What chance of Residency after Md Microbiology - yasmarvin

[ArchivalUser]

@spforcominedstud

I understood you. MD microbiology is the residency in Microbiology in India and other common wealth countries, where non clinical subjects like patho, anat, physio, biochem could only be done by people who have completed medical schools.

@yasmarvin - I have seen this system from inside out, doing residency right now.
The only way you get into the residency program if you know the program director or some solid connection....otherwise, impossible....

[ArchivalUser]

@nostalgic, I never knew a career, MD microbiology in India, until now. That's a useful information. Thank you. I agree with you about the connection thing.
@yasmarvin, the best thing you can do is complete your steps 1 and 2 in India, come to US with H1b job using your degree in India, and then do CS and step 3 in US and start applying for residency. In that case, you will have a back up in US, unlike most FMGs who spent lots of money like in gambling, not knowing where they are going.

[ArchivalUser]

agree sp. dont leave ur job and ruin it for a dream ...u might target pathol mostly. coz ur work might b attractive for that. still,u need good scores and plan for usce and lots of dedication and $ to play the gamble. gl

[ArchivalUser]

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice.

Yes, my MD Microbiology degree is from India, and it is after Medical school, not a PhD. I have understood from all the comments that it will be next to impossible to get residency.

Thanks

[ArchivalUser]

@yasmarvi

Sir i don't wanna disheartened you but getting a residency in US has become tremendously difficulty especially if one has > 5 yrs of YOG....and also to mention that it is more difficult if you are Indian. I am an indian too and i have seen the sytem very closely.
Its a fact that every year more then 50 % of the IMG who are entering in to US residency programs are from India.. so when program accepts applicant, they consider the diversity also...because US medical residency training has opened its doors for International medical graduates,IMG which doesn't mean Indian Medical graduates by any means... so to maintain diversity it is very likely that program will accept a IMG from some African or eastern European country gradate or even from Nepal even if that applicant is old graduate with low scores then similar or even better profile India medical gradate......

In my program. there are few residents every year who are atleast >45 yr old but none of them are from Indians.

Indian and Pakistani resident are mainly fresh < 5 yrs of YOG with scores in 240+...

I guess i answered you that why you dint have a chance, not only you are an old grad which is hurting you but your contry of origin also hurting you because they are atleast...4000 other Indians who are competing with you.

[ArchivalUser]

IM/FM probably impossible.

Pathology though, looking at the NRMP stats, average YOG for non-US IMGs who matched in pathology was around 9 years ago. Your lab experience will be relevant and publications will help. Still I believe you will need good scores and LORs from US pathologists.

If you have a good life at home, though, I would still say don't bother. To me, it doesn't seem like a good investment to spend tens of thousands of $ and so much time for a small chance of spending 4-5 difficult years as a resident in a foreign country, especially when doctors get so much respect in India.

[ArchivalUser]

yasmarvin
I can understand your situation very well. I am from India wih MD in microbiology more than 11yrs back. I am working in a US microbiology lab for last 6yrs. I am a US citizen Last yr I passed Step 1, 2 and CS with decent scores all in 1st attempt. I have pathology experience also and good LOr"s from US physicians and pathologists, I applied to 165 prog in IM, FM and Path. Not a single IV...so think and decide for yourself.

[ArchivalUser]

@nostalgic, unfortunately the bias against qualified Indians doesn't ends there. Indians also seem to have problems with minimum score requirement for residency.
According to a very close friend of mine who attended an immigration class at Kaplan in Chicago, it was told in the class that visa embassy people are using USMLE scores for Indians to prioritize who should fill the limited quota of J-1 visa, J-1 waiver, and H1-B visa because of high number of qualified (matched) Indian applicants and limited number of quota for these visa categories (for each country including India). And the consultant who conducted the class also told that to decrease the risk of rejection of their matched Indian applicants, PDs are setting at least 10 more points higher on USMLE scores for Indians "alone" as eligibility criteria compared to applicants from other nations. So, if a program states 200 score on USMLE steps as a cut off for residency, the "unofficial" cut-off score for Indians is 210. Qualified applicants should not be restricted to practice because of limited quota for countries because a dying patient doesn't expects diversity of his physicians rather a qualified physician.
Last but not least, the rumors against Indians, which might have also contributed to lower match percentage of Indians compared to people of other nations, inspite of having many Indian program directors.

[ArchivalUser]

Thank you all so much, especially for sharing your personal experiences, I have got so much insight about the ground reality there, from all this information.

[ArchivalUser]

I know few Indian friends of mine with good scores who could not get interviews at all ("this match season") compared to some of my non-Indian friends with lesser scores having good number of interviews.