# Despite the FMG residency issues, still okay/safe to do med school from pakistan?



## thecalccobra (Jul 3, 2007)

just curious because it is either aga khan (if i get in) or a 4 year university here in usa. one thing is for sure though...undergrad sucks, is a waste of 4 years and a lot of money.


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## Rehan (Jan 26, 2006)

Pakistan is still a great option if you want to save money. As far as saving time, plan more on spending around 6 to 6.5 years with the Pakistan option before you're ready to start residency (due to the nature of the curriculum and the fact that most graduates take both USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 AFTER graduation).


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## thecalccobra (Jul 3, 2007)

6-6.5 years...not bad at all. Is it true that in order to land a good residency you are going to have to be the best or one of the best in your class?


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## taimur (Jul 4, 2006)

nah......depends on ur usmle scores, ur letters of reccomendation and any electives uve done.....regardless of all these things FMG's still have a lesser chance of making it into the big residencys than those who are american medical graduates( or wherever ur from) but its not impossible.............it takes hard work and commitment and if uve done that than ur bound to get that residency


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## thecalccobra (Jul 3, 2007)

oh man i'm faced with the hardest decision: stay here or go to pak for med.


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## DrPlasma (Jan 11, 2008)

thecalccobra said:


> oh man i'm faced with the hardest decision: stay here or go to pak for med.


Well my friend, let me really make it very *simple* for you. 

-If you can get into US medical school, then you go here very simple. It's no doubt the* best choice. *

-Now if you can't get into a US medical school, then you have a second option of Pakistan. 

I hope I made your decision simple enough and hope that helps.

Good luck to you and I wish you the best. 

Sincerely, 

DrPlasma.


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## [email protected] (Dec 19, 2007)

Remember one thing that IMGs are considered better than US IMGs(US nationals) as residency applicants, because they assume that you were not able to get into the one of the US medical schools that is why you opted to go to a foreign country to study medicine. Though you will be able to get valuable US experience while you would be doing medical college as you wont be having any visa issues, which pakistani students have to face. But still I would suggest you to stay in the US for medicine as you will be having a far better chance of getting in top residency programs even in competitive specialities.

Try and get some information about University of Kansas, Missouri, I heard it has a 6 year medical program straight after the high school, not sure though. If thats true, that could well be the best option for you if you want to save time.


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## ali9686 (Oct 24, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> Remember one thing that IMGs are considered better than US IMGs(US nationals) as residency applicants, because they assume that you were not able to get into the one of the US medical schools that is why you opted to go to a foreign country to study medicine.



I was under the impression that US IMGs are given preference over IMGs because US IMGs don't require visas which the residency programs end up paying for. Since the residents aren't paying for the visas out of pocket. The residency programs take the hit when it comes to visa costs. Again this is only a slight advantage that we have, and when i say slight i mean really slight. 

At the end of the day tamiur said it best, it depends on your usmle scores, letters of recommendation, any electives you have done, and your medical school scores.


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## [email protected] (Dec 19, 2007)

ali9686 said:


> I was under the impression that US IMGs are given preference over IMGs because US IMGs don't require visas which the residency programs end up paying for. Since the residents aren't paying for the visas out of pocket. The residency programs take the hit when it comes to visa costs. Again this is only a slight advantage that we have, and when i say slight i mean really slight.
> 
> At the end of the day tamiur said it best, it depends on your usmle scores, letters of recommendation, any electives you have done, and your medical school scores.


Visa is a not big issue infact, if a program likes you, it will take you anyway, it depends on your visa choice as well, whether you are applying for J1 or H1b visa, they prefer J1 because it is sponsored by ECFMG(some programs only offer J1 visa to FMGs), they have to pay for H1b visa. The two things that really count are your USMLE scores and your US clinical experience specially for getting in good residency programs in any speciality. Everything else supplements your application. Medical school scores carry no importance.


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## thecalccobra (Jul 3, 2007)

hey faizan, are you planning on returning to US for residency? and btw which med school are you in?


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## [email protected] (Dec 19, 2007)

Yes I will definitely try to get into Internal medicine program in the US.... I saw one of your posts regarding cardiology residency, that it is tough to get in, well u have to do 3 year internal medicine residency first in order to be able to apply for cardiology or gastroenterlogy fellowship later.

I guess you are aiming for AKU, thats the best option you have if you want to do med school in Pakistan. I am from Dow Medical College.


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## maik7upurz (Feb 28, 2006)

I seriously doubt that regular IMGs are at any advantage at all compared to american foreign graduates as its fairly common for many to study abroad, have better english and comprehension skills etc. Its just that there are about a trillion desi graduates and out of that trillion your bound to have 200 complete utter nerds who will have top scores and a resume to put any american grad to shame even, otherwise as a whole dont see any problem with being a foreign grad as many people study in carribean, cuba, russia, china etc these days and do just fine in USA.


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