2015 vs 2016 match - americandream1

[ArchivalUser]

Hi. I am an IMG (graduating 2014) with a usmle step 1 score of 237 (2nd attempt) and 2 month USCE. i will take ck and cs by june this year but I will not receive my diploma in time for ecfmg certification (will receive in December 2014). Is it wise to apply for the 2015 match or should I wait till 2016 when I can take usmle step 3 before applying? Thanks

[ArchivalUser]

Almost all of the interviews are provided before December. The interviews provided late in the season are most likely those canceled by the others. The chance of being offer an interview would be a lot lower if you apply late in the season and the application fee is not cheap. Another option is to apply early in mid September without the certificate. However, it is very likely you would be filtered out by many programs at the beginning of candidate selection since there are a lot of other applicants with certificates or even better credentials. If I were you, I would choose to apply for the match in 2016. You can do residency or other things to build up your credential at that time. However, the other thing you should consider is the chance for IMG keeps decreasing year by year. You can search for an article in JAMA with key words " residency training and international medical graduates". I remember that 2015 is the year when US medical graduates exceed the available positions for residency. The chance of being matched would be lower if you need VISA since most programs would tend to take US graduates anyway. It is just my opinion and you have to consider the pros and cons by yourself. Good luck.

[ArchivalUser]

Another thing I forgot to mention is that your graduate year is 2014. You can wait for a year and get no issue of being an old graduate which really matter during the application.

[ArchivalUser]

If you have Step 2 cs , ck and step 1 you are all set. ECFMG certification is not important and step 3 is not even considered. Apply as early as possible, if you have one year gap in your cv they will wonder why haven't you applied earlier.

Apply as early as you can with step 2cs, ck and step 1 results.

[ArchivalUser]

The info by mqway is incorrect. AMGs will not exceed the residency capacity by 2015. 1st yr enrollment will exceed 20k by the yr 2016. Therefore that won't occur until 2019 or so. If you factor in USimgs and DOs it becomes more competitive in 2015 but there are still a few
Thousand open slots.

[ArchivalUser]

I think rh60484 information is correct. My information is based on the article in JAMA which is mostly assumption and may be outdated since it was published in 2012. I think the match results on NRMP would be better and providing more information. Step 3 is not required for application but you will need it if you want H1B visa. Step 3 don't need to be done when you file the application but I am not sure if it will be helpful for getting interviews.

[ArchivalUser]

Matching for IMGs will definitely get more difficult. But a reord number of IMGs matched last yr. So it is definitely possible. But do not delay. Try your best to have everything ready for 2015.

[ArchivalUser]

Do a proper assessment before applying, because there are a few programmes who ask for ECFMG certification at the time of application. If you apply there, you will loose $$$ & they will not be getting back to inform you that they did not consider you for iv because you did not have your certification! (And therefore make you feel low & de-motivated)

This is more important for applicants who require a visa.

[ArchivalUser]

Thank you all for your responses. I have to admit it's a tough decision to make. In the end, I have to make one anyway. I will keep asking questions and doing my lil bit of research. thanks once again