Types of US Clinical Experience

Types of US Clinical ExperienceThis page will help you clearing concepts about various basic terms that you probably already have or will come across in your 'learning' expedition on US Clinical Experience (USCE). US Clinical Experience (USCE): It is a US hospital based working experience in a clinical specialty like Surgery/Medicine. When you claim that you have USCE, you are expected to be well oriented and skilled with routine functioning of a US hospital. It includes general skills like interacting with patients (history/physical), inputing their records into the electronic system, coordination with nurses and staff, and a general sense of hospital working. For practical purposes, you can obtain 2 types of USCE. 1- Hands on Clinical Experience 2- Non-hands on Clinical Experience Hands on Clinical Experience : This is the 'Real' or 'full bloom' type of clinical experience. It has all the traits of USCE described in the definition above. The key to' hands on' is 'Patient contact'. Depending on whether you are a student or a graduate you can obtain it in shape of either a Clinical Elective/Clerkship/Subinternship (see the individual definitions given below to know about minor differences) or an Externship respectively. - Clinical Elective : A clinical elective is an optional away rotation that a final year medical studentcan do outside the hospital of his/her parent institute to gain Clinical Experience. It can be at your home country and it can be at any other country in the world, but if your ultimate aim is to apply for a residency in USA, then your elective in a US based hospital will be most valuable in your Resume. For example if you are a final year medical student at Harvard Medical School and you are doing your rotation in General Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital (which is a hospital affiliated with the Harvard University), then this is not a clinical elective, BUT if you try to do an away rotation in a specialty of your choice, say Vascular Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic (a hospital not affiliated with Harvard), then that clinical experience will be a clinical elective. Remember this example I will use it again below. Electives are most frequently 4 weeks in duration- can be shorter or longer. Note that Research elective (see below) is a different form of elective in which there is no patient contact and is not considered USCE. Some instiutes like Johns Hopkins does not accept International students for clinical electives (unless your institute has a direct affiliation with Johns Hopkins) but do accept them for Research electives (Click here for more details). From my personal experience, any elective experience is only a window of opportunity for a student to build contacts with famous US doctors and obtain Letter of recomendations (LOR) to support your residency application. It is your chance to prove your potential, caliber and passion to your attending. There are only a BASIC set of skills that are expected from a medical student, and you are evaluated based on your ability to adapt quickly, Iq, common sense, interpersonal skills, overall general knowledge, Confidence, ability to define your roll in a fast paced environment, multitasking, and your functionality to adjust as part of a team interms of how much others can rely on you to get their job done. The easier you will make work for them the more they will like you. No one evaluates you on how much knowledge you have, but on how much you are able to retain/reproduce on what they teach you and how much you refine it from your self study. - Clerkship: It is a compulsory medical student clinical rotation that is part of your curriculum (for this reason sometimes also referred to as core clerkships) at the affiliate hospital of your parent institute. US medical students do clerkships as part of their 3rd year requirement, but for most international medical students Clerkships are part of their third ear as well as 4th year ward rotation. In the Harvard example above, if you are a medical student at Harvard medical school, and you do your rotation at Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard's affilate) then that rotation is an example of a clerkship. practically there is no difference between electives and clerkships in terms of clinical experience and because of this reason some institutes even use the word 'Clerkship' interchangably or essentially for the same meaning as 'elective'. Example Mayo Clinic uses both terms clerkship and elective to describe their general surgery rotation. - Sub-internship: It is the most superior form of USCE that an applicant can have (in my opinion). The learning opportunity is immense at the level of a medical student. Its the same as an elective except that the level of responsibility is more and one added distinctive feature is an on-call participation with your team. This means that you spend the whole/most part of night with your team in addition to your day rotation. I like Sub-Internships the most because they give you the Maximum possible opportunity to spend more and more time with your team/attending, and you have all the time in the world to learn and they have a greater flexibility of time to teach you stuff compared to busy day time. Plus, traditionally the US doctors like it alot if you spend extra time, they take it as a proof of your commitment. Sub-internships are very useful if you desire a future residency in a Surgical specialty. You should always prefer electives that have in their discription 'student functions as an intern' or is titled sub-internship per se. Some good examples of Sub-I offering places that I can think of right now are Mayo Clinic, Yale University, Case Western Reserve University, University of California San Diego, University of North Carolina. As you dig down deep into the list you will still find quiet more of them. All of elective-Clerkship-Sub-I are undertaken for accademic credit (which means it will contibute towards your degree and you will be evaluated at the end of your rotation), another important fact that makes them more valuable. - Externship: It is a relatively rare specie of USCE with a lot of application requirements that if available to a Graduate is considerd hands on and better than an Observership (see below). As a general rule, any postgraduate training that involves patient contact will require you to be ECFMG Certified (for more details read through getting started). This form of USCE is inferior to elective/clerkship/Sub-I because there is no gaurantee that the training is supervised- in other words you are on your own. Most institutes/hospitals do not offer externships. Some that used to, do not any more, and very few do offer still, but conditionally depending on your contacts. Another diference is that sometimes they are paid. Some hospitals use externships as 'cheap' labour to manage their overwhelming workload. They are not done for accademic credit which makes them less valuable than former types of USCE described above. Non-hands on USCE and other terms: The most popular example is an "Observership". The difference from hands on is that this type of clinical experience is limited due to "no or minimal patient contact." Not in my opinion, but Clinical Research may be considered an example of non-hands on USCE by some. - Observership: The reality is: It's least respected, better than nothing type of USCE that a graduate can undertake to fill in for the blanks of USCE in his/her resume. Thats what most program director's think. However, in my opinion, Observerships can be considerably resourceful depending upon your ability to make use of them and who you work with (especially if you were able to secure one via contacts). At the end of the day all that matters is what someone is willing to write ' The good thing is that they are relatively easier to find. adds a very unique flavor to your residency application. and have less vigorous application requirements. especially if you had the opportunity to work in a clinical research setting. have greater chances of acceptability. If you participate in your observership with a preset mind that 'you are just an Observer and you can barely do anything under that status'.about you in the letter of recomendation and that intern depends on how much your efforts made them like you. 6) It can be a doorway to help you get an observership in future via the contacts you develope with people whome you help in their research. I have never done an observership. make things easier for your attending. So you see practically "its not just better than nothing type of a thing" But rather still a door of opportunity that can be very benificial. Regradless. The biggest drawback that an Observership has is 'minimal or no patient contact. there are sill a lot of things that you can do while being an 'observer'. 1) It helps proving that your an indivisual with a multitute and diversity of experiences and that you 'bring more to the table'. compared to someone who has only a research elective experience. that too if your attending likes you so much that he lets you do thatyou can ! All that is more possible if there already is not a student on that rotation. In USA people are just so nice that they are never a hurdle in your way as long as they find that you are helpful. do powerpoint or case presentations. 4) You have a big institute name in your resume. You can still do everything that a student can do except for a physical exam. Be resourceful of whatever opportunity you have. 5) if you were fortunate. and trust me if you can do that then it can reward you better than an elective can. discuss cases to full detail. because most of the times you decide what more you can do and what you want to do. Your attitute is what makes the difference. voluntier for more work. So I cannot comment if its better or worse. . Then its applicable for you how 'rumorously' people define Observerships. but your application will cary more weightage if you have done a research elective in addition to some USCE. and I could easily make things what I personaly thaught others could have done to highlight their presence. 2) It helps proving your dedication towards your specialty. In my opinion. You have to find work for yourself thinkin of ways how you can help your attending. a publication. but I have seen observers when I was on rotations. They have no comparison to a Clinical Elective because its not USCE. 3) It proves that you also have a research experience in addition to just USCE. a Research elective experience. help as a team member. Earn their trust and they will let you do what you want ! Research Elective: It is a research experience at a reputed University that medical students can undertake for accademic credit. For example: You can project an intelligent image. Regardless I will try to cover all 'variety' of such variations.Remember that Research alone cannot compensate for USCE deficit. they then carry on with their respective specialty training. then most probably you can apply to almost any US medical institute that has a policy of accepting students (including international students) for Elective/Clerkship positions. unless it is done for an extended period and is rewardingly fruitful with publications and you are able to build strong contacts during the process. Quiet a few surgical programs require you to have atleast 1 year of USCE in shape of an internship or collectively othervise. however NOT every institute will require you to satisfy all the requirements described on this page. Vascular surgery. Some specialties like Neurosurgery. The huge list of requirements my seem scary to start with. BUT if your are an extraordinarily fortunate person or you work hard enough that you are able to manage all possible application requirements described on this page. You might wanna take a look at their website incase you are interested or try your luck e-mailing individual attendings and calling labs separately. Internship: In USA Internship is the first year of postgraduate training (PGY1) in the specialty of your choice. In other simpler words the 1st year of your residency training is an internship year and the person undertaking internship is an Intern. After completing that first year of general surgery training. Prelimnary PGY1in any specialty is also an example of internship. Johns Hopkins University is very famous for offering research elective positions. This type of an internship is also called Transitional year orDesignated PGY1. opthalmology have an internship year where where residents rotate through 1st year of general surgery to learn and develope some basic surgical skills. This definition is not strictly true. Urology. but over time the application load is increasing with an inverse relation to availability of spots at a given moment. and not universaly applicable as in some countries e-g in India internship is completed before graduation and essentially constitutes as final year of undergraduate training. before they will consider your residency application. Internships in USA are always paid. . Minor procedural variations are always there and vary from institute to institute. Application for Clinical Electives This page is intended to explain various components of Elective application procedures with an overview of the entire process in practice. writing. It is not so much difficult to score around 100. Heres what an ideal US medical school transcript looks like. of this website. Note however that not every institue will require submission of all the documents. If not. you are good. If your transcript does not show duration of your clerkships then you can attach along with it a supplemental Clerkship Letter validating your clerkship length as well as the site (hospital) of your clinical rotation. Example: National Institute of Health (NIH) requires you to score 26 or above on the speaking section.Accademic requirements: 1) Transcript: A complete transcript should show details about your clerkship duration in terms of hrs or weeks.I assume that you have already read or are adequately familiar with the content discussed in sections : Getting stated and Types of USCE. Additional Documents This page will provide specific instructions on documents that must be submitted along with your application in addition to the application form. The maximum possible score is 120 and each of reading. Since most international medical schools do not have a GPA system or even grades. a similar transcript can do the work. I you have not I strongly advise that you do so now. This page is however a step further from what has been discussed before already. the one that is very easy to interpret by the elective coordinator. listening. I will try to provide samples on almost every document that requires to be submitted so that you know exactly what every document is about. A complete list of all possible documents is provided below. A list of documents that may be required is as below: . Here I will not go through the extensive description on what every application document 'means' as this has already be elaborated and discussed under Elective Application. Some institutes however have High specific requirements. 2) TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) exam result: Generally if you have a score of 100+. This page can wait until you have matured your baseline knowledge required to understand what will be discussed here. speaking are scored out of 30. I asume that you have already familiarized youself with the content discussed in 'Elective application' page. then it is advised that you do so now. You will still do fine if your individual score is . I had my final year Surgery Exam a day after I took my TOEFL and did reasonably well: you will too! Score reporting is 'weird' in the sense that it takes ABNORMALY long for the official transcript to reach you via mail. Your online score report is equally valid and it is my advise that you do not waste your time waiting for the official score report to reach you in mail. Click the links to see how your official score report and online score report will look like. Civilization. Also remember that when you are applying for TOEFL you have the option to send official score reports FREE of cost from ets to atleast 4 Universities. You have more options to apply to than other student and much greater chances of acceptability.lower than 26 on other components (but is in 20s) except speaking. I am stressing upon this fact at this point because the application system/instructions DO NOT warn you against this. I know people whose score reports were recieved up to 3 months after the online declaration (which is usually 20 days after the exam is taken). Click the link to see how the Official USMLE score report looks like. but trust me you really do not need to loose sweat over its prepration. The passages are abit tough and time consuming on the reading section usually based on topics outside medicine like Archiology. Barrons iBT TOEFL book can be used for prepration. more important is the fluency and the clarity of words. It may have started to sound a bit difficult. Most international medical students score low on the speaking section. You must fill in at that time and make a selection for the University where you wanna apply. because you wont be given this 'free' option again after you have taken your exam. And you will have to pay some extra bucks if you wanna send your official score report directly from ets to a University (say: Northwestern) if you did not avail this free option at the time of application. It has a CD that contains simulated TOEFL exam. Example : Northwestern University does not accept score reports mailed to them by students (even if they are official score reports in mail). you have done a great job. you will do really well on the listening section. An American accent does not increase your score. If you have a nice expression in writing then you will easily do well on writing section. Its like an avail it or loose it type of a thing. Austronomy. If you are fond of watching TV series and English movies. 1-2 weeks of prepration is enough. Some institutes however require that your original TOEFL score report be mailed to them DIRECTLY from ets ( the organization responsible for score reports and for conducting your exam). . Just print the online score report from your profile and post it with your application to where ever you wanna send it. 3) USMLE Step1 result: If you have already taken it at the time of application. History etc. but focussed struggle can be fruitful in securing Observerships/Externships.  Application Forms  Academic Requirements . you cannot apply ANYWHERE for a CLINICAL ELECTIVE rotation. Its impressive that you have discovered this website so early and tells me that you are smart and focused right from the beginning. and when YOUR time will come you will know EXACTLY what you need to do and this will save you a lot of time and effort compared to your peers. In either case you would not be able to apply for electives. Or conversely if you are a Graduate-you are no longer a medical student and electives are only for students. I advise you to continue to read as the application procedures are very similar for Elective/Observership etc.4)HIPAA & OSHA: These have already been discussed in the section 'elective application. I will discuss each of these individual 'groups' in detail separately. So Good Job! If you are a graduate. I have grouped the application requirements into specific categories. A sample HIPAA certificate that you will get after completing the course on the Johns Hopkins University website can be viewed by clicking the respective link. Keep visiting this website in order to keep yourself updated. then options are abit limited. If you cannot satisfy this basic requirement. APPLICATION COMPONENTS For purpose of simple understanding . Example: if you are not a final year medical student but rather a 1st/2nd/3rd yr student or so-you will not have completed your Core Clinical Clerkships. the only thing you have to do at this point in time is to wait till you grow up to acquire final year status. This does not mean that you should stop reading. don't be disheartened. If you are a 1st/2nd/3rd year medical student who is reading this. So lets Start it ! The MOST basic requirement for Clinical Electives program at almost every Medical School or Hospital in USA is that you must be a final year medical student in good standing who has completed his/her Core Clinical Clerkships at his/her parent/home medical school and must have your institute's dean's/principal's approval to undertake the desired elective course. the most commonly requested proof of accademic related documents. b) if you have completed your core-clerkships or atleast satisfied their minimum requirements c) You are not faking and you have your dean's approval (in shape of your institute's seal on forms) d) The rotations and dates you are interested in e) your personal information. It also enumerates what courses you have taken and your performance in the form of marks or grades or GPA.or you have had OSHA training is secondary. The list below enumerates in aggregate. and does not adversely effect your application if the answer is no on the application form ! ( will explain 'Why' and 'What those things are' later-see filling forms and/or below for details). Dont worry about terms that you dont know YET. I have to consider all that requirements requested by various institutes inorder to creat a super max 'complete list. Or your application processing will be delayed or rejected. the answers to a)-e) MUST be yes or favorably conclusive. a very well reputed institute to apply for electives.' a) Transcript. just read on. Nonacademic Requirements  Additional Supportive documents 1. But as I am trying to create a 'general awareness' on requirements. Accademic Requirements : This group of application materials deals with documents that demonstrate your academic competency. Application forms : The purpose of an application form. A transcript is a document that is supplied to you by your institute when requested. . Example : Take a look at the application form of Baylor College of Medicine. Not every institute will ask for all of these. Other information like: if your institute provides insurance coverage. It is a record of evaluations of all the professional exams that you have taken so far since the start of your medical training. For more details and guidance on filling forms click here 2. It should mention the duration of your clerkships. Dont freak out. depending on your institute. from the point of view of an elective coordinator is to verify in order of importance: a) that you are a final year medical student. Most commonly and almost every institute will ask for your transcript. you will know them soon. the rest 20% of Universities will eventually update their list of requirements to incorporate Step 1. now ask for it. The greatest emphasis is on the speaking section. you can better check that out with your University registrar. Example: Mayo Clinic. More information about the TOEFL exam can be explored by visiting their official website. For those who believe that it is too late for them to take step 1 now: not having been able to take step 1 before graduation does not still close all doors of elective opportunities. because the elective coordinator will already have a better pool of candidates to choose from for the limited spots he/she has available. but are reasonably . Only a few places will waive TOEFL requirement if the medium of instruction is English. and myths of 'Step1 waiver' are old. Most Universities ( about 80%-just my estimate) now require you to have taken USMLE Step 1 as a requirement for elective application. b) Toefl (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) Exam result. Every institute has its own pattern of transcripts. University of North Carolina. in that case your University/College Dean may need to supply you with a verification letter. Some institutes like harvard Medical School and Yale University will prefer your application over others if you have taken it. speaking and writing capabilities and provides you with a score. You can try your luck for institutes that do not have this requirementbut my general analysis is that they will charge you alot. try to score as high on it as you can. For institutes that ask for it. there is no way around. If you have a score of 26 or above in all individual sections. where Step1 was not an application requirement before. My hunch is that over time. and no longer practical because of increasing competition. This exam evaluates your reading. then you are safe to apply almost anywhere. For obvious reasons. Two good examples of places that do not require USMLE Step 1 as a requirement. More details about USMLE Step1 can be reviewed on the page Getting Started of this website. listening.proving that you have completed your core-clinical clerkships in (medicine Surgery etc) and preferably should mention your overall class rank or percentile. your application cannot be preferred over someone who has taken step 1 if you havent (as now quiet alot of people do take it before graduation) and the truth is that your's will simply be ignored or rejected if you ask for a waiver. This document is a basic requirement and almost every student has it. A lot of places like State University New York (SUNY) and Memorial Solan Kattering Cancer center. The point is to realise the importance of taking Step 1 and to start planing accordingly ahead of time. Most institutes will ask you for it. Documentory evidence of English speaking proficiency. c) USMLE Step 1 result. This course is usually an online short course (2-3hrs) dealing with professional mannerisms towards protecting patient's confidential information in a hospital environment e-g minor things like how to discard patient information on paper.' This course is about general precautionary measures that should be taken in dealing with potential contaminants in blood and air.affordable are Baylor College of Medicine and Northwestern University. If your home institute does not provide such training/course. For comparison. d) HIPAA (Health Insurance Portabiliy and Accountability Act): It is a compulsory short course that all visiting medical students are expected to complete (depending on the institute) either before or after acceptance into an elective program. never on earth will your attending ask you questions about HIPAA to test your knowledge on that. because the practical use of this knowledge is minimal at the level of student. Cleveland Clinic provides absolutely free electives with free residence but it requires you to have taken USMLE Step1. and what is 'their' institute's policy on sharing specific type of patient information with outside authorities (like some other hospital etc).thats the cheapest you will get without step 1 for most Universities. Another name for the similar course is 'Universal Precautions against Blood/Air born pathogens or infection control course. Others will have you do it when you start your rotation or may be on the orientation day. and no matter how many of such courses you take. take a look at the instructions file on acquiring HIPAA on Johns Hopkins University website e) OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration): Like HIPAA. Even elective coordinators think of HIPAA as a mere formal requirement. You dont have to worry about it so much. with an overall expenditure (excluding living and traveling) sums up to be around $11001500. And dont panic.(My opinion). To get a sense of things. OSHA is not a pre-elective aproval compulsory requirement. Courses are separate if you intend to do a 'clinical' or a 'research' elective. you will be prompted to take the course. Example: info on how . where upon after completion you will take a quiz and you will be expected to pass with 80-90% correct answers as a minimum and you will then recieve an online certificate which you can print and submit with your application as proof. and the elective coordinator of the institute will help you in acquiring it. the practical side is very different and you will develope that sense only when you are 'in the system'. Most institutes will have availability of such courses on their website. then this institute is a good option. then there is another application requirement that you need to obtain. Hepatitis etc. If you havent done such training at your home institute. From my personal experience. TB. If you are applying to an institute in New York State. As of now I am not aware of any website that offers such course for free. here's another one: They also require you to have acquired prior US clinical experience in form of an elective at some other US institute before they will consider your application at U Wisconsin. These providers do not provide these courses for free but rather charge a reasonable fee for it around $25-50. or what precautions can you take to avoid getting a needle stick injury. requested by University of Wisconsin and a few other places. then most programs will have you do it at the start of your elective rotation by showing you slides or videos relating to it (example: Mayo Clinic). this course is less tourtuous than HIPAA to complete. Other institutes like Northwestern University.to dispose a syringe needle after drawing Blood. There is no other institute that asks for the same requirement to my knowledge. Again this uneasy requirment is also pretty much only requested by the University of Wisconsin and no other institute as such. g) Prior US Clinical experience: If you have survived the previous panic of CPR training requirement by University of Wisconsin. In my opinion. Most institutes will require you to provide proof of such training only after you have been accepted into their program (example: Memorial Solan Kettring Cancer Center elective program). Most US medical students take BLS during their undergraduate training (usualy before their 4th year). If some how you can. The quiz at the end of the course will also test your knowledge about the spread of air/blood born diseases like AIDS. This requirement is the New York Eligibility Letter(see below non-accademic requirements) and one of the requirements to obtain this letter is to supply them with OSHA training certificate from a New York state approved infection control course providers. then I dont think that you will be able to acquire that kind of training. prefer your application over others if you have had prior USCE before your rotation will start at their institute. If you have never been to USA before. or your home institute hosts such courses in accredation to American heart Association. because its a top notch University with minimal application fee and no requirement of USMLE step1. but its not a mandatory requirement. f) CPR training: CPR Card (BLS (basic life support) for Healthcare Provider level from the American Heart Association). This is one 'out of the box' requirement. I think it is very true not about just Northwestern but almost every other place no matter they specifically . a) Immunization and health form/certificate: Every institute will require you to submit a verification 'document' validating your Immunization status. (this one is usually optional but Yale University mandates it if you are intending to secure housing on their campus) For better understanding you can view the immunization form of Northwestern Universityas an example. 