US Fellowship as an Australian Physician

[bigmangotree]

Hi all,

I am currently a medical student in Australia (AU citizen) who is potentially exploring the possibility of completing a fellowship overseas - potentially the U.S. Note that I do not intend to stay in America to practice. I have written this post to get some better clarity on the situation, in order to make a more informed decision as to whether I should bother sitting the USMLEs.

1. I have heard that there are advantages in obtaining an overseas fellowship with regards to career development - would anyone be able to clarify this?
2. If I was to complete a fellowship post-training in Australia, what would the process be like? I presume you would need to pass all 3 parts of the USMLE. Are there also any other requirements necessary to practice in a particular state, say NY, CA, or BOS?

Additional side question:
3. Say I wanted to be in America temporarily for a year for whatever reason (unrelated to fellowship), what jobs would I be able to pick up in the medical field if I was qualified as a physician in Australia?

Thanks!

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[Wolvvs]

Might be worth posting this question in the IM or one of the subspecialty forums (Internal Medicine and IM Subspecialties), this forum is more for international students at Australian universities so I don't know how many people here will be able to answer your question.

To answer your third question, in order to practice as a doctor in the US you would need to obtain state licensure and generally speaking that requires completing at least some residency in the US. You would also have to have taken all Step exams. It might be possible for you to find work in a medicine-adjacent field like working for an insurance or pharmaceutical company as you wouldn't be practicing medicine in that case and wouldn't need a license, but I don't know how easy it is to get a job like that for a year only given you'd need a sponsored visa.

 

[mcat_taker]

Hi all,

I am currently a medical student in Australia (AU citizen) who is potentially exploring the possibility of completing a fellowship overseas - potentially the U.S. Note that I do not intend to stay in America to practice. I have written this post to get some better clarity on the situation, in order to make a more informed decision as to whether I should bother sitting the USMLEs.

1. I have heard that there are advantages in obtaining an overseas fellowship with regards to career development - would anyone be able to clarify this?
2. If I was to complete a fellowship post-training in Australia, what would the process be like? I presume you would need to pass all 3 parts of the USMLE. Are there also any other requirements necessary to practice in a particular state, say NY, CA, or BOS?

Additional side question:
3. Say I wanted to be in America temporarily for a year for whatever reason (unrelated to fellowship), what jobs would I be able to pick up in the medical field if I was qualified as a physician in Australia?

Thanks!

To do fellowship in the USA most states will require you to pass the USMLE sequence. Maybe not all but it will drastically open more doors for you for fellowships if you do. Many programs will want to be able to have you bill for services so you need to be licensed in the US for that. Also to get visas to work in the US having the USMLE is important for either J1 or H1B.