Computer based USMLE has had multimedia features for some time now. These features include heart sounds. If you look beyond the stress of the exam itself, these multimedia features are quite cool actually! Only tough part is, preparing for these multimedia tests. For example, getting used to listening to and deciphering heart sounds on a computer as opposed to a stethoscope can be a bit challenging in itself. We recently came across this fairly sophisticated “Virtual trainer” at the 3M website – makers of the famed Littman stethoscopes! Check it out.
There’s J1 for residency and J1 for research. This post refers to the J1 visa as it applies to an international medical graduate (IMG) seeking a residency program. For residency J1, an IMG needs to meet certain criteria. Details can be found on the ECFMG site. But briefly, an IMG must have:
- passed USMLE steps 1, 2CK and 2CS. (Step 3 is not required for J1 visa.)
- ECFMG certificate.
- a contract or letter of offer from the residency program.
- and, “Statement of Need” from Ministry of Health or equivalent.
The most critical difference between H1B and J1 visas remains the issue of jobs and applying for green card. On a J1 visa, at the end of your residency / fellowship training, you must either, return to the country of last legal permanent residence for 2 years, or do a “waiver” job typically in a medically underserved area. You must do one of these things before you can apply for a green card, and that too via an H1B visa! (This aspect of J1 will be explored in a seperate post – coming soon).
On the H1B visa however, you are free to apply for green card at the end of your residency. You are also free to seek jobs at “regular” places.
It is debatable whether getting a fellowship on H1B visa is any more difficult than on J1. While it is widely acknowledged that people on J1 visa experience little or no difficulty moving on to fellowship training after residency, some folks on H1 can find the going a bit tougher.
Most big, university programs have no issues when it comes to sponsoring visas. Programs at large universities are looking for excellent candidates and they don’t care about visa issues in general – they have the resources, both human and financial. If they find a great candidate on J1, they’d take him. Ditto for H1B.
The H1B visa is issued to “temporary workers” and falls under the nonimmigrant visa category. A lot of information technology folks come to the US on H1B visa and so do a lot of foreign / international medical graduates. Let’s look at how an H1B visa applies to an IMG seeking residency in the United States.
According the Department of State:
If you came to the United States on a B2 (pleasure) tourist visa for USMLE Step 2CS and/or residency interviews, you should pay attention at the immigration desk at the airport as described here. If however, you were busy admiring the surroundings and the officer stamped your I-94 with a two month stay, you might find yourself in a bit of time crunch. You need about four months to do the Step 2 CS and the interviews you say!
Well, you need to extend your stay in the United States then, isn’t it? And here, in short, is how to extend your tourist visa or, to be more accurate, your stay in the United States.
Your first interview in the entire residency process really occurs as soon as you first land in the USA – at the airport!
That’s the interview with the immigration officer. It can have a profound effect on your interviews in the USA especially if you are also planning on taking Step 2CS during the same trip (that’s the most economical strategy as described here).
When it comes to taking USMLE, one of the big stumbling blocks most foreign medical graduates face is that of ethics, or more specifically, medical ethics. Many, if not most, FMGs struggle when it comes to questions about ethics. These questions typically would present a scenario and ask you, as the doctor in that situation, to make a decision. That is where many FMGs trip up.
Does that mean FMGs are unethical? The answer to that must be one the most unequivocal NO’s in my life, ever. Then why is it that many FMGs struggle and squirm when faced with questions about medical ethics?
Who is the foriegn / international medical graduates’ chief competition? Is it the American Graduate? or the other international medical graduates?
Doing well on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is very important, obviously! In applying for residency in the USA, an IMG is up against the American graduates as well as other IMGs.
Now that you know the stiff competition you are up against, it’s time to start preparing for USMLE. As always, information is critical! You need to know:
- when to take USMLE
- how to prepare for USMLE
- which preparation materials to use for USMLE