3) Mummps. 2) Tetanus/Diptheria/Petrusis. 6) Menningococcal meningitis : Vaccination. So if you have prior USCE. Some institutes have specific peculiar requirements. Some will also ask for an institutional/physician stamp (example: Northwestern University) on the form. 3. Generally you are expected to supply them with evidence of immunity (either vaccination dates/ serologic antibody titers or disease Hx) against the following diseases: 1) Tuberculosis. b) Dean's Letter: Out of all the non-accademic requirements. not every institute will ask for all of them. and like I said before. Most institutes will ask you to have their immunization form filled and signed by a physition providing his or her contact information. requires to also provide immunization dates for your Polio vaccination-not a very strict requirement though. but will require you to acquire one from US or at their institute before you start your rotation. if positive an X-ray is required. Dean's letter is the most important. Measels. Enlisted and discussed below are a list of non-accademic requirements.ask for it or not. it will be a BIG plus to your application even more so if you are interested in Surgery. e-g Northwestern University does not accept Montox (TB) test results from your home country. Non-Accademic requirements: These requirements eat your time like a hungry linon who eats a loaf of meat after 10 days of starvation. 4) Varicella (Chicken pox) 5) Hepatitis B :vaccincations and/or evidence of serologic immunity. In another example Case Western Reserve University. Rubella. Almost every institute where you intend to apply will ask for its . Faliure to comply with these basic requirements can result is rejection of elective application. Deans letter is the letter that your Institute's Dean/Principal writes about you. then it can be useful if there is a mention in the Dean's letter that you are expected to return after completion of . then it should be mentioned in the letter as well (example: National Institute of Health (NIH) requests that your dean's letter should specifically mention about health/malpractice insurance coverage). criminal background check (see below) or a statement verifying that you have never been involved in mis-conduct or crimminal activity ever since your enrollment at their institute. A COMPLETE dean's letter should clearly convey that you are a final year medical studentenrolled for X years of undergraduate medical trainning course (or your degree name e-g MBBS) at their institute with your session starting dates. This dean's letter is not the same as the one required for residency application. If you are a Registrar or Dean of a medical institute reading this information then it is strongly advised that you take into account all the factors discussed below in order to formulate a COMPLETE standardized dean's letter. It should state your expected date of graduation. so that it can satisfy the application requirements of majority of the US based medical Universities to which your institute's medical stutents will be applying. then you probably will also be applying for New York Eligibility letter(see below) whose requirement is that your dean's letter should also specify the duration of your elective period and the institute's name in NY where you will be doing your elective. There should be a clear statement stating that you are approved to undertake the elective course for accademic credit. Other 'variable/non-compulsory' components of deans letter can be comments on yourenglish speaking skills or a statement that the medium of instructions at their institute is English. validating that you are a student at their institute in good standing who is allowed to undertake an elective course outside his/her parent institute. if you intend to also use your Dean's letter as proof that you will be coming back to your home country after completing your electives. If you are applying in New York State. For non-immigrant visa application at the US Embassy in your home country. General comments about your personality or conduct are also mandatory and it should convey that you are a student in good standing. (examples: Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserver University asks for this requirement in dean's letter) If your medical school provides coverage for your Health Insurance and/or Malpractice Insurance. This is ofcourse just the main summary.submition as a part of their application requirements. however there's more to Dean's letter than just that. majory of them replied by saying that ' firstly there is HARDLY anything that a medical student can do wrong because of controlled supervison. it can even shorten your list of institutes to where you are interested in applying and I hate it! This insurance is supposed to protect/cover your expenditure against law suits that a patient potentially can protest against you.your elective course and that you will have to take your Final year exam inorder to graduate. University of Texas x 3: Houston. This also indirectly means that the company should be US based. if he/she thinks that you have done harm to him/her. Northwestern University. I personally believe malpractice insurance is a BIG monoply on part of Insurance companies to make easy money. and secondly the patients are not stupid ! They will Sue the attending instead of a medical student. but they know that its like a compulsory requirement to acquire one on part of the student. The Company you purchase it from should provide such coverage in USA. One exception is SUNY Downstate which requires a malpractice insurance coverage of $3million/$3million. has the potential to delay your application considerably. They exploit the fact that most international medical schools do not cover malpractice insurance for their students and so charge huge money which is BAD. Dont think of it interms of the amount that you will have to pay to purchase this insurance. You will be able to purchase it for around $200-300 for 4 weeks of electives. The tragedy is that except for a few.one reason being that there are ony 2-3 reliable insurance companies that provide such coverage.' The malpractice insurance policy that you purchase should atleast provide coverage of $1million/$3million. If places like Mayo Clinic. so that they can make more money that way. It adds an unecessary bulk to your overall application expenditure.San Antonio and .and that there is no other way round. It may also state that all your pre-medical original diploma/certificates and related documents are submitted with the registrar's office which will be released only upon graduation. c) Malpractice Insurance or Professional Liability Insurance: This requirement is the most problematic out of all non-accademic requirements in my opinion. Practically. which is sad and disappointing. They are fully aware of the fact (from their experience) that students hardly will ever need their help. when I asked related questions to senior residents on my rotations. and depending on whether or not you are able to obtain it. no institute wants to bother about the fact that paying for malpractice insurance substantially hurts the pocket of international students for no good reason. It may cost you cheaper if you purchase it from a local company at your home country. that institute approves your application. because its practically never going to cost them any buck as students wont do harm to patients. To acquire such coverage you may need to pay an amount of around $40-90 for 4 weeks. It is a state requirement that you should obtain permission from the New York State education department in shape of obtaining NY Eligibility letter if you wanna do an elective at any institute in NY state. You cannot apply for the New York eligibility letter if you do not already have an acceptance from the institute that you are interested in applying. almost every Institute requires you to provide proof of Health Insurance coverage at the time you submit your application. The former method has more weightage. e) Crimminal Background Check/Police Clearence: Complicated as it may sound. but the latter option is an acceptable alternative.000. Travel health insurance = Health insurance and you can purchase it from your home country. 1) Either you can consult your district Police officer to issue you a character certificate or 2) Your college/University Dean/adminstrative official/registrar can issue you a letter statining that ever since you enrollment you have been an individual with sound moral character who has not been involved in any illegal activity. The usual sequence is that you apply for to an institute in NY. then EVERY UNIVERSITY SHOULD and NONE is poor enough that it cant.000 to 100. This is because you need to submit the "institute's approval letter" along with the New York eligibility letter request form for the issuance of New York Eligibility letter.Southwestern. It is requested only by a few institutes (example: Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic). because there are alot of companies that offer such type of insurancce. Most institutes ask you to provide evidence of coverage of about $50. provides malpractice insurance for no additional cost or as low as $20-50. then you apply for NY eligibility letter telling the NY State education department that you have been approved for an elective/clerkship by an XYZ institute in NY state. its not so much difficult to complete this requirement. The NY state education department then verifys that whatever you are saying is accurate. Unlike malpractice insurance which is required by some. f) New York Eligibility letter: Every institute in the New York State requires you to submmit New York Eligibility Letter in the time frame: after acceptance into an elective program and before the start of your rotation. verify's your medical school and then issues you an NY eligibility letter which you then submit to the institute that accepted you . Cost varies with increasing age. Johns Hopkins and University of Wisconsin. and that you want to pursue your elective but require state's approval. d) Health Insurance: It is a relatively easier and cheaper requirement compared to Malpractice insurance (in my opinion). There are two ways to satisfy this requirement. provided that the elective period in NY is still less than 3 months. I advocate in favor of this because if you are . g) Faculty Sponsor for an Elective: For international students some reputable places like Emory University. Johns Hopkins University will only consider or prefer your application if you know or have contacted a faculty member who is willing to sponsor your elective rotation. then you should definitely connsider pursuing your elective application at that institute. Please note that you should not do electives for more than 12 weeks. University of Wisconsonin. Your midical school must be enlisted in the WHO directory and/or IMED/FAIMER It may sound like a big hassel but. University of Washington. Other forms of USCE like observerships are not subjected to this rule. No institute in NY will allow you to undertake an elective course (even if they previously accepted your applicaiton) if you do not submit them a NY eligibility letter. The following are the requirements that need to be fullfilled inorder to apply for an NY eligibility letter. the rest of the process is similar. 5) A cheque/draft of $30 payable to New York State Education Department Regarding electives/Clerkships in New York State. But if you are one of those fortunate people who is lucky enough to have recieved a faculty member's supportive response.making your elective participation legal. 1) NY Eligibility letter form 2) Evidence on Infection control course completion(same as OSHA). then you need to have taken USMLE step 1 or equvilant (like Complex 1). This requirement is usually difficult to satisfy if you already do not know any of that institute's staff member in the department of your desired rotation. If you want to do clerkships in US for more than 12 weeks. or you will be renderd ineligible to apply for residency in New York in future. 4) A letter from your dean verifying that you are approved to undertake that particular elective/clerkship for credit. 3) Approval letter from the hospital/Institute in which you will perforn your elective (s). it is relatively easily attainable and the fact that you already have an acceptance from your prospective institute makes the process easier and the wait less painful. However this rule does not apply if you have completed your electives collectively for 12 + weeks in some other states (may or may not include NY). which you can then submit along with your application. Who knows. For example: a letter from a clinical professor of medicine will be considered more credible if you intend to apply for an Internal Medicine elective. where all it costs you is some additional effort and a nicely written e-mail.able to fullfil other requirements for that place. Every institute has a specific method of employee/staff e-mail 'structure'. My advise: Always avail your opportunities and never run away from hardwork. No pains no gains! Always remember. US doctors highly respect hardworking. so do not underestimate your chances of acceptance and their sense of judgement ! h) Faculty letter (s) of recommendation: Most Institutes. compared to other places where you have applied with lesser probability of acceptance. and letters from professors or faculty at your home institute can suffice the requirement. if not all. 4. Some institutes like SUNY Downstate will supply you with their own letter of recommendation 'form' that you need to have your faculty complete and enclose it into a sealed confidential envelope. 