When applying for residency, it is important to carefully select which programs to send applications to. The key is to only apply to programs where you have a good chance of getting an interview. This is especially important when you are an international medical graduate (IMG).
IMGs should do thorough research to discover the IMG friendly residency programs in the subspecialty they desire. In addition to establishing IMG friendly residency programs, it is also important to consider the score cutoffs for each program. Pularmanjupol mp3 free download. With so many applicants applying for residency spots, program directors often use a cut off system to filter out applicants who they believe are underqualified. This makes the process of selecting interviewees more manageable for them. In this post, I will go through how I used FREIDA to build my residency application list and used it to only apply to residency programs who would not filter me out based off my USMLE scores or where I went to school. At the end of the post, I will also provide a place to sign up for a FREE link to my list of preferred residencies that I built when applying. The first step in the process is to build a list of potential residency programs.
The list serves the purpose of giving you an idea of the programs that have historically been IMG-friendly. As outlined in the book “The International Medical Graduate’s Best Hope”, the authors do not advocate complete reliance on lists but rather encourage a one-on-one search of residency programs according to individual characteristics. Target Your Residency Application. Match A Resident is the #1 choice for the International Medical Graduate (IMG) residency candidate. The unique platform helps you apply smart by generating the most reliable and up-to-date Customized Residency Programs List in any of the 18 most popular specialties for IMGs.
Your list will vary depending on your USMLE scores, which subspecialties you want to apply to, and which areas of the country you want to emphasize. I built my list from the programs listed in ERAS. By doing this, you ensure you have the most up-to-date information on which residencies are still in the match. I placed all the names in a spreadsheet to keep track of them.
Using a spreadsheet format also allows for specific name searching or alphabetical arrangement. It is important to note the name of the program director as well as the name of the coordinator and any contact information for each program. This can be found in the basic information tab when you click on the program’s entry. When communicating with programs, addressing the director directly and by name shows attention to detail and conveys interest.
Be careful here, however. Be sure to verify the name of the program director either on ERAS or on the residency website as this position can change yearly and addressing a previous program director may not reflect well. It is also handy to have all the program names and contact emails in a spreadsheet for future use. When I applied, I used this email list to send emails to programs I applied to.
I believe I got extra interviews because I sent letters of introduction after I applied. More information can be found in. One of the main goals in compiling this list is to find IMG friendly residency programs. Unfortunately, this bit of information is not often found in FRIEDA. To make things more difficult, programs often will not explicitly say whether or not they consider IMG applicants. Because of this, a bit of digging is required.
One of the best ways to tell if a program is IMG friendly is to look at the education history of both the residents and faculty. This information can often be found on the residency program’s website. If several of their current residents or faculty members are from international schools, it is safe to assume that a program is IMG friendly.
If the faculty and residents are all from U.S. Medical schools or all from the same school, it may be wise to submit your application elsewhere. Another important parameter to note is the average USMLE score of the program’s current residents.