I'll move this to Rotations and Residencies (IMGs) for ya...but first...
Most US medical schools will allow final year students to visit for an elective period (usually between 4 and 12 weeks in length). There are *some* schools which restrict visiting students to those from US allopathic schools but there are plenty who will take IMGs.
First, you must ascertain whether or not your school allows you to spend some time abroad and will give you credit for it.
Secondly, you must find some US programs which allow IMGs to come for visiting electives. Most schools have their policies on-line; check under "Visiting Electives", "4th year Curriculum" or "Student Affairs" at schools you may be interested in.
Most schools will require the following:
- an application for the elective, detailing where, when and what you want to do
- a statement from your medical school that you are a final year student in good academic standing, that you will or will not receive academic credit for the rotation and are approved for the rotation
- Malpractice/Liability/Defense Insurance. This will be the most difficult for you to obtain. Some schools offer it to visiting students for a nominal fee, but most do not, requiring you to provide it yourself. It is my understanding that such insurance does not exist in India or that you are typically not covered in North America. Without it, you will only be able to do research electives, no patient contact. Buying it yourself can be awfully expensive and I have heard of no source to purchase it, although surely one exists.
- Health Insurance good in the US. Again, some schools will provide this, but many will not.
- fees. Some schools charge for the application; places like Harvard or Stanford may charge the "going tuition rate", or upwards of $3,000 USD/month. However, many schools do not charge fees for the elective although you are responsible for your own housing, living and transportation expenses once you come for the elective.
- some may require a photograph of you along with the application
- some many require documentation that you have fulfilled any pre-reqs; ie, General Surgery for a Surgical subspecialty. Usually this is in the form of a transcript. If your transcript is not in English or does not delineate clinical rotations, you must have a letter from someone at your school noting that you have completed the pre-reqs.
- some schools require a faculty sponsor, someone willing to take responsibility for you. I found it pretty easy to get these just by asking via email although a couple of those I asked were a bit hesitant about IMGs (I chose not to do those rotations).
- obviously you will need a visa as well; I don't have any information on that but surely your school can advise
- if you wish to do rotations in the state of New York, the state requires a letter of approval. To get the letter you must have passed USMLE Step 1 and submit an application, plus fee to the State Medical Board.
You will be doing yourself a BIG favor if you do these US rotations while still a student. Most programs do not take graduates for rotations, instead relegating you to pretty much worthless observerships. As a student with malpractice insurance you are open to any clinical elective offered to you and this can provide useful information and experience should you decide to apply for a US residency after graduation.
Therefore, after securing permission from your school, your task is to get on-line and look at programs in the area of the country in which you are interested. If you ARE intersted in coming to the states for residency, you would be wise to do rotations in the eventual field of specialty. To see a list of those programs go to:
http://www.ama-assn.org/freida and click on your specialty and geographical area. Most will also have links to the program's web site and you can look there for info on electives.
I'm assuming if you found SDN you will be able to locate some electives on-line as well.
Best of luck.