'make' their e-mail from their name using that formula and then send them e-mails. Additional Supportive documents: This category of application requirements include documents that are not an absolute requirement but they 'polish' your overall application. These do not necessarily have to be from US based faculty. when your star shines. you will have to figure that out on your own because its variable from institute to institute. then its a Definite acceptance. and someone is able to see the light in you and is able to recognize your abilities. You are not dependent on someone's approval or skills to add . After that you search for the faculty names. The letter should sufficiently comment on your clinical skills. but sooner or later you will realize for yourself that this really is the reality and the right force that drives you through your way to success ! Your potential faculty who will be sponsoring your elective. It might sound like a sentimental speech to you at this point. honest and enthusiastic people who are passionate to learn in the specialty of interest. will require you to submit atleast 1 or 2 or maximally 3 letter(s) of recommendation in addition to the Dean's letter. might have been in your shoes at some point in his carrier. One way of searching for a faculty member sponsor is by strolling through the website of these institutes and then searching for the faculty names in individual departments. You can start from analysing the e-mail address of the elective coordinator and then 'calculate' the formula for making an e-mail out of a given name for that particular institute. and its your commitment to your work that will make you stand distinctively out of a pool of thousand others. Preferrably the letter should come from a faculty member who has accomplishments in your desired speciality of elective. Most attendings hightly value their own personal judgement and would draw conclusions from the impression they get from your overall application rather than basing their decision on what you tell them specifically. awards/achievements/memberships. Your accomplishments may loose their credibility if your resume and personal statement do not complement the level of skill you claim. A resume is a structured. take a look of this sample resume and then follow the text below for explaination. You also discuss what makes you different from others and what you like about their institute ! Remember that its your speech. Extracurricular activities. You discuss about your accomplishments. It should prominantlyhighlight your distinctive accomplishments. and your future plans and then explain how this elective will help you to accomplish those goals. personality and accomplishments and makes you application presentable at a glance to who so ever reviews your application. say more while using few words. Education. Refer to the list below for specific details. Your resume should accurately convey all your achievements. representation of your professional accomplishments since the start of your accademics. Accademic accomplishments. Your application should strike in his head that its comming from an intelligent young man who knows how to do stuff !!! To summarize. your resume should have dedicated portions for the following areas: Professional goals and objectives. From my experience: Minor as these things may sound-but they are really important. Do it just the way you feel like how its supposed be done !'. Research Experience. Also train yourself to listen to your instincts b) Resume/Curriculum vitae (CV): Firstly. It is difficult to explain the organization of a resume without an example.these to your application and these DIRECTLY express your own self. to the point. The quality of language that you use in your resume and personal statement are strongly indicative of your maturity and professionalism. . a) Personal Statement: This is the single document which is the most unique in every application.) Be brief ! do not use lengthy sentenses. Via this statement you convey your passion/interest in the specialty of your choice and their institute. there is no as such difference between the two terms. If you know how to make use of these documents as tools correctly. (yes ! just like this line. so never bother about what others tell you whats 'right or wrong'. Clinical Experience. where you must reveal your entire self to the audiance in a manner that they are forced to pay attention to and like what you want to tell them. In my opinion there are no rules to writing a personal statement other than the fact that it should be interesting and specific to your case. they will emensely help you stand out. but however the term Resume is used more frequently in USA. Have a nice day and good luck with your application ! University list for International Medical Students This webpage will provide you a comprehensive list of all US based universities/medical schools where international medical students are eligible to apply for electives.. Hope you got benifit from all what I wrote. there are some basic Principles that have general applicability. if they meet the application requirements I have Categorized the University list into two groups: 1) Group A: Universities that offer electives to ALL international medical students regardless of affiliation. Man ! .. you might want to take a look at the official list of Best US Hospitals and the University rank list based on Research by visiting the US news website. and whats included in the envelope. but you rather focus on why you wanna do that elective at their institute and you briefly summarize your documents that you have enclosed in your application packet. and must be taken into consideration before interpretating the information on institutes given below: .. For every institute enlisted below: clicking the institute name will open up a new window to the official elective application webpage for that institute. 2) Group B: Universities that offer electives to only those international medical students whose medical school have a formal affiliation with their institute The list has NOT been arranged inorder of Rank.this one took a lot of time to complete. Before you start to dig down into the list. Letter of intent is somewhat different in that its brief and you dont need to describe your future goals and your current accomplishments extensively.. Before you start. National Institute of Health and the University of North Carolina use the term Cover letter which means the same as personal statement. After reading this letter the elective coordinator should know where he/she needs to send your application..c) Cover Letter/Letter of intent: It is essentially the same as personal statement in context... For all institutes enlisted below. GROUP A Universities and Hospitals 1-Cleveland Clinic (Ohio) Download/visit: Application form.HBV. However many places still use 'application/tuition fee' interchangably. specific information will be provided of their website in every case.Most elective periods are of 4 weeks duration. Read FAQs for more detail. Health Insurance : Req.VZ.1. Malpractice Insurance: Req. the minimum requirements for malpractice insurance are $1million/$3million for most institutes that require it. Elective coordinator: Pat Gasser gasserp@ccf. 2. elective catelogue (enlisted in the application form). TOEFL:Req other req: Criminal background check Comments: No 1 in Heart in US and the world. Immunization: TB.DPT. tuition fee is usually per 4 week elective. 4-Unless specified otherwise. elective catelogue Application fee:NA. e-g if you want to do x 2 four week electives where the tuition is $100 then you will have to pay $200 for two electives. Application fee on the other hand is constant and is a 'once only' fee regardless of the number of electives you do at the same institute. Accomodation: Free. 3. if the visa type is not specified in requrements then it means that you can do an elective at that institute on B1 Visa or business visa. overall 4th Best US hospital. even if its not specified. . USMLE Step1: Req. you will be required to obtain New York State Eligibility letter as part of the application requirements ( usually after acceptance).org +1 (216) 444-9977 2-National Institute of Health (NIH) (Maryland) Download/visit: Application form. Immunization form (you need to supply your own).MMR. Immunization form (you need to supply your own).For all institutes in New York State. Tuition fee: NA. Comments: Accepts.gov +1 301-4967989 3-University of Alabama (UAB) School Of Medicine (Alabama) Download/visit: Requires online application . Malpractice Insurance: Req (can be purchased after acceptance). Tuition fee: NA.MMR. USMLEStep1: NA.Application fee: NA. TOEFL:Req (must have 26 or+ in speaking) Other req: Electronic deans Letter and a faculty LOR Comments: NIH is a Huge Research Institute. it funds other institutes to conduct research.HBV. Their website says that procedures and fee will be revised for the year 2013-2014. B1.DPT. CV. (No phone calls accepted) 4-University of Connecticut (UConn)(Connecticut) Download/visit: Application form. Malpractice Insurance: Req (can be purchased after acceptance).VZ.refer to course catelogue for course contact personnel. USMLEStep1: NA. Immunization form . Accomodation: NA . Tuition fee: NA. Course catelogue (enlisted in the application form).MMR. Health Insurance : Req.VZ.nih. Elective coordinator: Vicki L. Accomodation: NA .Malpractice . TOEFL:Req (must have 22 or+ in speaking)-but can be waived if medium of instruction at home institute is english Other req: Electronic deans Letter and a faculty sponsor is required. TOEFL: Req . Elective coordinator: visiting@uab. Health Insurance : Req.USMLE Step1: NA. Accomodation: NA . elective catelogue Application fee: NA. Malick malickv@cc. Immunization form . background check. J1. Immunization: TB. Additional $20 for processing health forms.HBV.DPT. Immunization: TB. Tuition fee: NA. Application fee: $100.edu for additional information. Visit website for more details. Tuition fee: NA. Tuition fee: NA. Michigan 48202 6-Albany Medical College (NewYork) Download/visit: Application form. TOEFL:NA.edu +1 860-679-2246 5-Henry Ford Health system (Michighan) Download/visit: Application form (must be copied and printed/faxed). Immunization form .uchc. +1 313 916-1465 Address: The Office of Undergraduate Medical Education.But people have gone there in the past & have done electives there Elective coordinator: Dianne Weiland [email protected] W. Comments: Requires core clerkship in Community Medicine. Immunization:TB. Grand Blvd. Accomodation: Yes(but not freerequires separate online application) .Polio Health Insurance : Req Other req: Criminal background check (is part of application form). Is not available to international students throughout the year.Clara Ford Pavilion – B046. Elective coordinator: Marianne Olson [email protected]. Requires submission of a sample History and Physical exam documetation performed by the medical student independently. you can try your luck or call the elective coordinator to verify.. Accomodation: NA . Malpractice Insurance: NA. CV Comments: Recent concerns that they are not considering foreign medical students.org. Immunization: TB.cover letter.HBV.Henry Ford Hospital.Medical Education Department.DPT Health Insurance : Req Other req: Deans letter.Detroit.USMLE Step1: NA. TOEFL: Req.USMLE Step1: NA.Insurance: Req.DPT.VZ.(need your own) elective dates and list Application fee: $100.(need your own) elective dates and list Application fee: NA. Immunization form .Malpractice .MMR.VZ.MMR. DPT.University of Texas Southwestern(UTSW) (dallas.VZ. New Scotland Avenue MC-16 Albany. e-mail or call the DEPARTMENTelective coordinator before you choose a specialty to make sure if you are eligible. Transcript Comments: Availability is restricted in certain departments. texas) Download/visit: Application form. Immunization:TB.edu . email elective coordinator for more details. 150$ International visiting student application processing (in addition to $25) fee. NY 12208 7. Recent Updates that they have stopped taking International medical students. Tuition fee: NA.amc.HBV.HBV. Transcript Comments: Availability is restricted at certain periods of the year. elective catalog Application fee: $25. Accomodation: NA . revised 12/2011 Elective coordinator: Tiffany Smith ISSS@mail. but their website is not still up to date. Malpractice Insurance: Req (available for purchase $25 per rotation at the institute).Graduate services program.VZ. Immunization form (need your own) elective catalog . HIPAA training can be completed at their website. TOEFL: NA.Insurance: Req. Address: Albany Medical College. Immunization form . physical exam Health Insurance : Req Other req: Deans letter. Immunization: TB. F1 visa is required. 8-Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)(Ohio) Download/visit: Application form. division of international student and scholar services.USMLE Step1: (req by some departments-see supplemental requirements webpage UTSWwebsite).MMR.MMR.DPT Health Insurance : Req Other req: Deans letter. Elective coordinator: UTSW is different in that every department has its own elective coordinator ! Refer to the Department elective page Address: Varies with the department. Tuition fee: NA. elective catalog Application fee: $75. Department of GENERAL Surgery does not accept International students.wayne.MMR. Health Insurance : Req Other req: Crimminal Background check. +1 216. But you are eligibile for specialty electives like Ortho/Urology.edu. A recent update that they have stopped accepting international medical [email protected] fee: $120. Please contact the elective coordinator for details revised1/29/2013 Elective coordinator: Office of Records and Registration.MMR. click here for more details. Cleveland.Wayne State University School of Medicine (Michighan) Download/visit: Application form. MI 48201 . Accomodation: NA . You will be eligible for University hospital electives.368. OH 44106-4968 9. Immunization: TB. Room T-408.DPT.