What if I can I work without the Step exams

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ProteinTreasure

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I am not sure if this is the right forum to post this question, but I will ask you all anyway.

As an IMG without taking the Step exams what kind of career options do I have? I've heard of research. But what kind of research can I do?

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The best thing to do is apply for post-doc positions (yes MDs can be post-docs too), preferably in the specialty or sub-specialty of your choice. Most post-doc positions are offered at universities. There may be a few community hospitals that offer these positions too. Post-doc positions do not require step completion. A post-doc position in a good university can also get you visa sponsorship if you need it, but that is subjective. If you have visa issues that are hard to overcome then volunteering on a project by contacting PIs in your area might be the way to go.
 
I am not sure if this is the right forum to post this question, but I will ask you all anyway.

As an IMG without taking the Step exams what kind of career options do I have? I've heard of research. But what kind of research can I do?


I'm not sure "career" is the right word. Without passing the steps and a couple of years of residency, you cannot be licensed, so can not practice medicine or really any job where you would be a healthcare professional. Since you are asking online what kind of research you you can do, it means you havent really done it before and so your options are probably pretty limited. you can probably get a job in someone's lab, helping them with their projects, but as suggested suggested in the previous post, that's usually not a "career" but rather a stepping stone to something else.
 
I am not sure if this is the right forum to post this question, but I will ask you all anyway.

As an IMG without taking the Step exams what kind of career options do I have? I've heard of research. But what kind of research can I do?

None, at least not as a medical doctor
 
Your degree would be equivalent to any other biological sciences degree from a foreign country, but not a medical degree. If you have that kind of degree from Oxford, then you'd probably be recruited by drug companies. If you went to a school that nobody has heard of, then it'll be just like having a non-medical degree from the same school. We can't give you accurate advice if you don't provide more details.

One exception to that is the bridging programs where an IMG can study to become a physician assistant without having to do the full training.

If you don't have any research experience, you could probably work as a lab tech. But considering the salary and career prospects of that job, you're probably better off trying to do a PhD... grad students make as much money as lab techs, except that they can do original research and they can move up the ranks. If you don't want to go that far, you could consider doing a master's degree in a field with some real-world application that could complement your medical education... like an MPH or an MBA, and then work in that field.

You could try to do a postdoc and try to go directly to a full-time research faculty position (akin to a person with a PhD), but you won't be able to find a job if you don't have any research experience. If you don't have research experience (as you implied in your initial question), your only research opportunities would be as a lab tech, which wouldn't really help you in the process of looking for a postdoc job.

Regardless, you'll need additional training unless you're happy working as a lab tech.
 
Thank you all. The answers from imgtointern and shan564 are very much helpful.
 
I am not sure if you what you were asking for were career change options or options to supplement while you are preparing for the steps. I would also add MHA to the list of higher education options. I would differ with shan564 a bit on the bridge programs. I believe the ones for IMGs exist in Canada. In the States one would have to do the entire PA program (upto 2yrs) at an accredited institute before taking the certification exam. The other option is a PA to DO bridge which would take the IMG from a PA program to an accelerated DO program (essentially going through med school again). I may be wrong about this, but this is what I found in my research so far.

Two other options for career change that I recently discovered are FDA commissioners fellowship program and CDC preventive medicine fellowship programs. Despite the name, these programs do not require completion of residency or USMLE exams and they can be a path to a career in the respective agencies. Information about the FDA program was posted under another topic here as well.
 
You are right in that there are NO IMG to PA programs in the states. You will have to complete the entire program with no advance standing. All PA programs are a minimum of 24 months,with no time off other than the 1-2 week semester breaks. The only PA to DO bridge is currently at LECOM and takes three years, so not exactly a shortcut.
 
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