sharqq said:
Hi....i had a question for any IMG's or anyone else going thru the process of obtaining a residency in the US. I am currently studying for step1...but want to know bout which match cycle i can enter ( or specifically on how the match procedure works). Has anyone applied for residency before taking all three of the following, step1 & 2 and cs, and be competitive. I am started to do my research and would appreciate any useful sites or information.
thanks in advance
In addition to the excellent information provided on the ECFMG web site (URL provided in Santiago's response to you), you should also refer to the NRMP web site,
http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/index.html for further information.
Essentially, the match works as follows (assuming a program uses ERAS and the NRMP to find residents):
you submit all required information to ECFMG. They serve as your "Dean's Office" by submitting confidential information such as LORs to the NRMP/ERAS. This information includes your USMLE scores and LORs.
you apply to specific programs via ERAS, which sends the information ECFMG has uploaded to the ERAS server (ie, your scores, transcripts,LORS, etc.) along with information you've provided: personal statement, demographic info, etc. Keep in mind that specific programs may have different deadlines for applications than ERAS or NRMP does. This will be available from FREIDA or the program themself.
programs download information from applicants and ECFMG and decide whom to invite for interview
you (hopefully) receive interview invitations
you submit your Rank Order List of programs (IF you have interviewed anywhere; you cannot Rank Order programs without having interviewed at them) by the NRMP deadline - usually mid February
approximately 4-6 weeks after the ROL deadline the Match results are available on the NRMP website; you must have an NRMP log account and password to access this information.
If you matched, you will find out WHERE 2 days after you find out IF you matched. If you did not match, then ensuing 2 days are available to Scramble, which ECFMG can assist you with (information on their web site).
If you matched, or obtained a position during the Scarmble, the program will send you a contract and information about orientation, etc. in the mail. It may take more than 1 month to receive.
Residency usually starts July 1st, but most programs will require you to be there anywhere from 1-3 weeks early for orientation, etc.
There are residencies which DO NOT use ERAS or NRMP; some, like Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, ENT use the San Francisco Match - you can find information about these matches at
http://www.sfmatch.org
To answer your question about credentials for applying, I would encourage you to have as much done as you can prior to embarking on the match process. The more information a program has and the more they are fairly certain you will obtain ECFMG certification, the more likely you are to be successful in getting a position. That said, you probably don't need more than Step 1 AT MOST PROGRAMS. Be aware that there are programs which require Step 2, but don't post this on their web site; for those that do, obviously its a waste of time to apply without this score.
You can obtain the timeline on the NRMP web site, but in general you can start applying to ERAS in the late Northern Hemisphere summer/early fall 1 year prior to the year you would be starting residency. NRMP generally lets you register between August/September and December. Many programs have application deadlines prior to December so it behooves you to apply before then if you are applying to a specialty with an earlier deadline (ie, Surgery generally has a October 15-November 1 deadline).
Thus, IMHO you should apply in September with your Step 1, 2, 2-CS and TOEFL (if that's still required), have all your LORS and transcripts ready. That way if you match all that's left is ECFMG certification. At the bare minimum, Step 1 (and probably 2, since many programs are starting to require it).
BTW, although I wasn't asked I can't help but get on my soapbox and comment on a statement made by one of your respondents. There are many companies out there which offer residency services to FMGs. I am aware that many people prefer (and can afford) to pay others to do things for them (ie, I can change the oil in my car, but prefer to pay someone else to do it). However, these companies (and I have no idea which company your respondent is using) tend to charge extremely large fees, "prey" if you will on the ignorance of many FMGs and DO NOTHING that you cannot do for yourself and much cheaper. In this day and age, all the information you need to successfully match (or at least participate in the process) is available on-line: either at official sites like ECFMG or NRMP, bulletin boards (such as SDN although you should always take non-official site information with a grain of salt) or affiliated sites. And the old stand-bys of phone calls, email, FAX and personal communication will also yield the information. I can state this confidently because I was able to wade through the US residency match morass by myself, and successfully so. I had books and the internet to guide me. Back in the old days, the ECFMG web site had a fraction of the information it provides now; I spent a fair bit of time on the phone with them trying to glean that which is available on line from them now. Bottom line is that I cannot imagine a situation in which someone really needs to use these companies; if you need to scramble, you can do that yourself, if you need to arrange a post-match interview, you can do that yourself.
Just beware...many have spent a lot for so little, especially when they can do it themself.
Hope this helps.