+1 313 577-140 Address: Office of Records and Registration Wayne State University School of Medicine. Clerkship form Comments: Cleveland Clinic ohio is an affiliate hospital with CWRU.VZ. Accomodation: NA . Immunization: TB.Office of the Registrar.HBV. Health Insurance : Req Other req: CIS Access form.DPT.USMLE Step1:Req.Suite 318Mazurek Education Commons. Kaaym Gudger +1 313 [email protected] Insurance: Req. TOEFL: Req.HBV. Elective coordinator: Inca Dorsey inca. Immunization form.VZ. Confidentiality statement Comments: Has Specific B1 visa reqiurements. 320 East Canfield. but this info is not yet reflected on their official website. Mrs. You cannot apply for Cleveland clinic electives through CWRU as those rotations are only for CWRU students.3723 Address: Inca Dorsey CASE School of Medicine 10900 Euclid Ave. TOEFL: NA. Tuition fee: NA.Malpractice Insurance: Req. Malpractice Insurance form.USMLE Step1:Req. Detroit.edu. Dean verification form. Health Insurance : Req Other req: NA Comments: Recent concerns that they are not considering foreign medical students.VZ.HBV. Immunization:TB. Accomodation: NA . Health Insurance : Req Other req: Dean's letter. Elective coordinator: medstudent@mskcc. elective catalog Application fee: $100.MMR.But people have gone there in the past & have done electives there Elective coordinator:Tina Marshall tmarshall@maimonidesmed. elective catalog Application fee: NA.org 212-639-3359 Address: Medical Student Coordinator. TOEFL: Req (will accept equilant) Malpractice Insurance: Req (after acceptance).DPT. you can try your luck or call the elective coordinator to verify. Transcript Comments: It is the 2nd Best Cancer treating hospital in US and is an affiliate of weil Cornell university. Immunization form. Accomodation: NA . New York 10065 11-Maimonides Medical Center (New York) Download/visit: Online application.as online application +1 . Graduate Medical.USMLE Step1:Req.VZ. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.10-Memorial Solan Kettering Cancer center (New York) Download/visit: Application form.USMLE Step1:NA.HBV. TOEFL: NAMalpractice Insurance: NA. 1275 York Avenue. Box 187. Immunization: TB.Education.DPT. Tuition fee: NA. Tuition fee: NA.MMR.org (718) 283-7629 Address: NA. New York. proof of Visa status. Immunization: TB.MMR.DPT.The Brody School of Medicine.HBV. Health Insurance : Req Other req: Dean's letter.7703 Floyd Curl Drive – MSC 7790. Accomodation: NA . It appears that they start accepting further applications when the seats are full. TOEFL: NAMalpractice Insurance: Req . Fox.San Antonio. Confidentiality statement.DPT. Photo. Immunization: TB. NC 27834 . F1 Visa. Student Affairs.VZ. Crimminal Background check. please check their official website for more details.USMLE Step1:Req. Statement of English fluency. Address: UTHSCSA.Confirm with the respective department of elective application before mailing ! 13-East Carolina University Brody School of medicine (North Carolina) Download/visit: Application & Immunization form Application fee: NA. Accomodation: NA .Office of Student Affairs. Brody 2S-20. elective catalog Application fee: $25.ATTN: Norma E. Transcript Comments: They have a big University Hospital and a Vetrans (VA) (means millitary hospital).HBV. AA Sr.Greenville. TOEFL: ReqMalpractice Insurance: Req . Elective coordinator: +1(252) 744-2278 Address: Visiting Student Elective Coordinator. Basic Life Support certification.CV. Tuition fee: NA. Elective coordinator: variable for every department.12-University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA) (Texas) Download/visit: Application form.VZ. TX 78229-3900.MMR. Transcript.School of Medicine. Tuition fee: NA. Comments: Electives are available during specific part of the year only. Immunization form.600 Moye Blvd. Faculty LOR. see elective catalog for more details. Health Insurance : Req Other req: Dean's letter.USMLE Step1:Req. MMR. Tuition fee: NA.State University New York (SUNY) Downstate (New York) Download/visit: Application form. Health Insurance : Req Other req: NA Comments: They require you to submit application request form prior to submission of a formalApplication Form inorder to determine eligibility. Accomodation: NAUSMLE Step1:Req.edu . Not all departments are elligible.HBV. You can try your luck during this time. Faculty LOR.HBV. Elective coordinator: visitstudent@downstate. make sure you review the website before you apply. Availability is restricted during certain parts of the year only (typically April-May). Dean's letter. Application fee:$100.VZ.14-New York University (NYU) (New York) Download/visit: Application Request form. NY 10016 – USA 15. Tuition fee: NA.MMR. Accomodation: NA . IMS are only considered after the NYU students have been scheduled and there is still availability for elective positions.Check list Application fee: $175 for 1st elective $100 for the second. Rarely accepts IMS. Elective Catalog. TOEFL: NAMalpractice Insurance: Req . Elective coordinator: MAUREEN DORAN +1 212 263-5291 Address: OFFICE OF REGISTRATION/STUDENT RECORDS NYU 550 FIRST AVENUENEW YORK.DPTHealth Insurance : Req Other req:NA Comments: Availability is restricted to certain times of the year only (mostly spring). elective catalog. Their malpractice insurance requirement is higher $3million/$3million instead of the 'regular' $1 million/$3million by most institutes. TOEFL: Req Malpractice Insurance: Req .USMLE Step1: NA.DPT. Immunization: TB. Immunization form. Immunization: TB.VZ. MMR. elective catalog Application fee: $250/4week (paid AFTER acceptance).450 Clarkson Avenue.edu. 2 Faculty LOR.MMR. Elective coordinator: Jamie Munsinger +1713-500-5167 Jamie. TOEFL: Req if native langusge is not english(may accept alternatives)Malpractice Insurance: Req (available through UT-HSC). Health Insurance : Req Other req: Medical evacuation and repatriation coverage.Facsimile: 718-270-7592 16-University of Texas Medical school at Houston (UT-HSC)(texas) Download/visit: Application & Immunization forms may be requested by emailing the elective coordinator.HBV. Health Insurance : Req Other req: Dean's Letter. its a type of insurance that can be purchased through UT-HSC. TOEFL:NA Malpractice Insurance: Req Immunization: TB.DPT. Accomodation: NA . Availability is restricted to certain parts of the year only.SUNY Downstate Medical Center.DPT. Box 98 Brooklyn. elective catalog Application fee: $250/4week payable to UT-HSC. Houston TX 77030 17-University of California San Diego School of Medicine (UCSD) (California) Download/visit: Application & Immunization forms may be requested by emailing the elective coordinator AFTER submitting via fax the documentation enlisted below. Tuition fee: NA. Dean's letter. New York 11203. Health Science Center at Houston. Evaluation of clinical skills for Surgery electives Comments: Top Notch-affordable with relatively 'easy' requirements. Immunization: TB. Student Affairs Office.VZ.munsinger@uth. Comments: F1 Visa.USMLE Step1: NA.USMLE Step1:Req.d. review website for more details. Tuition fee: NA.tmc. 6431 Fannin Suite G400.HBV. Address: University of Texas. .Address: Office of the Registrar. Accomodation: NA .VZ. TOEFL: Req (other proof of english fluency may be acceptabe) Malpractice Insurance: Requires $2million/$2million .Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education(Minnesota/Florida/Arizona) Download/visit: Online Application by creating an account. Accomodation: NA .edu. There are 3 Mayo Clinics (Minnesota.La Jolla. 858-534-1396 Address: UCSD School of Medicine.USMLE Step1: Req. Arizona). Florida: David Ausejo [email protected]@mayo. Very well reputed all over US.Elective coordinator: Adrianne Edwards a1edwards@ucsd. Accomodation: NA .edu. elective catalog Application fee: $100. Comments: Mayo Clinic is the 3rd best US hospital according to 2012-2013 ranking by US news.USMLE Step1: Req. Florida.edu. CA 920930729 18.DPT. Extraordinary dedication towards teaching. Attendings are very famous ! Elective coordinator: Minnesota: Linda McConhay clerkship@mayo. Immunization form.9500 Gilman Drive. Arizona: Silvana dalessandro dalessandro.edu revised 7/30/2012 Address: Every thing is electronic. 0729. 19-Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine (Virginia) Download/visit: Application Form. The one in Minnesota is the MAIN Mayo Clinic. elective catalog Application fee: $350/4week . If you want to do an elective at the Branch in Florida you will also be required to passUSMLE Step 2.HBV. they do not accept paper work. Tuition fee: NA. Electronic submisstion of 2 LORs and 1 Official medical school Verification Form.MMR. Tuition fee: NA. TOEFL:Required if medium of instruction at home institute is not english Malpractice Insurance: Provided by Mayo Clinic for free Immunization: TB. however address details can be found on their website. Health Insurance : Req Other req: Transcript.VZ. which is a State requirement unless your medical school has an official affiliation. VZ.DPT.MMR. Elective coordinator: Nancy Jackson. confirm with the elective coordinator before hand. Transcript. [email protected] Health Insurance :Req Other req: Dean's Letter. elective catalog Application fee: $300/9week (after acceptance). Make sure you are on time. +1 410-614-4320 Address: Johns Hopkins University School Medicine. takes time for processing.HBV.USMLE Step1:NA. Tuition fee: NA. Other req: Dean's Letter. Photo. Registrar's Office 733 N.edu Address: VCU School of Medicine.Accepts ONLY US based insurance or can be purchased from JHU.MMR. Comments: Applications are accepted only during certain part of the year. TOEFL: Req (other proof of english fluency may be acceptabe)Malpractice Insurance: NA Immunization: TB (within 3 months). Maryland 21205 21-University of Cincinnati College of Medicine UCCOM (Ohio) .VCU/MCV Campus Box 980565 Richmond. HIPAA from their website. 2 LORs. Transcript.HBV. HIPAA at the time of application. No offerings during June July August. HIPAA Security Awareness Agreement Comments: International students are accepted for RESEARCH ELECTIVES ONLY. Suite 147.vismed@jhmi. Baltimore.1101 E. Immunization form. Accomodation: Provided at cost of $500/month. Health Insurance : Req. Clinical Electives are offered if your medical school has a formal affiliation with JHU (See below: Group B electives) Apply atleast 5-6 months in advance. Evaluation form your home medical school. Elective coordinator: Emma sulens.VZ. Broadway Research Building.DPT. VA 23298-0565 20-Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHU) (Maryland) Download/visit: Application Form. Marshall Street . Click here for guideline on completing HIPAA on their website. Confidentiality agreement.coverage Immunization: TB (within 3 months).edu. TOEFL: Req Malpractice Insurance: req Immunization: TB. Tuition fee: NA. Phone interview for students who are non-native english speakers.MMR. They might possibly waive tuition fee if your medical school can confirm that you are on a full scholarship program. Immunization form. Accomodation: NA . Immunization form. Comments: They have recently revised their application requirements. TOEFL: Req Malpractice Insurance: NA Immunization: TB. Students from foreign Universities who have a formal affiliation with Emory: University College Dublin. Transcript. La Salle University-Mexico. elective catalog. Need to enroll for blood born pathogen insurance $37 in addition to application fee. Instructions Application fee: $500 . must confirm before mailing. Fax: 404-778-1370. which are now quite strict.HBV. Comments: Limited availability ( 4 international students per year per department). Elective coordinator: Department specific -variable.USMLE Step1: Req.USMLE Step1: Req.DPT Health Insurance :req Other req: International Criminal background check. elective catalog Application fee: $250 (After acceptance-must be submitted atleast 4 weeks before start of elective).DPT.VZ. .edu. revised: 8/18/2012 Elective coordinator: : Ms. Tel: 404-778-1372. Nicole Buchenholz nicole. Proof of B1 visa (or atleast Passport details).HBV.VZ.MMR.mennigococci Health Insurance : Req Other req: Dean's Letter. Tiblisi State Medical University are also exempted form the tuition fee.buchenholz@emory. Tuition fee: $3000/4 week. evidence of clerkship completion. General address layout: Department Name PO Box Number University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati. Address:Department specific. Yonsei University. see application form for more details.Download/visit: Application Form. OH 45267 22-Emory University School of medicine (Georgea) Download/visit: Application form. Applications are submitted to each separtment separately !. Accomodation: NA . Atlanta.TOEFL: Req Malpractice Insurance: req Immunization: TB. 49 Jesse Hill Jr. Recent Update that they have stopped taking International medical students for electives .DPT Health Insurance :Req Other req: Requires prior USCE with an evaluation from a US based attending.2130 Health.USMLE Step1:NA.I know SAD ! According to their website seems like they got fed up of numerous phone calls etc. elective catalog.Address: Office of Clinical Education. Elective coordinator: verify from website for update. transcript. SE. verify from the website. WI 537052221. Accomodation: NA .Sciences Learning Center. last updated 5/22/2013 24.Madison.750 Highland Ave. Jane McGann jmcgann@wisc. . GA 30303 23-University of Wisconsin School of Medicine(Wisconsin) Download/visit: Online Application. Requires Faculty Sponsor (verify from their website on latest info).MMR. Specific departments have specific requirements.VZ.edu+16082637676 Address: Visiting Student Coordinator. Personal statement. Comments: Top notch.Mont Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM) (New York) Download/visit: Application Form. elective catalog Application fee: $125 (online payment). Immunization form. Drive.one of the very few places that do not req step 1 and is economical. Requires American based CPR/BLS training.HBV.UW School of Medicine and Public Health. They have an online application system that will automatically formulate a pdf file for your application which you can print and post. Emory University School of Medicine. Tuition fee: NA. Availibility for medicine is restricted to certain parts of the year only verify from the website before you apply. Personal statement.Student Affairs Office.TOEFL:Req Malpractice Insurance: NA(provided free of cost)Immunization: TB. you can try your luck.E-mail: [email protected] Step1: NA .M.Tel: (212) 241-6691 Tuesdays and Thursdays only. Levy Place.TOEFL:Req Malpractice Insurance: Req Immunization: TB.Student Affairs Office.USMLE Step1: Req . Student health fee $40 (separate from health insurance)Online infection control pdf (print the last page and submit) Comments: Requires F1 or J1. Other req: CV. and 3:00 P. Tuition fee:$1000/4week. Universal precautions trainingOther forms Comments: Requires TOEFL score report to be sent to their institute directly by ETS.Attn: Jeanneth Persaud.Transcript.MMR. Accomodation: NA .Transcript.One Gustave L.M. has a history of waiving off Step1 and Toefl. Application Payment form Tuition and health insurance payment fee Application fee: $100 .DPT. In which case the fee may be different as well Elective coordinator: . deans letter.HBV.VZ. Preferrs prior USCE and Step 1 but not required.Application fee: $1000 . Tuition fee:$2000/4week. Box 1257. between the hours of 10:00 A. NY 10029 last updated 4/29/2013 25-Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Illinois) Download/visit: Application Form. Immunization form. Elective coordinator: Jeanneth Persaud.Annenberg 13-30.MMR.VZ. HIPAA. Recent update that they have stoped taking foreign medical students since June 2013.DPT Health Insurance :Req Other req: CV.New York. Begin application process 8-9 months in advance. require TB test to have been performed within US or at their institute Health Insurance :Req (can be purchased at the university on arrival).Attn: Jeanneth Persaud.New York.edu Address: Courier Service:The Mount Sinai School of Medicine.HBV. unless your medical school is part of Global partner institutions-see website for details. elective catalog. Faculty LOR. NY 10029 Tel: (212) 241-6691 Postal Service:The Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Accomodation: NA . 