How I Obtained Clinical & Research Experience in the US

maryam786 · 07-17-2006, 01:05 AM

HEY REHAN one more thing r u a resident? or a student?have u already graduated from a pakistani school and now in the US?

nataraj · 09-18-2006, 04:46 AM

hello sir
i am an img from india
i have given step1 and will write step2 in dec.
i am planning to come to usa in jan
as u said i wont to apply for next yr residency with some usa experience
so plz guide me sir
what shud be my next step sir

thanks in advance

nataraj

Rehan · 09-18-2006, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nataraj

hello sir
i am an img from india
i have given step1 and will write step2 in dec.
i am planning to come to usa in jan
as u said i wont to apply for next yr residency with some usa experience
so plz guide me sir
what shud be my next step sir

thanks in advance

nataraj

All the advice is already located in this thread. The best advice I can give you is to read an entire thread before asking a question. If after you have read the entire thread and you still don't find the answer to your question then post your question and be specific.

Don't say things like "plz guide me". Go back a few pages and read about getting your visa.

Doc_Ammara · 09-28-2006, 10:32 AM

i have read the whole thread and its pretty informative.one question that i would like to ask is that once i heard that some organizations also sponsor the students for doing an elective course,i mean they pay for all your expenses during an elective except the visa/ticket thing.i am not sure which organizations are they...whether they are the hospitals themselves where you are proceeding for an elective or else?? do you have any info regarding non-self finance based elctives or universities offering elsetives at their own expenses not yours?

Doc_Ammara · 09-28-2006, 10:59 AM

and yeah...how about stipened ones?

Rehan · 09-28-2006, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc_Ammara

i have read the whole thread and its pretty informative.one question that i would like to ask is that once i heard that some organizations also sponsor the students for doing an elective course,i mean they pay for all your expenses during an elective except the visa/ticket thing.i am not sure which organizations are they...whether they are the hospitals themselves where you are proceeding for an elective or else?? do you have any info regarding non-self finance based elctives or universities offering elsetives at their own expenses not yours?

Because an elective is basically you going to another hospital and learning from their faculty and staff, you'll find that its very difficult to find any programs that will pay for your expenses such as housing, food, etc.

I personally haven't heard of any such programs but if anyone else has, please do post them here. But as a general rule I think you should expect to pay for EVERYTHING when planning on doing an elective away from your host school's hospital.

Doc_Ammara · 09-28-2006, 11:29 PM

oaky. and what about electives outside US ?? i mean are there pretty enough chances to take up an elective in UK or somewhere else in Europe or Asia ?? are there any kinda opprtunities there or we should be looking forward to US only for electives,also is it worthy to do electives in paki hospitals except your own school hospital and also those outside US ??

Rehan · 09-29-2006, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc_Ammara

oaky. and what about electives outside US ?? i mean are there pretty enough chances to take up an elective in UK or somewhere else in Europe or Asia ?? are there any kinda opprtunities there or we should be looking forward to US only for electives,also is it worthy to do electives in paki hospitals except your own school hospital and also those outside US ??

Well it really comes down to the question of where you would like to settle down after medical school and develop a career. If you are focused on practicing in the United States then it makes perfect sense for you to do electives in the United States so that you may develop contacts, get relevant experience, and have letters of recommendation from US doctors when you apply for post-graduate studies (residency).

If you want to practice in England or Germany or anywhere else, then it makes sense to do electives there so that your experience actually means something when you apply to that place for residency. I have heard of many people doing electives from Pakistan at Kings College in the UK and have heard many good things about the place.

Unless you plan on practicing in Pakistan I would say that doing electives at other Pakistani hospitals is a waste of time in terms of forwarding your career. You will learn many important things but in terms of helping you get a residency spot overseas, it will most likely mean nothing.

Doc_Ammara · 09-29-2006, 11:49 PM

ohh yah...focus should be on where one is to procceed further and plan the electives right up there.
thx

Jamal · 10-05-2006, 01:15 PM

Electives are gay. The only thing that matters in life is U S M L E. Aab bol.

MastahRiz · 10-05-2006, 03:51 PM

Remember Jamal,

It's not what you know. It's what you know about whom.

priti · 11-26-2006, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rehan

Being a student at a Pakistani medical college myself, I know that to practice in America I will need to have a somewhat competitve application after graduation in order to secure a residency spot in the field of my choice.

After talking to some professors and figuring out what I needed to make myself a competitive applicant I realized that after USMLE scores the two most important things were hands on clinical experience and participating in research electives, both in American hospitals.

So last year I had the chance to visit two US hospitals and participate in a clinical and research elective. The first hospital where I participated was Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD.

At that time I was interested in Pediatrics so I went to the Hopkins website and began searching for faculty in the different pediatrics departments and wrote down their names. Then in order to contact them I had to search for their e-mail addresses. The e-mail addresses are not always easy to find and Hopkins' site is no exception. In order to find out the e-mails of the people I wanted to work with, I found this site where I was able to search by doctor name and get a corresponding e-mail address.

After finding e-mail addresses of all the people who I would write to regarding the opportunity for a research elective I drafted an e-mail in which I could change the names of the physicians easily and send out to multiple receipients. In the e-mail I was sure to include:

which year of medical school I was in at the time
how much previous clinical/research experience I had already obtained at my home school
the fact that I would be responsible for all costs associated w/ housing, transportation, and registration (if required)
and that I am very interested in the field in which I am applying and am seriously considering pursuing it as a career choice

All pretty much common sense stuff but from what I've seen, it really does boost your chances in securing a spot. The next thing to do is e-mail as many people in a department or in different departments as you can. You're working on the shotgun approach here---you send out 15-20 e-mails and hopefully will get a response back from about 3-5 of them. Many times doctors are simply too busy to cater to a medical student and therefore the more people you get in touch with, the better your chances are of getting accepted.

Once a doctor e-mails you back expressing interest in having you with his or her department it is your duty to foster that line of communication and maintain it until you actually do go for your elective. Doctors are simply too busy to have the time to follow up after your request for an elective so the name of the game here is persistence. Many times requesting to be put in touch with the doctor's secretary can help you out a lot in figuring out what paperwork you need to send and where's the best place to secure housing.

Be sure to send in all your paperwork as soon as possible and if you require a visa give yourself at least 90 days before you have to go in order to apply (especially if you are male). If you request Johns Hopkins International Student Center to send you an official letter confirming your elective dates, you can submit that as proof to the US Embassy which will make it much easier for you to obtain a B1/B2 Travel Visa.

My experience at Johns Hopkins in the Pediatrics Ophthalmology department was wonderful and I encourage everyone else who is looking for a place to do an elective to apply to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

After you've gotten in touch with the doctor you intend to work with, contact the Office of the Registrar via their website and request the paperwork you need to complete in order to be a Visiting Medical Student.

Last but not least,