your openion - monad86

[ArchivalUser]

hi guys
that is the first time to post here
i am very old IMG and by the way I found my self in USA,so i decided to study and try to get my chance, so I started since awhile and really i found it so difficult.
I need your advice if I can do it ,tell you I was graduated in 1986 and practiced as anesthesiologist for about 16 years in my country.
speak frankly to me and what are your advice and I ask if any old IMG can contact me to help each other

[ArchivalUser]

Hello

The positives from your past to enter the US Residency would be your experience in Anaesthesiology. The negatives are your year of graduation.

If you plan to take up anaesthesiology, which is among the competitive programs, I think you need to have good scores 95+ on all the steps, and on single attempt, plus you need to have clinical Experience of 1 year, preferably in Anaesthesia or in Internal Medicine atleast. and besides a good VISA status preferably green card.

[ArchivalUser]

thank you very much drnane really you encourage me and I will try to do my best to get agood scores .
are you IMG too and what is your situation?

[ArchivalUser]

Apologise..could not reply at the earliest..
I am an IMG practising neurology since 2007.......Plans / fate changed the course and ended in USA.
Was not interested in the MLE's but had no option....struggled initially to stick my ass at a place.....gave all the steps initially in a rush....Step2 CK 99/ 260 ( prep - 3 months, exm - 26 March 2010 ), CS failed on the first attempt ( prep - 15 days April 13 2010 ....IInd attempt NOv 2010)......Step1 99/ 253 ( prep -3 months, exmn - July 2010 )...Step 3 99 / 231 (prep-2 months , exm - June 2011).

Tried in 2011 match...got matched to advance neurology at Nebraska, but had to leave the match b'cos I was not able to get the prelims internal medicine ( Applied to 42 Programs during this season )
Reapplicant for 2012... Applied to 96 neurology, 73 pelims internal medicine and 10 transitional year programs... waiting for the interviews..

I am neither happy nor proud of my scores...I was happy with what I was in my home country.

Here getting into a residency is more of planning ahead and getting into contacts with people who are into medical field so that you can get some externship / observership /research
I would say chances of getting into residency are contributed variedly ..... 25 % is scores......25% is your experience (USCE - Hands on experience, not just observership or research ).......50% is your luck ( what that means is a matter of guess and your interpretation...)
Getting into residency plan for 2 years.....around 4000 $ for exam fees and preparation material......atleast 6 months of externship ( 5000-7000$ through a online source ).......
2000- 4000$ for the application.......2000$ for attending atleast 4 interviews......lots of PATIENCE....
All the best

[ArchivalUser]

hi drnane
really u have to be proud for your high scores
and thank you for the nice and so clear explanation ,so we have to follow the 50%of the luck which is really very important as we heared from many guys here and out not forgetting the hard work to get agood score
thx again