13th Floor. Accomodation: NA . Technical Standards policy (just needs a signature).DPT . Tuition fee: $2000/4week. Dean's Office certification form.HBV. F1 Visa. Health Insurance :Req Other req: 2 LORS.601 Elmwood Avenue.Chicago.MMR. Transcript. IL 60611 last updated 4/29/2013 26-University of Rochester (New York) Download/visit: Application Form. Cover letter Comments: Top Notch but less affordable. Transcript. Application fee: $100 . TOEFL:Req (min 100) Malpractice Insurance:Req (after acceptance)Immunization: TB. Health Insurance :Req Other req: 2 LORS. Chicago Avenue.Jennifer Banys. repatriation insurance ( req after acceptance) Comments: Only 2 IMS per quater are accepted and they stop accepting applications as soon as the spots are filled. Ward 1-003. Immunization form. NY 14642 27. institutional seal.rochester. . Dean's letter. CV.USMLE Step1: NA . Augusta Webster Office of Medical Education. letter of intent. Application fee: $100 . TOEFL:Req (will accept alternatives)Malpractice Insurance: NA Immunization: TB. Tuition fee:$375/week=1500/4weeks (must be paid atleast 4 weeks in advance). They reply to e-mails promptly. Have a great diversity of electives and sub-internships. Elective coordinator: [email protected]. CV.University of North Carolina (UNC) (North Carolina) Download/visit: Online Application. Visiting Student Program Coordinator.Student Enrichment Programs. Immunization form. Box 601.DPT (req after acceptance).Address: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.HBV.USMLE Step1: Req (will accept Step 2 CK or German Physikum as substitute).VZ. elective catalog. Accomodation: NA .Rochester.MMR.edu +1 (585) 2754172 Address: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.303 E. elective catalog. MMR. Tuition fee: increased from $2800 to $3100/4week. US residents/citizens from foreign medical schools cannot apply.3901 Rainbow Blvd. no more than 2 electives. . Immunization Application fee: NA .USMLE Step1: NA TOEFL:Req(for non-native english speakers) Malpractice Insurance:NA Immunization: TB. personal statement. Accomodation: no longer available. Health Insurance :Req Other req: Also require Evacuation/Repatriation insurance-all insurances reqafter acceptance. Immunization Application fee: $400 . elective catalog.1066 Bondurant Hall.MMR. KS 66160 FAX: 913-588-4697 29-Yale school of Medicine (CT)(Connecticut) Download/visit: Application form.VZ.unc.USMLE Step1: NA TOEFL:Req(but not for nationals of UK/ireland/canade & english speaking countries) Malpractice Insurance: NA Immunization: TB.HBV.VZ. elective catalog. encourrges to apply 6mo in advance. Dean's letter. if they can afford their fee. Download/visit: Online Application request.DPT .edu 919-962-6195 Address:UNC School of Medicine. affordable accomodation Elective coordinator: Internationalprograms@kumc. NC 27599-9535 28-University of Kansas School of medicine. Tuition fee: NA.HBV.Kansas City.DPT . F1 visa-encourages to apply 9 mo in advance. Health Insurance :Req Other req: Payment on arrival not at the time of application. Accomodation: Provided @$600/month at international house.CB # 9535.Elective coordinator: [email protected] Address:KUMC Office of the Registrar MS4029. 1 LOR. Comments: Encourrages international students to apply.Chapel Hill. Comments: One of the few affordable places that does not req USMLE step 1 from international students. CV. [email protected]. Ph:(617) 432-1630 Comments: Tuition waiver my be given if you are from an underrepresented country & can prove financial hardship. Tuition fee: $2500/4week(payable after acceptance).ES Harkness Hall. 367 Cedar St.edu to confirm.MMR. Gordon Hall. Email:exclerks@hms. No.edu. Accomodation: NA (not covered in tution fee). Requires Phone Interview.harvard.USMLE . Application fee: $100/4week . Health Insurance :Req Other req: Application requirements.Accomodation: Provided vanderbilt hall(not covered in tution fee). Immunization forms are given if you scroll down.DPT .1 University. 90% tution fee is refundable if informed 2 weeks before the start of clerkship. Elective coordinator: [email protected] Address:Office of the Registrar Harvard Medical School 25 Shattuck Street. Room 213 Boston. CT 06510 last updated 5/25/2014 30-Harvard School of Medicine (MA)(massachusets) Download/visit: Application form.harvard. Room 221 New Haven.VZ.USMLE Step1: NATOEFL:preferred Malpractice Insurance: NA Immunization: TB. elective catalog Application fee: $75 .HBV. MA 02115-6092 Ph: 617 432-1515 31-Tufts University(Massachusets) Download/visit: Application form. For Dorm rooms: vanderbilt_hall@hms. elective catalog. Immunization forms. for assessment of English fluency.edu Address: Office of International Medical Student Education Yale School of Medicine . even if you have submitted tofel result.Elective coordinator: internal. Tuition fee: $3500-3700/4week(depending on month). People who have done electives there have great remarks. Immunization forms( you will have to e-mail the registrar to obtain this)-they usually respond in 1-2 weeks. MA 02111 32-Thomas Jeffersson University (Pennsylvania)(PA) Download/visit: Application form.edu Address:Our office hours are: Monday.m.(sponsors B1/F1/J1). Elective coordinator:[email protected]@jefferson. Evidence of health and malpracice insurance.DPT . if you can afford.high@jefferson. LOR. Thursday & Friday: 8:30 a. Evidence of financial support( may be from parents/bank statement may help) Comments: Good University. english proficiency in form of TOEFL or local state exam. Comments: Acceptance is relatively easy.Step1: NA TOEFL:req(for non-native speakers)Malpractice Insurance: NA Immunization: TB. Health Insurance :Req Other req: Transcript.Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. US citizens in foreign medical schools cannot apply. Tuition fee: $750/4week(payable after acceptance).edu 617-636-0355 Address: Clerkship Coordinator. Health Insurance :Req Other req: Transcript. 5:00 p. Accomodation: NA .Tufts University School of Medicine.DPT . G-22 1015 Walnut Street Philadelphia.145 Harrison Avenue Boston.MMR. .Registrar@jefferson. relatively affordable Elective coordinator: Sheryl High sheryl.Dean's letter.VZ.CV.Dean's letter.Passport photocopy.m.MMR. PA 19107 Phone: (215) 503-8734 Fax: (215) 923-6974 E-mail: University. elective catalog Application fee: $75 .HBV.edu.CV. .edu . University.HBV. Tuesday.Noon University Office of the Registrar Curtis Building.VZ.USMLE Step1: yes(but accepts alternative local home country exam)TOEFL:req(?)Malpractice Insurance: Req Immunization: TB. edu.edu.DPT . after acceptance you will be required to submit a letter from your medical school and also apply for NY eligibility letter Comments: Affordable.wilson@duke. School of Medicine To find out if your medical school is enlisted click here Duke University requires that your home medical institute have a formal affiliation aggreement with them before medical students are eligible to apply for electives. Accomodation: NA . Address: Office of Academic Affairs via email oaa@nshs. NOT YOU. 1. last updated 5/25/2014 GROUP B Universities & Hospitals These Universities are open to only those medical students for clinical electives who's medical school have a formal affiliation with them. or they will consider your application if someone working at their institute is willing to sponsor your elective. but your official home school representative should contact Steven Wilson : steven.HBV.VZ. If the medical school is interested to establish a formal affiliation agreement with Duke University.edu and provide specific info .USMLE Step1: NA TOEFL:NAMalpractice Insurance: Req Immunization: TB.MMR. Health Insurance :Req Other req: Initially you will have to submit the paper application form + CV. elective catalog Application fee: NA . Tuition fee: NA.33-North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System (New York) Download/visit: Application form. Recent update that they have stoped taking international medical students except for students from institutions who have a formal affiliation with them Elective coordinator: [email protected] University. then you are eligible provided you satisfy their requirements click here .University of Washington Requires a faculty sponsor 7.Brown University Alpert Medical school Specific info about affiliated international medical institutes is not enlisted on the official website. Galveston Specific info about affiliated international medical institutes is not enlisted on the official website.University of Texas Medical Branch. despite affiliation. E-mail elective coordinator for details 8. Briefly. educational reason for agreement and contact info.University of Pensylvania To find out if your medical school is enlisted click here 3. Please contact Steven Wilson for details Updated 1/29/2013 2. an application fee of $50 and a registeration fee of $6000 per elective are still applicable as well as the requirement for a passing score on USMLE step 1 for international students.University of Pitsburgh To find out if your medical school is enlisted click here 4.East Tennesse University If you have a sponsor it will help. 5. if you were born there or are married to a resident in Tennesse.Johns Hopkins University: For Clinical elective only Specific info about affiliated international medical institutes is not enlisted on the official website. 6.regarding: institute name. type and length of program. we will update as soon as the info is available. location. we will update as soon as the info is available. we will update as soon as the info is available. Planning for U. we will update as soon as the info is available.University of Louisville To find out if your medical school is enlisted click here 12. the cultural nuances.Baylor University School of Medicine They have recently updated their policies & they have stoped taking International student at this time.University of Massachusetts (Umass) Specific info about affiliated international medical institutes is not enlisted on the official website.University of Minnesota To find out if your medical school is enlisted click here 13.9. However their official website states that they will update their website & will open electives to only those international istitutes that have a reciprocral relation with them. and the complexities .edu 15. mostly because the vocabulary involved. we will update as soon as the info is available. residency match.S. E-mail elective coordinator for details Sherrie. [email protected]. Residency Match and Building a Competitive Application By chicagoclerkships ¶ ¶ Leave a comment There is a tremendous amount of mythology and legend bouncing around the internet “echo chambers” about how to prepare for the U.University of Illinois To find out if your medical school is enlisted click here 11.University of New Mexico Requires a faculty sponsor 14.Tulane University School of Medicine Specific info about affiliated international medical institutes is not mentioned on the official website. Also. how to prepare a timeline flow chart for yourself. The best way to inform yourself by going directly to the source. and some information on each component. you should attempt to gain at least a basic understanding of how the US medical system works and how opportunities for clinical experience vary for students vs.nrmp. time and energy. It is critical to incorporate key job search strategies with the strategies you will use for applying to a training program. and there is no guarantee that you will be successful. The earlier you begin the planning process. you will see references to two studies cited in this article. the better you are able to fit in all the components in an efficient manner. in order to avoid banging your head against a rock searching for the elusive “perfect” clinical experience scenario. Finally. You should also understand that there is considerable risk involved in this process.ecfmg. residency match and building a competitive application. developing countries can make it even more expensive. Also.at every stage of the process. graduates as well as the terminology involved. Planning is key to reducing your expenditures and increasing the probability of getting an interview. Subsequent articles will exam each component in more detail. It can be confusing and overwhelming. We will cover preparation components and key issues.org andwww. Also the differences in the US economy vs. These risks include large expenditures of money. As you begin thinking about seeking a position in a US residency program. you will be more in control of the timing of each component. first and foremost you must remember that this process is essentially a job search. jargon-free introduction to planning for the U. In this article we will lead you through a no-nonsense. Timing is crucial because many programs will not look at you if you have been out of medical school more than 5 years. and then you should be checking it periodically for updates. These studies will help inform you as you plan. and will answer many of the speculative questions about your chances in different specialties given your USMLE Step scores and accumulated experience. and your letters of recommendation should be dated within a year of submitting your application.S. There are three main components of the application package that you will submit   Step Exams and ECFMG Certification US Clinical Experience Clinical Electives/Externship and Observership as demonstrated by your CV and Letters of Recommendation .org websites from start to finish. You should read the www. Starting from the MATCH date (on top). Spring.” We will call the year before the “MATCH Year” your “PREP Year. We will call the year before the MATCH date your “MATCH Year. Fall.” Before that is MEDICAL SCHOOL. you will start with the MATCH date and work backward in time. Summer . Application upload In this article. or even if you are already in the thick of preparing your application. “Ideal’ Timeline Flow Chart As you begin your planning process. except in terms of planning your timeline. we suggest you make a flow chart. work down and backward in time: Activity Year Season MATCH date MATCH Spring SOAP MATCH Spring Interviews MATCH Winter and Fall Networking Observerships MATCH Fall Application Upload MATCH Fall Program Research MATCH Summer USCE Externship Rotations MATCH Summer. we will not address the USMLE Step Exams or the ECFMG certification in detail. To do this. Winter USMLE exam prep and PREP Spring. Winter. if you are preparing for the 2015 match. 