Realistic Specialities for Academically Poor IMG Students

[prominence]

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what specialities can a Caribbean medical student (US citizen) realistically match into with a low gpa and USMLE Step I scores of below 80?

 

[doc_strange2001]

Family medicine for sure. And possibly some community pediatircs and internal med programs. But if there is something you really have your heart set on (omit Derm, optho, rads, ortho) you should do some subI's and really bust your a$$. Get some stellar LORs. Then ace step II.

 

[2ndyear]

From the gas interview trail this year, you should definately have a shot at the 'less desireable' anesthesia programs. I met many IMG's at interviews and I'm sure that they weren't all stellar numbers-wise. Just by pure numbers there are a ton of positions out there. As long as location isn't confining you you can get into many specialties. Many of these 'less desireable' programs are based purely upon location. Either too rural or in places that not many people want to be. There are still plenty of programs in more desireable places that have a track record of accepting IMG's, they are just less well known.

 

[panch]

[although it pains me to say this]:
i would add neurology at less desirable places to live/less desirable programs into that mix. over the past few years there are more US seniors/grads going into neuro, yet there still are more spots than US seniors/grads.

there generally are a handful of neuro spots left after the match and another 1-2 dozen that open up during any given year as ppl decide during their intern year or during their neuro years to switch to medicine or gas (or even rads?)

if you're willing to live in semi-rural location and/or go to a less desirable program (and of course are interested in the neurosciences), you might be able to match neuro. also as it is an early match, even if you don't match you can still be in the regular match during the same year for all the residencies.

i agree w/ the other posts re (in no particular order): FP, IM, Peds, Path, Psych

 

[Goober]

Well apparently path is not easy to get into any more. Look at this thread about an IMG with low credentials trying to get into path

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=82365