Hi, I am a Canadian high school student thinking of going abroad for a Medical program in the UK. Upon graduation I will be classified as an IMG. I'm just wondering if anyone could explain to me how the U.S residency application system works. In particular, how do they match students? do they look at grades, extra curriculars, USMLE results, your medical school? Lastly, If I want a more selective specialty like surgery, as an IMG am I likely to get it assuming I more or less don't mind which hospital I do my residency in.
Is it too late to convince you to stay in North America?
I'm a US-IMG and came over to England for medical school. I managed to jump through all the hoops and was able to match into a pediatric residency of my choice. But keep in mind that you won't be graduating until 2017 or 2018! Things will be much different than they are now.
Ever since the onset of residencies in America, there have always been more residency spots than American medical graduates. This was why it has been relatively easy for foreign graduates to match into the 'IMG friendly' specialties (FM, IM, Neuro, Psych, Peds etc) and even occasionally sneak into the competitive fields. Foreign graduates were the ones who filled the gap. Unfortunately Categorical Surgery is quite competitive for foreign graduates (especially if you need a visa), even if you are not selective about where you do your residency.
Over the last few years, there has been a boom of osteopathic schools + increased enrollment in MD schools + opening of new MD schools. On the other hand the number of residency spots have remained the same due to budget constraints, and financial troubles. So if you put two and two together, there is a really dark cloud looming in the horizon for foreign medical graduates. It's projected that by 2015, the number of American graduates (MD+DO) will nearly equal the number of residency spots.
This would mean that even those five specialties will be quite challenging for IMGs (Even if you are from the UK), unless you are an exceptional candidate with really high grades, excellent USMLE scores, research and electives at top hospitals. By the time you graduate it'll be 2017-2018 and things will be even worse than 2015! Have a look at this thread if you want to read more about the American situation
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=858100
I am fairly certain that highly qualified IMGs will still be able to get "a" residency spot in America even if it's 2017 or 2020 in the traditionally IMG friendly specialties. But I'm pretty sure competitive specialties, like surgery, will almost certainly be off-limits unless you are an absolute superstar candidate. Going back to Canada is an even bigger headache than matching into the US. There are IMG quotas for all the specialties and I think Surgery only has about 6-8 IMG residency spots in all of Canada!!
And the UK is really strict. Even if you go to school here, if you are not an EU/UK citizen, it is almost impossible to find good training posts beyond 2 years after graduation. The UK is an easy short cut that is really attractive and I understand why a lot of Canadians come here. You save time and you don't have the uncertainty that comes with applying to Canadian Medical Schools a few years down the road. But trust me, the long term consequences significantly outweigh the short term gains. I would strongly advice you to do your undergraduate in North America and apply to North American medical schools even if it takes you a couple of cycles to get in.
If you do come here, keep in mind that from the day you set foot in England, you are walking on eggshells. You can not afford to have even one red flag on your application. The competition for residency is going to be extremely tough. So, no retakes during medical school and no poor scores or failures in any of your USMLEs. Trust me...that is a lot of pressure, because one slip up and you have almost invariably burned off all your bridges to head back home. Even if you come out on the other end unscathed, categorical surgery will be incredibly tough, much much harder than getting into a north american medical school. There's a good chance that you'll find yourself in an unfortunate position where you'll have to compromise on your career choice and not be able to do what you love.
If I were applying right now, I wouldn't even entertain the possibility of studying in the UK, not even for a nanosecond!! Things have changed so much in the last 5 years and they're heading downhill with each passing year.
Sorry about the epic gloom and doom message. I know that you definitely got more than what you asked for, but I really think that everyone who comes to England should be aware of the long term consequences and be able to make an informed decision. So I hope it was helpful.
As always, everything I just said is my personal opinion. Having studied in the UK and having just gone through the match, I feel like I have gained quite a lot of insight into this process. Others might disagree with me. So do your own research and come to your own conclusions. I wish you all the best and don't hesitate to message me if you have any more questions or need any help.
