requirements for IMG for US residency?

[GCIMG]

Hello!
Im a IMG from Sydney, Australia and a US permanent resident; I graduated with MBBS end of 2008 and am currently in the US trying to cram for the USMLE I and II (i tried to study for them during my degree, but thought it was best to do it properly and thoroughly). I delayed my internship year in Australia by six month so that i would start in July, but just wanted to know if i actually need to complete my internship in Australia in order to apply for residency programs? im getting confused because in Australia it is a req that you do one full year of internship (as conditional registration) before getting complete board registration...is this the case with the US? Is internship a req in the US or will my time be better applied by finding externship/observership and research projects in the US?
Any input would be appreciated?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[rox]

just wanted to know if i actually need to complete my internship in Australia in order to apply for residency programs?

You don't as long as they are giving you the diploma after graduation rather than at the end of internship. That would be different in some other countries like Germany where your internship in Australia would be a prerequisite to join a residency program. In the states, it's not.

On a seperate not, Internship in the states refers to the first year of residency.

will my time be better applied by finding externship/observership and research projects in the US?

I suppose.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Hello!
Im a IMG from Sydney, Australia and a US permanent resident; I graduated with MBBS end of 2008 and am currently in the US trying to cram for the USMLE I and II (i tried to study for them during my degree, but thought it was best to do it properly and thoroughly). I delayed my internship year in Australia by six month so that i would start in July, but just wanted to know if i actually need to complete my internship in Australia in order to apply for residency programs?

As noted above, to be eligible for US residency, you must be ECFMG certified which only requires the receipt of the terminal degree in the country in which you trained. Thus, you do not need to complete your internship in Oz; the MBBS is enough.

See www.ecfmg.org for more information.

Bear in mind that your Australian internship is not transferrable; you will have to start over with internship in the US.

Im getting confused because in Australia it is a req that you do one full year of internship (as conditional registration) before getting complete board registration...is this the case with the US?

There is no such thing as "Board Registration" in the US. The systems are completely different. You can be "Board Certified" but that entails completing a full residency, being licensed and completing a series of examinations.

Is internship a req in the US...

A US internship is required (which is, as noted above, the first year of residency); it is NOT required that you do an Australian internship to be eligible for a US residency.

...or will my time be better applied by finding externship/observership and research projects in the US? Any input would be appreciated?

IMHO, observerships are useless.

You would have been much better served if you had anticipated wanting to do a US residency a few years ago and arranged to do US clinical electives while still a student. These are highly valuable and in some programs REQUIRED to apply (programs will say on their web site "X number of months of US clinical experience required"). An observership offers nothing in the way of allowing US faculty to comment on your clinical skills.

Research can be helpful, but again, in no way allows for assessment of your clinical skills. Fortunately, you will be somewhat assumed to have them in modicum having trained in a Western country.

Finally, many programs filter by USMLE score. IMHO, since the choice appears to be between an observership and studying for Step 1, I'd choose the latter to strengthen your application.