Program prefers IMGs?

[saudades]

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Sorry if this has been asked before. I'm a 4th year US MD going for psych. My top choice program is only a few years old, and from what I understand, the vast majority of residents are IMGs. As I've posted in other threads, my med school record isn't wonderful, but I did do an away at this program and I think my interview went pretty well. Idk if this is really answerable, but my question is, are there programs that genuinely prefer to take IMGs? Or is that a sign that the US grads didn't rank them very high?

 

[235009]

Sorry if this has been asked before. I'm a 4th year US MD going for psych. My top choice program is only a few years old, and from what I understand, the vast majority of residents are IMGs. As I've posted in other threads, my med school record isn't wonderful, but I did do an away at this program and I think my interview went pretty well. Idk if this is really answerable, but my question is, are there programs that genuinely prefer to take IMGs? Or is that a sign that the US grads didn't rank them very high?

In this case it's almost certainly the latter

 

[j4pac]

Highly likely that the latter is true. Psych is a less competitive residency with more home-grown MDs choosing other specialties.

 

[NYDO2014]

There are tons of programs that would prefer to take IMG applicant over a stellar MD applicant. My friend interviewed last year at many IMG-heavy programs, and ended up at the bottom of his rank list despite having better board scores than the IMGs whose matched into those programs.

 

[Doctor Bob]

There are tons of programs that would prefer to take IMG applicant over a stellar MD applicant.

Tons would be quite an overstatement.

My friend interviewed last year at many IMG-heavy programs, and ended up at the bottom of his rank list despite having better board scores than the IMGs whose matched into those programs.

That would be an anecdote and not data to support a statistical argument. Your friend may have been a bad interviewer, had some administrative issues, or had a murder conviction he hid from everyone and thought was expunged from his childhood legal record. Many other factors come into play when people fall down their rank list.

 

[Chicago2012]

Yes, I wouldn't say tons. That's not to say that such programs don't exist. We all know IMG Factories exist.

 

[Law2Doc]

Yes, I wouldn't say tons. That's not to say that such programs don't exist. We all know IMG Factories exist.

There are fewer and fewer each year, thanks to the "all in" rule which was largely the death of prematches, and the fact that with increases in US med grads some of the community programs that used to struggle to get any warm bodies are actually getting more interest from US grads than previously. That being said it's more likely that a program that chose to interview your friend didn't do so because they had a shortage of IMGs, which they prefer, to interview, so we really must conclude that he didn't sell himsel very well.

 

[Chicago2012]

Absolutely. I feel like selling yourself well is all about confidence and preparedness. I always write down three reasons I like a program and three reasons I feel I fit their program. Additionally, I have about fifteen questions I ask of every program that are usually not easily found on the websites.

 

[Mad Jack]

There are tons of programs that would prefer to take IMG applicant over a stellar MD applicant. My friend interviewed last year at many IMG-heavy programs, and ended up at the bottom of his rank list despite having better board scores than the IMGs whose matched into those programs.

My bet is he was interviewing in New York at some of the IMG sweatshops that SGU and Ross pay a fortune for rotations at, the sorts of places that like residents who won't complain at the abuse thrown their way because they know that if they don't get their contract renewed they basically are radioactive and never will become practicing physicians.

 

[j4pac]

My bet is he was interviewing in New York at some of the IMG sweatshops that SGU and Ross pay a fortune for rotations at, the sorts of places that like residents who won't complain at the abuse thrown their way because they know that if they don't get their contract renewed they basically are radioactive and never will become practicing physicians.

I could buy that. But maybe the programs are going for applicants they are more familiar with. An IMG that did well on a rotation may stand a better chance that a USMD without one.

 

[Law2Doc]

My bet is he was interviewing in New York at some of the IMG sweatshops that SGU and Ross pay a fortune for rotations at, the sorts of places that like residents who won't complain at the abuse thrown their way because they know that if they don't get their contract renewed they basically are radioactive and never will become practicing physicians.

Again, if they interviewed him (NYDO2014's friend), it wasn't because there were no IMGs from those schools they could give the interview slot to instead. Any IMG preference bias should have already showed through at the interview selection phase. Remember that these IMG heavy programs often can interview a lot fewer people because they tend not to have as much competition -- if you rank an IMG highly, you will generally get him. So I submit the guy must have dug himself out of the running on interview day. And is now calling the program biased to save face.

 

[saudades]

Thanks @Law2Doc, I didn't really consider the interview selection process. From what I remember, there were definitely some IMGs, though probably less than half of the applicants, on my interview day. Some were US applicants switching from other specialties as well--didn't really know what to make of that.

 

[BrooklynBulls]

Programs don't hand out interviews for fun. They do it cuz they think you might be what they want. If a program strongly prefers IMG's, there is no shortage of them. It's quite the opposite.

 

[longlost.s]

Additionally, I have about fifteen questions I ask of every program that are usually not easily found on the websites.

I am sure you are matched by now. Could you please share those fifteen questions with me? It would mean a lot to me, thank you!

 

[doctordev7]

I am sure you are matched by now. Could you please share those fifteen questions with me? It would mean a lot to me, thank you!

I too,would like to know.