vitreoretinal fellowship for IMG

[broshk]

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Hi, I am interested in the field of surgical retina and plannig to apply for fellowship next year or the subsequent year.
I did the step 1 and 2 USMLE exams but finished my medical school and residency in Israel so as an IMG I hear that there is only few prgrams that get foreigners as a fellows.
Does anyone knows or have a list which programs get IMG's as fellows.
I know its very competitive and I dont mean to steal anyone's place but I will highly appreciate any help.
thanks a lot

 

[Eyedealist]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe IMG's unfortunately need to repeat a US Residency first before applying to most US fellowships

 

[Cmercury1]

UC Irvine has an international fellowship. According to their website, they take one fellow every other year and must have completed a retina fellowship in their home country.

 

[MstaKing10]

UC Irvine is a mostly a medical retina and research fellowship for IMG's, not surgical (I may be wrong about this though).

You can apply for fellowships without having completed residency in the states as an IMG. You cannot practice medicine here in the US without first completing a residency here in the US. Thus, many IMG's who do fellowship here in the states do so to go back home and practice in that field or as a jumping off point to then apply for residency here.

The problem with IMG's as fellows is that you cannot bill, thus, you cannot pay for yourself as a fellow. Not sure how the visa works but am assuming there are issues with that as well, especially for a long term, 2 year vitreoretinal fellowship. There are lots of research fellowships available, and maybe a few medical retina fellowships, but I am not aware of any surgical retina fellowships. Good luck with your search.

 

[ophthalmology_aspirant]

IMGs can get non-ACGME accredited clinical fellowships without residency in the US. Also in surgical retina (maybe 2-3 places). There are also ACGME accredited fellowships that you can apply through SF Match after completing Step 1, 2 and 3 as well as training in your home country. There is also an option of applying for a license to practice in the particular state and sometimes people do get that license - VERY difficult but not impossible with an ACGME accredited fellowship (because you have not done residency in the US). Most people go back to their home country, but it is possible to apply for a license and try your luck.

 

[backrow]

IMGs can get non-ACGME accredited clinical fellowships without residency in the US. Also in surgical retina (maybe 2-3 places). There are also ACGME accredited fellowships that you can apply through SF Match after completing Step 1, 2 and 3 as well as training in your home country. There is also an option of applying for a license to practice in the particular state and sometimes people do get that license - VERY difficult but not impossible with an ACGME accredited fellowship (because you have not done residency in the US). Most people go back to their home country, but it is possible to apply for a license and try your luck.

I'm pretty sure that there are zero ACGME fellowships for ophthalmology. Or maybe I've misunderstood all this time...

That doesn't mean it's any easier for an international fellow though. My recommendation would be to talk to those who have gone before you and find out where they went.