Debatable. IMGs spent last year of medical school doing an internship (repeating basic core rotations at the level of a sub-intern/PGY1), sometimes adding up to 4-6 months of Surgery, OB/GYN, Medicine and Pediatrics. On top of that, some of us have dedicated extra-hours concentrating on some sub-specialties.
As an IMG myself, I am well aware of that. The point is that unless you were working in the capacity as a physician (ie, out of medical school), these core rotations are not considered to be any different in the eyes of US medical school faculty than what US students do.
It does no good to debate that you are doing more or functioning as a sub-I or intern level or have dedicated yourself to a subspecialty because:
1) most US medical students are doing sub-I rotations as well; many have required sub-Is in Medicine and Surgery;
2) the point of medical school is NOT to concentrate on a subspecialty; as a matter of fact, it can be looked down upon if you spend most of your final year doing the specialty you are applying to in the US. The conventional wisdom is that your goal is to be a well rounded physician.
On the other side, you should know that American residency programs don't care about your level of clinical exposure. I'll recommend to list clerkships/Sub-Is that you were able to do in the U.S.
What they often don't care about is clinical exposure in foreign countries. Having seen what passes as clinical exposure in other countries, I can tell you that the perception is that it is more of an apprenticeship or observership with Herr Professor than it is actual hands on clinical exposure. Right or not, the perception exists and no one cares unless you were actually working as a physician in a certain specialty.
Most foreign students I've worked with in the US are wonderful diagnosticians but have little to no relevant hands-on skills, especially when it comes to procedures. That may be my biased experience, but the autonomy and responsibility offered US students appears to be much greater than it is for foreign students. You only need to read SDN to see that there are foreign final year students coming to the US who have no idea how to write a note, place a catheter, present on rounds, etc. This is obviously school dependent and your program may be different but I have seen this time and time again - IRL and on SDN. The good news is that most of this stuff can be picked up relatively rapidly during US internship.
Many US programs REQUIRE a certain number of months of US clinical exposure for applicants.
