what you consider to be a top program. There are several definitions of this.
Psychiatry is getting more difficult although this is by very small amounts every year. However, this is getting to be very noticeable in the traditionally more competitive programs.

Language and interview skills are also very important when you interview. If you have LORs from yale and harvard, is it because you have rotated there clinically? Clinical skills assessment by attendings mentioning your interview skills will be very valuable. LORs from research attendings not so much.

 

[futurepsy]

hi
thks for your reply , i would be done with cs and 3 by the time i send my application through eras but the green card takes time :|
ppl told me before they matched with scores in the 80s however , i still wonder how come some ppl with 80s that match and other with 90s who can still barely match or fail to match ( maybe to match in IM for example)
🙂
crossing fingers

You appear to have some pretty good statistics. I've been involved in recruiting at my residency for the last couple years and I can tell you that things have become a lot tougher for IMGs. For IMGs applying to solid psychiatry programs, USMLE scores have become more important in securing an interview.

But, just as important are your language/cultural skills and your presentation in the interview. Many IMGs have great resumes and think that is all they need. I would caution you away from that trap.

Your visa status also plays a big role. If you can get your greencard prior to ERAS opening, you would have significant advantages over other IMGs as well as for yourself as many places only sponsor J-1. As I'm sure you know, if you get the J-1 you risk being stuck with those restrictions, regardless of your family connections. Someone I know on a J-1 got married to a citizen, had a child and then tried to apply for a hardship waiver, unsuccessfully. They are now actively looking for a waiver job.

The other factor is how long it has been since you have had clinical experience. This often plays against IMGs with research backgrounds. By passing Step 2 CS & 3 solidly before ERAS opens, you can mitigate against this and make yourself a more attractive candidate.

 

[futurepsy]

so lets see, for ex qhats the difference between colombia psych and ppittsburgh? both are top programs?

I agree with the above poster but wanted to add that "top" program is oft debated and never settled on here.

It might be worth your while to go look at the websites of places you would like to go and see how many IMG's they have. There are plenty of places that have no problem accepting IMG's but they are plenty of places that only accept an IMG once in a great while if at all.

 

[futurepsy]

i heard top prgrams MGH , pitts , yale do accept IMGs however columbia haas 0 % IMG residents ... sadddd 🙂

I agree with the above poster but wanted to add that "top" program is oft debated and never settled on here.

It might be worth your while to go look at the websites of places you would like to go and see how many IMG's they have. There are plenty of places that have no problem accepting IMG's but they are plenty of places that only accept an IMG once in a great while if at all.

 

[billypilgrim37]

Realize that "what you want to do" matters as much as "who you are" when looking at a "top program." You don't address that at all in your initial post. Nobody cares if you have publications pending if those publications don't have anything to do with what you want to do in the future. And nobody cares if your board scores are good if there's no evidence that you could become someone important in psychiatry in the future (not necessarily an academic, not necessarily a researcher, there are lots of ways to be "important" and advance the field in advocacy, community leadership, education, lots of things). If a "top program" takes an FMG/IMG, it's because a) they look like they're going to be a great doctor, and b) they look like they're going to be someone important some day, and c) this "top program" is a place where this person will be able to work on that goal.

So, when somebody posts these baseline stats, it essentially tells us very little about their chance of matching at a "top program." We can say those stats do not exclude the possibility, but they don't guarantee it either.

 

[futurepsy]

hi
thks for ur reply
i do agree , so the interview would be very important in order to tell ppl about ur future plans?

 

[neopsych12]

Hey guys,

I am interested in some of the top tier psych programs. I wanted to know how important it is to do research and have something published prior to interviews. I feel like that is the biggest thing missing from my application. It is just difficult to find a research mentor at my medical school as the schools main focus is primary care.

How important is it for me to get involved in a research project that I can publish in order to be competitive at programs like MGH, longwood, columbia, upenn, etc?

 

[Slartibartfast]

hi
thks for your reply , i would be done with cs and 3 by the time i send my application through eras but the green card takes time :|
ppl told me before they matched with scores in the 80s however , i still wonder how come some ppl with 80s that match and other with 90s who can still barely match or fail to match ( maybe to match in IM for example)
🙂
crossing fingers

In psychiatry interpersonal skills are key. There are exceptions, of course, such as research tracks at top programs where all they really care about is academics and the ability to get published. I would forget about what you see posted on the IMG boards that say that scores are all that count. They do count in getting interviews. IMGs DO need higher scores than US Seniors simply to be invited. However, that's not enough. I've seen lots of IMG applicants with great scores NOT get ranked because their language, cultural and/or interpersonal skills were lacking. This goes doubly for programs that emphasize good clinical care.

 

[futurepsy]

I would like to thank you for your reply , i do totally agree
crossing fingers
Good luck to everyone residents and future ones 🙂
regards

In psychiatry interpersonal skills are key. There are exceptions, of course, such as research tracks at top programs where all they really care about is academics and the ability to get published. I would forget about what you see posted on the IMG boards that say that scores are all that count. They do count in getting interviews. IMGs DO need higher scores than US Seniors simply to be invited. However, that's not enough. I've seen lots of IMG applicants with great scores NOT get ranked because their language, cultural and/or interpersonal skills were lacking. This goes doubly for programs that emphasize good clinical care.