Med Studentz Medical School Forum - View Single Post - Can an IMG get a Surgery Residency in the US?

MastahRiz · 06-14-2007, 05:59 AM

Here's a question which a lot of people are asking and having trouble getting an answer to. Hopefully this thread will make it clear for everyone what exactly you have to do to successfully increase your chances of getting a residency in a surgical specialty. It's difficult to say the least, but with dedication and hard work, it's definitely possible.

First of all, IMG's are already fighting an uphill battle to get any residency position, so keep that in mind. This has already been discussed in other posts, and if anyone needs specific posts I can help them out.

Because some surgical specialties have fewer openings than fields of medicine, it's already very competitive even for local American graduates.

Like Fahad asked on our Facebook group, having a double 99 on USMLE is one thing that already significantly boosts your chances (as does any usmle score above 90 or so), but it's not all that you'll need.

Like any competitive residency program, you'll need to supplement those USMLE scores with things like research electives, clinical electives, and Letters of recommendation, all from the hospital you wish to apply to, preferably, but other hospitals will still take notice. You'll need to aim for things like getting published, and getting hands on experience with the surgeon, no matter how difficult it may be to do all that.

Without these additional things, then yes, even with 99's on the USMLE, you may find yourself without a surgical residency.

The more electives you do, the better it'll look. The more electives you do with the same surgeon, the better it will look to that hospital.

Hopefully this will help everyone out a little bit. Post further questions you may have here

06-14-2007, 05:59 AM	#1 (permalink)
MastahRiz Moderator Posts: 1,127 Join Date: Jan 2006 Status: Medical Student Location: Los Angeles, California	Can an IMG get a Surgery Residency in the US? Here's a question which a lot of people are asking and having trouble getting an answer to. Hopefully this thread will make it clear for everyone what exactly you have to do to successfully increase your chances of getting a residency in a surgical specialty. It's difficult to say the least, but with dedication and hard work, it's definitely possible. First of all, IMG's are already fighting an uphill battle to get any residency position, so keep that in mind. This has already been discussed in other posts, and if anyone needs specific posts I can help them out. Because some surgical specialties have fewer openings than fields of medicine, it's already very competitive even for local American graduates. Like Fahad asked on our Facebook group, having a double 99 on USMLE is one thing that already significantly boosts your chances (as does any usmle score above 90 or so), but it's not all that you'll need. Like any competitive residency program, you'll need to supplement those USMLE scores with things like research electives, clinical electives, and Letters of recommendation, all from the hospital you wish to apply to, preferably, but other hospitals will still take notice. You'll need to aim for things like getting published, and getting hands on experience with the surgeon, no matter how difficult it may be to do all that. Without these additional things, then yes, even with 99's on the USMLE, you may find yourself without a surgical residency. The more electives you do, the better it'll look. The more electives you do with the same surgeon, the better it will look to that hospital. Hopefully this will help everyone out a little bit. Post further questions you may have here __________________ Rizwan A. Alvi, Medical Student Shifa College of Medicine http://rizwanalvi.com Applying to pak med schools? READ THIS FIRST Read our General Forum Rules Here. Write stuff like "plz guide me," and I'll delete your post. Seriously.