Wednesday, 23 January 2019

Information On International Medical Students And Young Physician Program

By Larry Howard


The United States has provided opportunities to foreign medical students and doctors for many years and continues to do so. Students can get clinical experience from the many hospitals across the country ahead of their graduation in their own countries. Many others are looking to move to the States permanently and start practising. There are a number of basics on the international medical students and young physician program one may wish to know.

When coming to the United States, there are a number of requirements that must be met. Some of them are general and happy to any immigrant or tourist while others are specific to medical personnel. It is important that one understands these requirements and meets them to avoid a rejection of their application. Some differences exist in the process for temporary students and physicians intending to move permanently.

Students can apply for observerships in US hospitals either before or after their graduation. An observership is simply a form of attachment in a clinical area where the individual gets to learn first hand from attending physicians. They also get to interact with patients as they would if practising in the country. This experience is important for doctors that have plans of applying for residency in the country.

For one to be eligible for ownership, they must be enrolled or have graduated from a medical school. It is necessary that their credentials be certified by a body known as the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, ECFMG. If these two conditions have been met, then one can make an application to their hospital of choice. Advertisements of training opportunities are often available online.

The positions are competitive so one must strive to make their application convincing and with all the requisite details. Some of the details that must be included is a fully filled application form (varies depending on the chosen university hospital). This must also be accompanied by a sober letter specifying the rotation one would be interested in, an updated curriculum vitae and a letter of reference from a supervisor or attending physician.

Many of the other requirements are general and similar to what is required of any potential immigrant. One of such requirements is that the individual needs to have a duly certified copy of updated immunization record. They also must have a copy of their passport and visa, recent passport photos and a health insurance certificate. One may call their host university if they are unsure of what is needed.

A physician who has graduated outside the United States can move to the country by applying for residency. This is the path to specialization for any American physician. To qualify for the team, one first needs to sit for a licensing examination known as the United States Medical Licensing Examination, USMLE. It is a multistep examination with some of it taken outside the States and other parts in the country.

The residency positions in American hospitals are extremely competitive. The competition is even stiffer for some disciplines such as surgery and psychiatry. IMGs are in direct competition with locally trained doctors. The latter understand the system better hence have an edge. An IMG may need to make applications to multiple hospitals to increase the chances of getting a spot.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment