Need desperate help for 2009 IM match?

[shjaffri]

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Hi All,
I am back, this time I am requesting suggestion for most important information / advice I need to help my fiancée for 2009 IM match. Since I am now visiting this forum for long time and in fact made some good friends (special thanks to Winged Scapula, Blade28, aProgDirector, and other members) many of you don’t know me so let me introduce my self. I am a Consultant / Computer Engineer at one of word’s largest financial organization located in Western New York. My Fiancée who is IMG, is trying to apply IM programs for year 2009 match. She now has nearly 1.5 months / 8 months of US clinical/experience at WNY’s top hospitals. She 91, 97 scope on USMLE step1/2, passed all exams including CK CS in first attempt.

She is still new to US, and I am helping her to do the research work for applying IM programs. Many of you asked me why she don’t post questions here, hmmm a good answer I can give you is that she likes the way I ask question J or thinks may be my English makes more sense ( that isn’t right by the way, she is good in communication just need more confidence). Since medicine is something that I have no clue about, I need you guys help to help her in her final stages. We are little behind schedule for applying to as many programs on Sept 2nd. We now have ECFMG cert, 4 strong US LOR (3 clinical, 1 research) a good CAF, and PS for ERAS, we also registered with NRMP. From last few weeks we are trying to create a list of good IMG friendly / least completive programs in following states NY, NJ, PA,OH, MI, IL, MD, and FL. Program website links via ERAS didn’t help us much they have minimum information about the program. We need some good website / professional service or list to determine good IM programs for IMG(s):

a) Good IM, IMG friendly programs.
b) Must be good programs, that comply with 80 hours work restriction ( as I just learned here some programs in NYC or not, and stories are just horrible)
c) Good location / benefits
d) Our goal is to apply as many programs as possible but we would like to divide
the programs into completive/non completive category. How many programs should be safe to secure good amount of interview 90, 100, 120 + ?
e) What else we can do our end to achieve our goal for getting successful match for 2009?
f) What locations will we get maximum chances?

We are doing every thing we could do at our end to find out these questions, first aid for match is a useful resource, but in end we realize that we need more help as we are behind our schedule to do extra search work. We think a list or professional service might be needed at this point. Please advise, please also answer the questions (a-f) if you have any idea…

 

[BlondeDocteur]

It's great that you're being so proactive in making sure she lands a spot, and at a good program no less.

Start here. It's a list of all accredited residency programs in the US. You can search by specialty and location:

http://www0.ama-assn.org/vapp/freida/srch/

There are 171 IM programs in the states you listed (with a healthy chunk being in the dreaded NYC area). Apply to all that picque your interest. Weed out the malignant ones on her interviews and visits, and make her rank list accordingly. Being engaged myself, I imagine that you'd like to be in the same town-- so make sure she communicates to that hometown program during your interviews and afterwards how much she wants to match there, without being too aggressive of course.

 

[rox]

You might want to take a look at these non-official websites:

http://www.mededits.com/imgfriendlyhospitals.html
http://www.infoimg.com/
http://www.matcharesident.com

You need subscription and I don't know if you really can trust them. Good luck 🙂

 

[dragonfly99]

Dartmouth and University of Rochester have really awesome IM programs. They wouldn't be easy to get in to necessarily, but she can try. They are nice places if you can get in. Dartmouth is in a really small town, but I know someone who did med school there and the school/hospital does try to help their medical students' and/or residents' spouses find a job in the area if they want. Other than these two places, I have little knowledge of programs in the northeast. I know there are a LOT Of them.

She seems like she will have a good chance to get in somewhere, so don't let her get discouraged.

100 sounds like a lot of internal medicine programs to be applying to. Does anyone else have opinions/knowledge of how many she would really need to apply to?

 

[NotAProgDirector]

First, you are not really behind schedule. You've got most of the work done. And with her stats as stated, she's going to get some nibbles.

Thoughts:

1. Get her LOR's and other materials uploaded to ERAS (via the ECFMG) as soon as possible. I have been told that the ECFMG is quite slow at processing them. On their website, they are currently scanning docs received on Aug 12th, so there is currently about a 1 week lag.

2. Make sure your have her med school transcript and whatever her school offers as a Dean's letter, and these need to go to ECFMG for ERAS also.

3. There is no easy way to know what programs are "IMG Friendly". Some programs list their housestaff on their website, and sometimes include their school of origin, but as you mention in your post this is often hit-or-miss. As mentioned above, some websites offer to sell you such a list -- not sure how these sites obtain this information, nor how accurate it is.

4. Her best bet is to apply broadly to a mix of university and community programs, and see what happens. She's best to try to target about 15 interviews if possible -- that would give her a good sense of what's out there. Trying to go on more than 15 interviews is usually difficult, unless you focus on NYC. She can always accept an interview, and then cancel it later if a better offer comes along. I would start by applying to 50-60 programs, and then add programs in early november if she doesn't get the target of 15

5. Hopefully that "world's largest financial corporation" pays you well. Applying to 100 programs will cost over $2000, and that's before all the travel.

 

[shjaffri]

Thanks guys you provided very useful information indeed that will defiantly help us. We will try to get as many interviews we can, and also will apply the way you suggested. I am now a days working with her to create the list where we will be applying to. So far we got information for some very good programs in PA, OH and NJ. I see that NY programs are either to competive or for IMG choice is basically in NYC.