US residency applicaiton

“How to apply for US Residency Programs” : 

“How to apply for US Residency Programs”

The 3 most important things: : 

The 3 most important things: Good USMLE scores US elective(s) US Letter(s) of Recommendation - LoR

Other less important things: : 

Other less important things: Research and Publications Charity work

USMLE’s : 

USMLE’s

USMLE : 

USMLE Step 1 Step 2 Clinical Knowledge Step 2 Clinical Skills  ECFMG certificate Step 3 Might make a difference for the type of visa (J1) vs (H1)

General Rules : 

General Rules Once you pass, you can NOT redo the exam to get a higher grade You can take them in ANY ORDER you want You must have at least completed the basic science curriculum – Step 1 It is highly recommended you do Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS within/after finishing the clinical years

General Rules – cont. : 

General Rules – cont. Scoring system: 3 digit score and 2 digit score 2 digit score is not a percentile! It’s just different way of scoring The grading curve is assessed according to the grades attained in the previous year

Your new friends : 

Your new friends www.ecfmg.org To apply for the exams Get a touch of what is ECFMG about www.usmle.org Details about the exams Sample materials for each Step

You Must read from the websites: : 

You Must read from the websites: USMLE Bulletin of Information ECFMG Information Booklet

Common books? : 

Common books?

USMLE Step 1 : 

USMLE Step 1

Step 1 content : 

Step 1 content Anatomy (including Neuro) Histology Embryology Biochemistry & Genetics Physiology (including Neuro) Community Medicine / Beh. Sc. Pharmacology Pathology ~ 50% of the exam Microbiology & Immunology

Step 1 Books : 

Step 1 Books Anatomy, Histology, Embryology First Aid +/- Road Map Biochemistry & Genetics First Aid Kaplan / Road Map Physiology First Aid BRS Physiology

Step 1 Books – cont. : 

Comm Med / Beh. Sc. First Aid Kaplan / Road Map Pharmacology First Aid Kaplan / Road Map Pathology ~ 50% of the exam First Aid BRS Pathology Microbiology & Immunology First Aid Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple High-Yield Immunology Step 1 Books – cont.

Step 1 – cont. : 

Step 1 – cont. Price ~ 240 KD Place Kuwait – Amideast Duration 8 hrs, including 1 hr break

USMLE Step 2 CK : 

USMLE Step 2 CK

Step 2 CK content : 

Step 2 CK content Medicine ~ 50% of the exam Pediatrics Psychiatry, Ethics and Epidemiology Surgery Obst & Gyne

Step 2 CK books : 

Step 2 CK books Medicine + Surgery + Psychiatry, Ethics and Epidemiology First Aid Kaplan Obst &Gyne First Aid +/- Blueprint Obst & Gyne OR +/- Kaplan Pediatrics First Aid +/- 6th year textbook OR +/- Blueprint Pediatrics

Step 2 CK – cont. : 

Step 2 CK – cont. Price ~ 260 KD Place Kuwait – Amideast Duration 9 hrs, including 1 hr break

USMLE Step 2 CS : 

USMLE Step 2 CS

Step 2 CS content : 

Step 2 CS content Like Step 2 CK, but clinically applied on “Acting Patients” They test 3 fields: English language Communication skills Knowledge Good news: Pass / Fail exam

Step 2 CS book : 

Step 2 CS book First Aid More than enough Practice, Practice, Practice !!! 3-4 weeks preparation

Step 2 CS – cont. : 

Step 2 CS – cont. Price ~ 350 KD (you still have the ticketing and accommodation) Place USA – 5 cities: Los Angeles, CA Chicago, il Philadelphia, Penn Atlanta, GA Houston, TX Duration 8-9 hrs, including 1 hr break

USMLE’s : 

USMLE’s Online Question Solving

For all USMLE Steps : 

For all USMLE Steps You definitely NEED to do ONLINE QUESTION SOLVING ≥ 1 month pre-exam www.kaplan.com Look for Kaplan medical link Questions are easier, more expensive, with moderate depth of explanation www.usmleworld.com Questions are harder, cheaper, and explained in more depth

