Can Someone HELP me..Please!!! - surgerydoc01

[ArchivalUser]

Hi,
I did my MBBS from India in 2001 & MS Surgery in 2005.
I started to prepare for the Step1 in aug 2006..paid my fees..purchased the books...three months into my prep..in Nov i had the chance to meet some Indian surgeons from Chicago in a conference in Delhi.
One guy was the program director for Colo-Rectal Fellowship at the Chicago university Hosp...an Indian ..and another was an Indian who after his MS Surgery from India had done his Residency & Fellowship from Chicago.
The PD was very blunt..told me that as an IMG .i had better forget Categorical Surgery..maybe some prelim program..thats all..said that as PDs they had a policy of not taking any IMGs in Categorical Surgery.
That really shattered me..I checked with the other Indian who had just completed his Fellowship.he said that it is very difficult to get categorical surgery.said that things are not pretty rosy in USA.
I literally gave up my prep..lost my fees 815$.
But now again..after about an year i have started thinking about the MLE..this is a dream that i just am not able to give up without a fair try.
Can anyone tell me whether this is really worth all the effort or not?
What really is the scenario for a Categorical position in Surgery?
Fellows i really need some guidance..tell me that there is light at the end of the tunnel..Really Appreciate..Thanks!!

[ArchivalUser]

i know of 2 pure imgs from gujrat doing surgery residency(categorical). they are gc holders though. so its not altogether impossible. yes things are not that rosy here at usa but thats the same for medicine as well.
you talked to surgeons who were themselves indian , so why you feel discouraged?
i am not surgery person so cannot say much.
goodluck.

[ArchivalUser]

i know of an img doing surery. but he did an yr of transitional first. there are plenty of latin american guys oing cat sur in texas though .