2014 Winter 2013 USCE Externship Rotations USMLE exam prep and exams PREP Spring 2014. your flowchart might look like this (remember we are working backwards in time and there may be some seasonal overlap): Activity Year Season MATCH date MATCH Spring 2015 SOAP MATCH Spring 2015 Interviews MATCH Winter and Fall 2015/2014 Networking Observerships MATCH Fall 2014 Application Upload MATCH Fall 2014 Program Research MATCH Summer 2014 MATCH Summer and Spring. Winter 2014/2013 .exams USCE Hospital Rotations MEDICAL SCHOOL Final/penultimate years of med school For example. hospitals that offer this opportunity to foreign students. you will need to adjust this flowchart to fit your own reality. Now that I’ve shown you how to design a flow chart based on your own reality and with the important components. you will save time. we are going to unpack each one of these steps. but you are doing it to build your CV at this point.Fall. While you are still in medical school it is possible to apply for clinical rotations at some of the U. Summer 2013 USCE Hospital Rotations MEDICAL SCHOOL MEDICAL SCHOOL before 2013 Application upload is historically in September. Medical School Period If you start planning in your last or penultimate year of medical school. If you have the time and the money. but especially if you have already finished medical school.S. The point is that in order to make your application as competitive as possible. fully developed CV and personal statement. At this point in your process there is no need to use a 3 rd party placement service because you can and should apply directly to the hospitals if you are still enrolled in medical school PREP Year . No matter where you are in your process. and if you are lucky you will do some networking and get to know people who run the residency program. The letters of recommendation you would get at this time will most likely be too old when you submit your application. By this time you ideally should have ALL of your components (LORs. to show hospital experience. Here is a little bit of the rationale behind the design of the flow chart. and if possible Step 3). At this point we are starting from the beginning of your planning and preparation and moving forward. Step 2cs and Step2ck. and ECFMG certification. this is an excellent way to build your CV with hospitalbased US clinical experience. Step 1. it is helpful to start planning early. money and reduce your anxiety. However.Have a look at this article on page 3. Seventy percent of program directors cited the Step 2 as a factor. It is important to follow your passion. So when you are deciding which specialty to choose. look at dermatology in PGY1. you are going to choose your specialty and do some research into programs. MATCH Year Choosing your focus During the MATCH Year.pdf There is a lot of speculation about one’s chances for getting an interview. 82% cited the Step 1 score as a factor in deciding to interview. look internal medicine: Total matches: 5226 US seniors took 2941 of those slots. so likely that last slot was not filled by a non-US graduates. and then try to match that with your passion. . do the math. The picture doesn’t get much better for dermatology PGY2. of Matches” column and subtracting the number of US seniors from the total. but as you can see from this survey of residency program directors.pdf You can get a sense of the number of slots won by international medical graduates by looking at the “No. This is why I recommend that you dedicate an entire year to preparing for and taking the Step exams. a full 44%. you will need to consider your own reality. specifically the table on page 3. but it is also important to be realistic as this is a job search. For contrast. It is important to begin to focus at this time. http://www. and it is important to go where the jobs are. and other competing factors. Total matches: 23 US seniors took 22 of those slots. This means that 2285 went to non-US graduates.nrmp.org/data/programresultsbyspecialty2012. The Step 1 is the single most important thing you do to make your application competitive. Now for a stark contrast. The exams are SO CRITICAL that we recommend you dedicate an entire year to this. consider the odds. when you make your own flow chart.org/data/resultsanddata2012. Only 95% were filled.nrmp. without distraction. http://www. when the exams are given and where. Consider this report on the NMRP Results and Data document. Reflect varied and content-rich experience. you need to get US clinical experience. that’s great! Those were CV-builders. you are collecting your letters of recommendation. Assuming that at this point that you have graduated from medical school and are now what we call an “IMG” (international medical graduate). As an international medical graduate.S. Choose one specialty and stick with it. While you are researching programs. start to research the programs and you will get a better idea of the odds and which programs are IMG friendly. . you may have already done some hospital-based US clinical rotations while you were in med school. US Clinical Experience At this point you have aced your Step exams and have decided on your specialty. Don’t waste your money or your energy banging your head against the wall trying to find something that nearly impossible to secure as an IMG. The teaching hospitals don’t want you! The university teaching hospitals really don’t want you! Unless your brother-in-law is a resident or your aunt is a faculty member (and probably not even then). State the activities you were involved in during your clinical rotation. If that is the case. Now you are continuing to build your CV and on top of that. there is no place for IMGs in teaching hospitals. Your letters should:  Be written and signed by a physician who is board certified in the specialty  area. your rounding experience will likely be minimal as the U.After you make your decision. The best you can do is to work with a physician who is affiliated with a teaching hospital. Reflect a variety of inpatient and outpatient work if possible Here is where there is a lot of confusion around the mythical “teaching hospital LOR” that everyone seeks and only a very few find. NOT an observership. If you started the planning process early. getting a clinical rotation in a teaching hospital is going to be nearly impossible. Express an opinion regarding your clinical skills and professionalism. and even then. you will need to participate in an externship in order to secure a letter of recommendation. health system move more and more towards ambulatory care. For this    reason it is critical that your letter be based on a hands-on externship. conducted. etc. Again. coordinated. Application Upload Now we are in the summer before the application upload. Even though your LORs will not be usable (because they are likely to be too old).). Absolutely take advantage of this. In subsequent articles we will discuss ways to prepare this. If you are five or more years post medical school graduation.org/data/programresultsbyspecialty2012. focused. Program Research While you are doing your externships and collecting your LORs. look at this article on page 3. http://www. it looks good on your CV.pdf. use a reviewing service. but the same advice applies to the personal statement—content rich. Here are some tips about preparing your CV and personal statement: CV: Download a hard copy of the application and model your CV on it. You will see that after the Step 1 scores. Many companies offer CV review services. This tells you that they want to see that you are focused and passionate about the specialty to which you are applying. you can begin your research in to the programs. and readable. Personal Statement: Your personal statement should be professionally oriented.nrmp. and again.This is one of the reasons why we encourage you to start planning early and do the hospital-based clinical rotation while you are still in medical school. supervised. You should have thoroughly researched everything you need to know about the application process. you will have to use that criterion as well and filter out the programs that have this limitation. We suggest using the standard essay format. no fluff. most program directors are looking at your letters of recommendation in the specialty (note that it does not mention “teaching hospital” or inpatient!) and your personal statement in order to decide whether to interview you or not. . We suggest that you make an Excel database. Go to the internet and get a list of active verbs and use them (performed. Remember these two key points: your CV should be content-rich and minimally formatted. and try to prioritize them by the likelihood of matching there and other geographical or personal criteria. With all confidence and a little humility. and how you have prepared yourself experientially. It is like a month-long interview. Start by describing how your academic preparation makes you the most qualified candidate for the residency position. extracurricular or work experiences that are pertinent. The body paragraphs develop supporting evidence that ties back to your main argument. Any earlier than August/September/October and they may not remember you. you are not doing this for your CV. And how do your career goals make you the most qualified candidate for the residency position? Finally. You are not doing this to get LORs. call the program and tell them that you are applying and very interested in observing for a short time. or how you see yourself in this specialty. and let the reader know how your academic preparation helped you arrive at your choice of the specialty. it is time to go back to your list of programs. Introduce each idea with a transitional sentence. Your final body paragraph should inform the reader what you see as your long-term goals. With your presence and the people you meet. Networking Observerships After you have uploaded your application. and stick to each point.The first paragraph should introduce the reader to you and state clearly why you are the best person for the position.) make you the most qualified candidate for the residency position. Essentially you discuss how your experiences (internship year. Start your calling in August. Call each program every two weeks. end with a concluding paragraph. and then close by thanking the committee. US clinical experience. This should include your clinical experience. The timing of this is critical. As we have stated before. add personal comments or anecdotes. Pick the top 5 or 10 and start calling to request an observership. You are doing it to know people and to be known. you will put a face to your application. it is unlikely that you will get clinical experience at a teaching hospital. Try to get the name of the person (secretary or administrator) each time . but they may be amenable to having you observe. as well as research. etc. Dedicate a paragraph to explaining why you think this choice is right for you. Here is where you restate why you are the best candidate for the residency position. Any later and they may have already filled the spots. If you did not get invited to an interview. A university's medical school may offer residencies in areas such as pediatrics. Do your research. If any program allows you to do this. high-anxiety way of filling the final unfilled spots and it generally takes place by phone and internet over the course of one week in the spring. and practice in front of a mirror or with a friend. know what questions to expect. make sure you have enough time and resources to take you through to the end. Before you start. we come to the end of the process. The SOAP is a messy. but keep at it. This is an entire workshop in itself that discusses the topics to the right of the box. there is always the SOAP! Remember. oncology or urology. planning is key to getting started and staying on track. family medicine. drop everything and go. Be polite. SOAP Finally. and that is the SOAP. make sure you prepare for it. The next piece are all the interviews you will get. Interviews If you are lucky to get invited to an interview.so that when you call back you can address them properly. Best of luck to all of you! Best Medical Residency Programs: List of Top Schools and Hospitals Medical residency programs provide doctors with training in a specialized field of medicine. View 5 Popular Schools . Next fall keep a look out for our workshop on this. among other areas. The University of Washington in Seattle The University of Washington (UW) is a public university that has satellite campuses in Bothell and Tacoma. psychiatry and pediatrics.S. MD Johns Hopkins University (JHU) is a research institution that opened its doors in 1876. OH . rheumatology and endocrinology. The program offers two study programs: a traditional track and a general internal medicine track.S.S. Aycock Family Medicine Building. Students perform 1-month rotations in emergency medicine. among other areas. UW offers 92 accredited clinical fellowship and residency programs in areas such as anesthesiology. List of Ten Good Medical Residency Programs in the U. In the 3-year pediatric residency. News & Johns Hopkins University World Report 21 years in a row Baltimore. U. Students provide inpatient care at UNC's Family Medical Center and outpatient care at the William B. based at Seattle Children's Hospital. Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.S. pediatrics and urology.Top Medical Residency Programs 1. 3. School Name Distinction Location Harvard University Harvard Medical School has 15 researchers who received the Nobel Prize Cambridge. in addition to its main campus in Seattle. A 3-year residency training program is available through the school's Department of Family Medicine. Students in both programs provide care in areas such as cardiology. In the final year. students work in the neonatal ICU (intensive care unit) and the normal newborn nursery. CA University of Cincinnati College of Medicine offers over 50 residencies and fellowship Cincinnati. 