Electives : 

Electives

Electives : 

Electives To be done in the summer between your final and pre-final years They specifically state: “the student must be in his final year of medical school during the elective” http://services.aamc.org/eec/students/

Electives – cont. : 

Electives – cont. Mayo Clinic (competitive) Only 4 weeks lifetime chance Application fee, non-refundable Accommodation: you will be guided once you get accepted for the elective Harvard (Easier, less documents required for the application) You can apply for 2-3 months max. Elective cost per month: 3200 us $ Accommodation per month: 1060 us $ Cornell (competitive) You can apply for 2 months max. Elective cost per month: 2000 us $ Accommodation: almost manage yourself

Electives – cont. : 

Electives – cont. You are going for an elective to GET a LoR !!! Everybody knows about it… Don’t feel shy to ask for it !!! So work hard during your elective !!! So you get a good quality LoR

ECFMG Certificate : 

ECFMG Certificate

ECFMG certificate : 

ECFMG certificate It’s a certificate you receive once you: Pass USMLE Step 1 Pass USMLE Step 2 CK Pass USMLE step 2 CS Receive your diploma It’s like a passport for you to get into residency program

ECFMG certificate – cont. : 

ECFMG certificate – cont. Can you apply for residency with your USMLE scores and diploma only, while awaiting your ECFMG certificate? Yes, but you get less chances for interviews when they compare your application status with others

USMLE Step 3 : 

USMLE Step 3

USMLE Step 3 : 

USMLE Step 3 Passing it = you are a SAFE independent physician Gives you the possibility to get H1 visa Sooner or later you have to do it, whether before going to the US, or during your residency

Residency Application : 

Residency Application

Residency Application : 

Residency Application ERAS Electronic Residency Application Service www.aamc.org FREIDA To search for residency / fellowship programs http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/education-careers/graduate-medical-education/freida-online.shtml NRMP National Resident Matching Program www.aamc.org

How does ERAS work? : 

How does ERAS work?

How does NRMP work? : 

How does NRMP work? You put your Rank Order List The programs put their Rank Order List NRMP will do the MATCH

Example : 

Example Your Rank 1 (prog’s name) 2 3 4 5 The prog.’s Rank 1 (your name) 2 3 4 5

Important Dates (example) : 

Important Dates (example) 2008 JUL 1Update your e-mail and mailing addresses and request your ERAS Token using ECFMG’s OASIS. Start researching programs of interest. Go to the ACGME website for program information. Approach your letter writers to secure Letters of Recommendation, which should arrive at ECFMG by August 1. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG begins to generate Tokens for all applicants who have made the $75 payment. MyERAS opens. Once you have registered, start sending your supporting documents to ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. Due to the heavy volume of documents received, the lead time for scanning and uploading documents to the ERAS PostOffice is up to four weeks from receipt of documents. You will be able to begin applying for programs on September 2 at 8:00 a.m., Eastern Time in the United States. AUG 1The applicant should ensure that supporting documents have arrived at ECFMG. AUG 15Registration for the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), or “the Match,” opens on the NRMP website. Register now! SEP 2At 8:00 a.m., Eastern Time in the United States, you can start using the MyERAS website to transmit your Common Application Form (CAF), Profile, and Personal Statement(s) to the ERAS PostOffice. OCT 1The applicant should ensure that the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) has arrived at ECFMG. NOV 1MSPEs are released to programs by the ERAS PostOffice. NOV 30NRMP Match registration deadline. (You may register after this deadline, but you will be required to pay an additional late registration fee to the NRMP.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2009 FEB 25NRMP Match late registration and rank order list certification deadlines. MAR 16Applicant’s information, matched and unmatched, is posted to the NRMP website. MAR 17-19 NRMP post-Match Scramble. MAR 19Results of Match announced by NRMP. MAY 31ERAS PostOffice closes, ending current ERAS season. JUL 1Residency training begins.

Thank you… : 

Thank you… Questions?