Urgent Help Needed...

[cyneuron]

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Hello

I am an IMG from one of top 5 Medical Colleges in India. I recently gave my step 1. I studied very well for the exam but unfortunately i got 220 ( 94). Students from my class who were equivalent to me got upto 240-250 (99). I can say that may be i had a bad day, but i guess it will be making an excuse now. Anyways now that i have my step 1 result in my hand which doesn't look so good, i need to reevaluate my plans.

I always wanted to go to Psychiatry as my career goal is to become a good clinical researcher in Neuro-psychaitry. Even if i had got a score of 260, i would have applied for psychiatry.

I wanted to have your advice on following :

1. How good or bad is my score for Psychiatry residency application in today's scenario from an IMG point of view ?
(NRMP data here seems to indicate that it is ok for psychiatry, but do the numbers parallel the practical cut-offs in good programs. "Site - http://www.nrmp.org/data/chartingoutcomes2009v3.pdf " )

2. If i manage to get a 99 (240-250) on step 2 CK and Clean CS, will i be able to compensate for the loss in Step 1 ? Will then i be a good IMG candidate for good psychiatry programs ?

3. I am considering taking an extra year to materialize my Neurology, Cancer, and Metabolic Syndrome research into papers, do observer-ship in US, and possibly further research under US faculty. Will doing all this add to my competitiveness for good psychiatry programs ? Or taking an extra year will fade the gain in doing all this ?

It will be really kind of you all if you may please guide me on this. Every single word of yours will help me a lot.

Thanks
Regards

 

[Doc Samson]

Hello

I am an IMG from one of top 5 Medical Colleges in India. I recently gave my step 1. I studied very well for the exam but unfortunately i got 220 ( 94). Students from my class who were equivalent to me got upto 240-250 (99). I can say that may be i had a bad day, but i guess it will be making an excuse now. Anyways now that i have my step 1 result in my hand which doesn't look so good, i need to reevaluate my plans.

I always wanted to go to Psychiatry as my career goal is to become a good clinical researcher in Neuro-psychaitry. Even if i had got a score of 260, i would have applied for psychiatry.

I wanted to have your advice on following :

1. How good or bad is my score for Psychiatry residency application in today's scenario ?

2. If i manage to get a 99 (240-250) on step 2 CK and Clean CS, will i be able to compensate for the loss in Step 1 ? Will then i be a good IMG candidate for good psychiatry programs ?

3. I am considering taking an extra year to materialize my Neurology, Cancer, and Metabolic Syndrome research into papers, do observer-ship in US, and possibly further research under US faculty. Will doing all this add to my competitiveness for good psychiatry programs ? Or taking an extra year will fade the gain in doing all this ?

It will be really kind of you all if you may please guide me on this. Every single word of yours will help me a lot.

Thanks
Regards

Your Step 1 score is fine. Higher scores on subsequent exams will obviously only help your application, but if they're in the same ballpark as your Step 1 score, you shouldn't face any real problems as a result of your scores. Research/pubs are a benefit at some of the more competetive programs, but then again, these are the programs that seldom take IMGs. In Psychiatry, your scores/clinical grades can buy you an interview, but it's the interview that gets you into the residency (or not). No reason that you shouldn't apply next year and see what comes of it, all the while working on your potential pubs, just in case you have to defer until the year after.

 

[NJWxMan]

Why do you want to come to the US? If you train here, will you leave to go elsewhere?

Hello

I am an IMG from one of top 5 Medical Colleges in India. I recently gave my step 1. I studied very well for the exam but unfortunately i got 220 ( 94). Students from my class who were equivalent to me got upto 240-250 (99). I can say that may be i had a bad day, but i guess it will be making an excuse now. Anyways now that i have my step 1 result in my hand which doesn't look so good, i need to reevaluate my plans.

I always wanted to go to Psychiatry as my career goal is to become a good clinical researcher in Neuro-psychaitry. Even if i had got a score of 260, i would have applied for psychiatry.

I wanted to have your advice on following :

1. How good or bad is my score for Psychiatry residency application in today's scenario from an IMG point of view ?
(NRMP data here seems to indicate that it is ok for psychiatry, but do the numbers parallel the practical cut-offs in good programs. "Site - http://www.nrmp.org/data/chartingoutcomes2009v3.pdf " )

2. If i manage to get a 99 (240-250) on step 2 CK and Clean CS, will i be able to compensate for the loss in Step 1 ? Will then i be a good IMG candidate for good psychiatry programs ?

3. I am considering taking an extra year to materialize my Neurology, Cancer, and Metabolic Syndrome research into papers, do observer-ship in US, and possibly further research under US faculty. Will doing all this add to my competitiveness for good psychiatry programs ? Or taking an extra year will fade the gain in doing all this ?

It will be really kind of you all if you may please guide me on this. Every single word of yours will help me a lot.

Thanks
Regards

 

[cyneuron]

Thanks for the reply sir. Sir how much will taking an year off affect my chances of getting calls and matched next to next year? I have got quite negative impressions of an year off from IM people. Don't know how is it perceived in psychiatry, specially for an IMG.

 

[notdeadyet]

Why do you want to come to the US? If you train here, will you leave to go elsewhere?

Yes, an important question. This is why you so rarely see an Indian-born physician practicing in the U.S...

 

[masterofmonkeys]

Cyneuron, your score is not bad enough to tank your application by any means, even as an IMG. As DS said, a strong step 2 is also a good idea. My advice is to take it early enough that they see the score when applications first open.

Also, I would think that the fact that you have a demonstrated passion for psychiatry and from the sound of it want to go into academics, will also be of benefit.

While this may be a gross and unfair overgeneralization, its a popularly held belief that Indian IMGs who go into psychiatry here do so because it was the only thing they could match into. As the son of an Indian IMG myself, I have seen far too many who fit that characterization.

Obviously standing out against said stereotype will play in your favor I would think, and programs that rarely take IMGs might not consider you to be a part of the same pool as others.

But mainly, I would say don't give up on your dream. Try to land a spot in a good psych program that will be a gateway to your desire for neuropsych. Also consider options that get you here and get you valuable educational experience, such as an MS in neuroscience.

 

[cyneuron]

Cyneuron, your score is not bad enough to tank your application by any means, even as an IMG. As DS said, a strong step 2 is also a good idea. My advice is to take it early enough that they see the score when applications first open.

thanks for the reply sir...sir u mean that i should take step 2 ck as early as possible this year.

sir i am strongly considering to take an year off to build up a good profile (in addition to some financial constraints back home). Sir could you please give me an idea as to how will it affect my application positively or negatively ?

 

[notdeadyet]

Cyneuron, your score is not bad enough to tank your application by any means, even as an IMG.

His score is actually higher than the average for IMGs or US MDs who matched into Psychiatry.