SDN, need your help, question about Residency......

[Knicks]

---

Members don't see this ad.

1st off, please forgive the apparent ignorance of the following questions.

2nd, a little background about me, followed by the questions:

I'm a U.S. Citizen, off-shore med school and in the process of studying for the Step 1. I want "match"/start residency next year but, I'm afraid that I "won't make it in time" before the deadline for the match program.

I already got my scheduling permit for the Step 1 but I'm just not too confident right now that I am ready enough to take the Step 1 sometime in July/August and PASS on my FIRST try. Even if I do pass, do I have enough time to take Step 2 before the "match deadline"? This is stressing me out because I'm 27 years old and I need to start residency ASAP so that I could finally start my living/life/career.

If this "match" is only once a year (is it?) and if I don't pass the Steps in time for that match, I don't want to wait a whole year to re-apply. That would a huge problem for me.

So my other question is: In order to get into a residency, do I HAVE to do it through this Match program? or are there other ways of getting in?

Any constructive help/advice would be appreciated, especially from the "top dogs" on SDN.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I already got my scheduling permit for the Step 1 but I'm just not too confident right now that I am ready enough to take the Step 1 sometime in July/August and PASS on my FIRST try. Even if I do pass, do I have enough time to take Step 2 before the "match deadline"?

You are required to have all the Steps for ECFMG certification completed by the deadline for submitting your Rank order list of programs which is usually the second week in February or so. Therefore, if you pass Step 1 on the first try and register soon for Step 2, you will have enough time.

Consider however that some programs will not consider you without Step 2 scores. So regardless of whether or not you need the Step 2 for ECFMG certification (you do), the "true" deadline may be earlier as some programs will not interview candidates without a Step 2 score. This is on a program by program basis so you will have to investigate whether or not the programs you are applying to require it.

Furthermore, programs and specialties have different deadlines as to when everything has to be in. So if a program requires Step 2 to interview candidates and they have a deadline for completed applications as December 1, then you have to have Step 2 done by then.

This is stressing me out because I'm 27 years old and I need to start residency ASAP so that I could finally start my living/life/career.

You didn't ask for advice here, but 27 is actually fairly young to be starting residency, so I might suggest relaxing a bit about the age thing.

If this "match" is only once a year (is it?) and if I don't pass the Steps in time for that match, I don't want to wait a whole year to re-apply. That would a huge problem for me.

The NRMP is run once a year.

If you don't match, and fail to scramble or otherwise find a position, you have no choice but to wait another year to reregister for the match. Positions may open up after the match and you would be eligible for those.

So my other question is: In order to get into a residency, do I HAVE to do it through this Match program? or are there other ways of getting in?

Your best chances of getting a position are through the NRMP. The vast majority of positions are offered there. As a foreign grad you are eligible to sign pre-match contracts or to take a position outside of the match, but again, the majority of positions will ONLY be offered via the match process. Certain specialties use a different match system, the San Francisco match and of course, the Military and Osteopathic programs have their own match (which you are not eligible for).

In essence the other ways of getting a residency position outside of the match are to contact programs with open positions after the match and apply for them. However, these are highly sought after and certainly would not be your first choice for trying to get a position due to the lack of such positions and the volume of people trying to get them.

If you are not going to be ready to take and pass Step 1 on the first try and won't be ready for the match, you will have to consider other avenues which includes the very real possibility of having a year off.

 

[dragonfly99]

What APD said.
I would just echo that you need to make sure you pass the Step 1 when you take it. Failing as a Caribbean grad would be VERY BAD. You don't want to do that. So take as much time to study as you need. You can always get a research job for a year, or get a scutwork type job in a hospital. Don't blow your career by failing one of the steps. Do what you need to do. I found Rx for Boards and the First Aid for Step 1 and Step 2 books to be helpful.

 

[listeriaismfb]

Rushing to take exams (and risking doing poorly) because you're 27 and want to get on with your life could end up hurting you more than you can appreciate.

This is a marathon, not a sprint, so check your pace and do things the right way.

 

[Law2Doc]

Rushing to take exams (and risking doing poorly) because you're 27 and want to get on with your life could end up hurting you more than you can appreciate.

This is a marathon, not a sprint, so check your pace and do things the right way.

Totally agree with this. Your goal isn't to get into residency, it's to get into a residency you will like. So that means doing well on the Steps and having a little control in the situation rather than rushing ahead simply because you are, gasp, 27. There are many nontrads who are starting residencies in their 30s, 40s and above. 27 is hardly a record. I can understand your desire to get out there and start earning, and feel like your life is moving forward. But you are better off doing it right and controlling your destiny at 28 than charging forward and just going where the waves take you at 27. So if you are ready for these tests, then great, take them. If you aren't, I'd change the pace because you are going to be better received if you post good numbers and will have a say in where you end up.

