Residency for european graduates possible?

[luccas]

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What do you think is necessary to get a residency at a top ten radiology department if you have graduated at a top european school? Is it possible if you have top USMLE-grades or would it be impossible even with top grades and a lot of research experience?

 

[luccas]

Thank you Dr.Cuts for your answer. What do you think is necessary to match at a top place? Is it even impossible if you have very high USMLE-grades? Or would it be a advantage to have already started a radiology residency?

 

[juicyfruit]

We have one international candidate who happens to be chief resident here at UCSF. You could match top ten, but would probably need to take a couple of years off to do research in the US or at the particular department you want to match at with 240 or maybe 250+ boards. At least a couple of solid first author pubs would be necessary too. The most important thing in your situation would be connections or having someone like a chairman at a respectable US radiology program back your application.

 

[luccas]

Dr. Cuts, thank you for your answer. I do not think that it is the best solution to try to match at any place for me. Maybe that it is impossible to get a place at a top program. Ok then I prefer not to go to the US for residency. It would be crazy to prefer to go to Ohio State or even a community program if I can also get a place at a top german university program in Heidelberg, Berlin or Munich, what I think will be realistic for me. So I would be only interested in top US-programs like Harvard, Stanford or Yale. All the others would not interest me. So my question is what do do to get a place at these top places. ANY place does ot find my interest.

 

[doepug]

I think it's possible (albeit not exceedingly likely) to match into a top rads program with a European medical degree.

At Hopkins, we have a rads resident from Tuebingen who did away rotations as a med student at Hopkins and the Brigham. During his time here, he made a great impression on several faculty members, including the program director. Rumor has it that his USMLE scores weren't anywhere close to the numbers Dr Cuts is citing, and he had no trouble matching into the program at Hopkins.

If you're at the top of your class in Germany, if you have a strong command of medical terminology in English, and if you're serious about it, it is possible for you to match into a top US program. Several European medical schools are held in high regard, and as a foreign national (vs US IMG), this won't be as big of a strike against you as some would have you believe.

Good luck,
doepug

 

[dochuffman]

Doepug, I am curious what your opinion on D.O.s matching to allopathic rads program are? What kind of scores etc. Thanks.

 

[doepug]

Originally posted by dochuffman
Doepug, I am curious what your opinion on D.O.s matching to allopathic rads program are? What kind of scores etc. Thanks.

Since I'm in the application game myself, I'm probably not the best person to ask.

That being said, it's my impression that DOs have somewhat of an uphill battle to fight for an allopathic rads residency. I think DOs and Caribbean grads are often lumped together in the eyes of many programs. In my opinion, there are several things that determined DOs-to-be can do to bolster their applications:

- take (and nail) Steps 1 and 2 of the USMLE
- pursue a few (as many as reasonable) radiology rotations at targeted institutions
- research will be helpful if undertaken with sincerity

In my experience, there still exists a significant bias against DOs, especially in better-known allopathic hospitals. I think many applicants become defined by their osteopathic status instead of by the rest of their application. Whether or not this is fair is debatable, but I think DOs need to strive to be awesome applicants who, by the way, just happen to be osteopaths. Given the current level of competition, DOs will need to do anything and everything possible to stand out.

Good luck,
doepug (MS IV)

 

[tinwindow33]

Originally posted by luccas
Dr. Cuts, thank you for your answer. I do not think that it is the best solution to try to match at any place for me. Maybe that it is impossible to get a place at a top program. Ok then I prefer not to go to the US for residency. It would be crazy to prefer to go to Ohio State or even a community program if I can also get a place at a top german university program in Heidelberg, Berlin or Munich, what I think will be realistic for me. So I would be only interested in top US-programs like Harvard, Stanford or Yale. All the others would not interest me. So my question is what do do to get a place at these top places. ANY place does ot find my interest.

lukkas, I think you are limiting yourself greatly. If you are thinking of coming to the US for training, there are many programs that are considered middle or even low tier, but offer excellent, excellent education EVEN IF you are interested in research. If you do well in residency, there is almost no difference in fellowship matching or private practice positions. It might be easier to match coming from Hopkins, Yale, etc. but not much easier.

If your primary interest is research, then it is true Harvard and UCSF will prepare you better, plus the contacts you gain will be excellent. However, then there would be no problem with you coming for a year or two to do research before applying for ERAS. It is a legitimate concern on both sides- program directors and you- to figure out if you are ready to adjust to the culture and language, different method of teaching, etc. in the United States.

Bottom line is I think name recognition is one thing, but not everything. If your primary concern is learning, don't worry too much about only matching at MGH, Brigham, etc.