 

[John Deere Gree]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoMmbUmKN0E[/YOUTUBE]

I'm a man, I'm 30! and I'm starting residency this year.

+1 for all the above advice.

 

[Knicks]

wow, I totally appreciated all the advice posted here. Thanks to everyone.

 

[jigga]

I am also an img but not a U.S citizen. ECFMG certification is very much important for interview calls in the case of IMGs. Quite a few of my friends who were just left with CS did not get interview calls in the last 2 matches. And they had great scores. I will cite a few examples

I have a friend who is 260 step 1 and 249 step 2 and he did not got interviews because he was not ECFMG certified. He applied in IM. The only interview he got was from a program in Virginia and a senior from the college was already a resident there.

Another of my friend.. 97 in step 1. 99 in step 2. Applied without CS. Did not get interviews.

Now there might be factors besides ECFMG certification in this. Maybe they applied to very few programs. Maybe they were geographically restricted. But still i quoted the examples to give you an idea.

Do not rush into your step 1. If you are confident about taking your step 1 in August and passing it with good scores then take it. And if you really want to go through this year match then IMHO you should try to follow this

Take your step 1 in first week of August. Take your CS by Sep 01. You will get your result on Oct 14th or in the following week. Search and target a program which has taken a few IMGs in the past and start an observership there from October onwards. If you are good, you might find a spot there if you become ECFMG certified before the ROL. Alternatively if you are not lucky this way you can scramble. If scores are good you will get a prelim surg or med.

But to second what others have said if you target next year match and fill in your CV gaps (if any) with USCE and US research along with your scores, your position will change drastically next year and you can get into a good program of choice. Best of luck. take care

 

[Knicks]

I am also an img but not a U.S citizen. ECFMG certification is very much important for interview calls in the case of IMGs. Quite a few of my friends who were just left with CS did not get interview calls in the last 2 matches. And they had great scores. I will cite a few examples

I have a friend who is 260 step 1 and 249 step 2 and he did not got interviews because he was not ECFMG certified. He applied in IM. The only interview he got was from a program in Virginia and a senior from the college was already a resident there.

Another of my friend.. 97 in step 1. 99 in step 2. Applied without CS. Did not get interviews.

Now there might be factors besides ECFMG certification in this. Maybe they applied to very few programs. Maybe they were geographically restricted. But still i quoted the examples to give you an idea.

Do not rush into your step 1. If you are confident about taking your step 1 in August and passing it with good scores then take it. And if you really want to go through this year match then IMHO you should try to follow this

Take your step 1 in first week of August. Take your CS by Sep 01. You will get your result on Oct 14th or in the following week. Search and target a program which has taken a few IMGs in the past and start an observership there from October onwards. If you are good, you might find a spot there if you become ECFMG certified before the ROL. Alternatively if you are not lucky this way you can scramble. If scores are good you will get a prelim surg or med.

But to second what others have said if you target next year match and fill in your CV gaps (if any) with USCE and US research along with your scores, your position will change drastically next year and you can get into a good program of choice. Best of luck. take care

Thank you very much for that insightful post.

Quick question, though. I'm not quite familiar with what "scrambling" means in the context that it's being used in this thread; can someone clarify?

Again, thanks to everyone in this thread thus far.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Scrambling = trying to get a spot after the match is complete and the unfilled spots are posted. Plenty of threads on how horrible that process is.

 

[Law2Doc]

Scrambling = trying to get a spot after the match is complete and the unfilled spots are posted. Plenty of threads on how horrible that process is.

And significantly worse for the offshore crowd who don't have local faculty making phone calls for them.

If you look at the numbers, there are fewer and fewer choice scramble targets each year, as the US med student rolls increase each year (the same 93ish percent of US students match each year, but now there are more of them in each of the next few successive classes). So the scramble is something to be avoided if you can, but a possible net that can save you if you can't and are really lucky.

 

[Knicks]

How does one go about scrambling, anyway? Just want to know the ins-and-outs of everything about [getting into] residency.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

How does one go about scrambling, anyway? Just want to know the ins-and-outs of everything about [getting into] residency.

Check out the top, stickied thread on the ERAS and NRMP Match forum. Some dude tried to summarize how to best attack the scramble.

There are whole books on the subject of the match.