2. UNC's medical school offers 54 graduate medical education programs. U. MD Stanford University Stanford School of Medicine includes five medical institutes Stanford. As part of the final year of the residency program. students work in rural practice at the Chatham County Emergency Department. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) was chartered in 1789 and offers 69 doctorate degree programs through the College of Arts and Sciences. News and World Report ranked UNC's School of Medicine second on its 2011 list of top institutions for training in family medicine. The Princeton Review included Johns Hopkins University on its 2012 list of 'The Best 376 Colleges' in the nation. JHU's School of Medicine offers an internal medicine residency training program through the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. News and World Report ranked UW's School of Medicine eighth on its 2011 list of top pediatrics medical schools. students may work as associate chief residents for a 2-month period. MA JHU hospital ranked first among all hospitals by U. In order of rank. Philadelphia. Mo. MN University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical school has Nobel Laureate professor Chapel Hill.S. the Honor Roll hospitals are: .S.programs University of Michigan U.S.C. Penn researchers receive $500M annually from National Institutes of Health . (297) 6. 1 spot after last year losing a 21-year reign to Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital. News identified the 24 programs with the most nominations. Minn. (283) 7. NC University of Pennsylvania Among academic medical centers. U. University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (248) 9. New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia Campus) in New York (215) 10. MI University of Minnesota Department of Medicine offers a residency program in internal medicine in dermatology Minneapolis. ranked by the number of nominations. News and World Reportranked internal medicine department sixth in 2012 Ann Arbor. (249) 8. PA University of Washington Teaching programs ranked in top ten by U. Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St.S. N. Mayo Clinic in Rochester. WA University of Wisconsin. News and World Report Seattle. WI Which programs are the most highly regarded The survey revealed that several postgraduate training programs have well reputed by many physicians. Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston (600) 4. Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore (696) 3. McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago (201) Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital reclaimed the No. Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (732 nominations) 2. Louis. The top 10 programs listed were: 1. University of California in San Francisco (579) 5.second in the U. Madison Department of Medicine offers residency training at three hospitals Madison. Duke University Hospital in Durham. Boston 29 16 3 Mayo Clinic. 29 15 4 Cleveland Clinic 27 14 5 UCLA Medical Center. San Francisco 17 10 9 Brigham and Women's Hospital.C. New York 11 8 15 Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University.Ran k Hospital Point s Specialties 1 Johns Hopkins Hospital. Chicago 17 12 7 New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell. 17 10 7 UCSF Medical Center. St. 12 9 13 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.Y. Philadelphia 7 6 18 University Hospitals Case Medical Center. N. Rochester. Durham. Indianapolis 7 7 17 Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Louis 10 9 16 IU Health Academic Health Center. Baltimore 30 15 2 Massachusetts General Hospital. Cleveland 6 6 I Being an Oxford Elective Student part I . N. Philadelphia 12 11 12 Duke University Medical Center. Minn. Los Angeles 19 13 6 Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Los Angeles 12 8 14 NYU Langone Medical Center. Boston 16 10 10 UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center 15 10 11 Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. And because his invitation. Medicine has been taught in Oxford since 13th century so we can imagine. Then I started to think for searching scholarship. Many people got impressed. right before I would like to leave for Germany for IFMSA Professional exchange.CV. Harvard automatically were not my choices anymore when I read that you have to pay tuition fee USD 3500/month. amazed. Stoke on trent.49 medis No comments I've just arrived in Indonesia after I finished my Elective program in Oxford.I became wondered. it easier and cheaper.living cost and UK Tier-4 visa ( which ridiculously very expensive).She happily informed me that Oxford University already secured one place for me to able to be trained and study as an Oxford Elective student. I got an email from Mrs. Well. Dr. UK. It actually started when my good friend. the program itself is highly competitive since Oxford only takes 50 persons worlwide per year to got accepted in this program ( compare with Harvard which accept 1000persons/year). But since I just took international clinical rotation in Germany ( which I fully financially supported by my med school and Germany). TOEFL. The invitation letter from Oxford University came. albeit when I "declared" that I took my Elective in Oxford. but there is one issue. without a doubt. Elective Coordinator in University of Oxford Medical school. My friend. Huge gratitude for him. even jealous about this special "infrequent" privilige to study medicine in Oxford like I got. University of Oxford Medical School is a good-internationallyrecognised medical school. Then I started searching. Faculty of Medicine. if I took this grant for second time. Letters of recommendation ( I got from 2 proffesors in my medical school and also I attached letter from my boss in World Health Organization(WHO) when I worked with them). Oliver were "insanely" really nice. first of all. but Oxford can not provide financial assistance for airfare. transcript of academic. But I become interested with Oxford because Oxford promised : not only their training is completely free. and writing an essay. not only he corrected my essay ( so it sounds more "British") but he also kindly offered to bring along all the documents to England so he could posted them from Keele to Oxford. I applied a proposal to Higher Education directorate (DIKTI) for . my school program. I decided to apply to Oxford for Elective program. Oliver Quick invited me to come to his teaching hospital in Keele. So I started looking for scholarship from outside. England.17. Carolyn Cook. indeed provides international travel grants for students. These package from Oxford University remained untouched until I came back from Germany. Then. Andalas University. and We rarely heard Indonesian studies in Oxford Medical School. Though Oxford didn't charged me for tuition fee. How good they are to provide teaching in this area. whether there is an opportunity to be trained in highly-ranked international medical school like Harvard or Oxford. I began to prepare all the requirements. My medical school. but they also stated that we have similar privilege with Oxford student. So instead of applying to Keele ( or Harvard). I must be very greedy. due to having bad experience with UKBA and their bureaucracy. I got full scholarship from DIKTI based on HPEQ scheme! Actually.ect. but because this is Oxford university. even I brought all my hard documents in my bacpack. they have willing to change the scheme.UKBA manager in London. busy.Very many thanks HPEQ and DIKTI! Before departure.I distinctly remember . only because it is Oxford. I flew on Thursday from Jakarta in the early morning by Emirates. I felt how professional Oxford is for managing and maintaining its students. The proccess itself in my opinion is really tiring. The Beatles.and completely "bureaucrazy". if you are non EEU or UK citizen. Sherlock Holmes. Adele. and Indonesian languange are easily heard there. Stopped by in Dubai. Lucky me. HPEQ doesnt have a particular scheme for this program. passport. I forgot to mention about how difficult I was before to get UK Tier 4 visa. Well. Arriving in London for the first time was such a holly-gracely-cultural experience for me. they claimed. because this visa hurdles. I guess it is because I raised with many British Cultures . I took my times there to have lunch in Restaurant and enjoying Dubai International airport : One of the luxurious airport in the world. famous five and all Enid Blyton Novels. Finishing my clinical rotations.scholarship. Moreover. preparing for national exam (UKDI). When I wanted to pass UK border in Heathrow. my documents must be sent to UK embassy in Bangkok. They always assist their student and dont let their student to cope their problem alone.ect) they have to speed up my application proccess. I have to fly to Bali only to give my visa application because I hardly got an appointment in visa application centre in Jakarta. One Direction. I remember I always said that one of cities that I want to visit before I die is London. I prepared all the stuff I need. Anyway.time and money-consuming. I flew to United Kingdom for the first time to come to Oxford as a student. After I finished all obligations. but well-organized. so it will fit to HPEQ program. London. you MUST always thoroughly ponder visa application as your priority because in my academic year in Oxford. Huge. finally I got UK visa. Funny. in case UKBA ask for that. and I am so grateful that Oxford has a good reputation. financially supported by DIKTI. there is an elective student who must cancelled his coming to UK due to his visa is declined by United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) But. but eventually they commited to cover all the expenses . They contacted all authorities (UK embassy in Jakarta. I dont want to be a "double-checked- . Then I took second flight directly to Heathrow Airport. And now dream comes true.I think Heathrow airport is pretty similar like Schiphol airport in Amsterdam (I visited Amsterdam last spring). I was very busy with my final obligations in my medical school. I met many Indonesian workers there.insurance. No wonder they got a prestigious reputation as a world class university. and have plan to apply for elective in Oxford. When I arrived in Heathrow. then. CAS.London. Despite they entailed more time to procceed. Then I got phone call from them for interview particularly about this program and how I got accepted in Oxford. I got extremely a quick-rapid-fast response from Oxford medical school and also University. The Sun still there. So if I someday.person". I should -at least. a shopping centre in Headington hill. Some people ( who did not understand ) considered me going to UK only for traveling ( since I really like to explore foreign country). Even the officer lady commended me for arranging all stuff very organized so it made the checking easier. Tomorrow I have to meet Carolyn for my orientation. the old ancient city. want to be enrolled as a resident doctor in those countries. I can say I am the first pioneer of person from my university ( or Indonesia?) to study medicine in Oxford and join this program. and many people would like to follow my step. I took my luggage. I understand "Elective" is not part of Indonesian medical education system. and directly went to bus station in Heathrow.ect) doctors before taking residency/housemanship. All shops were closed since it was already 9 pm. To be continued. took cash money from ATM (I only brought few pounds from Indonesia). so even outside still was eventide. I am extremely exhausted with long flight. and without changing clothes.. It is part of curriculum. a place where John Radcliffe Hospital ( JR Hospital) and Oxford Clinical Medical School located. and pulled my massively huge luggage to my flat. I called a taxi to JR Hospital ( only 6 pounds)..22 medis No comments "What is an Elective Program?" Many. it is wrong. one hour from London by bus. Many friends and colleguaes of me asked about that. stopped by in Headington Shop. Being an Oxford Elective Student part II 00. but because it is summer in England.have had an Elective Program . But I took this program for some reasons. But no. They heard about me studying in Oxford.United Kingdom. took my flat key in main receptions. I quickly hit the hay. But it is a compulsary program for developed country (like United States. I drove to Oxford which X90 bus and I arrived safely in Oxford. no. my fear is not coming. University of Oxford located in Oxford city. Many Indonesians and foreigners always think that Oxford University is only a university which located London. It is also important for Indonesian medical students to take Elective at the end of his/her final year or before he/she join internship program. I always want to go back to my home country. And knowing that I have another option is really soothing. Taking residency abroad always be one of my choices. It is a forced-labor-system made by government. The programme is also important to get LoR (Letter of Recommendation) from professor or supervisor. it is likely very important for Indonesian medical student to aware more about elective and searching which med school is best for their elective and apply as soon as possible. and it can only be accessed when you apply as a medical student. though I went to Oxford after finishing all rotations in Indonesia and passing national exam (UKDI). To be continued. 2-4 night shifts in a row. Residency in Indonesia is a bloody hell crazy system. Now he desperately need them because he already graduated as a doctor long time ago. Having an Elective programme is very necessary for someone who intend to take residency outside Indonesia.Ridiculously. but it was extremely late for them when they finally realize about that. I admit.. we should talk about a daft juniorsenior relationships. He has to pay alot of money for getting into the program eventhough actually observeship is way less appreciate than elective in terms of residency. Moreover.there are alot of bursaries and travel grants offered by ministry of education for us. Being an Oxford Elective Student part III 18.because living outside Indonesia forever is not also my intention. You work in hospital more than 100 hours/week. and the working hours is more friendly. It is because only few indonesian medical student know how important elective program is. But well let it be one of my choices. Why I decide Oxford ? .. hence.in my medical education history. I applied DIKTI scholarship when I was a student. A good LoR from supervisor in good institution will definitely boost you Curriculum Vitae (CV). eventhough I dont really like those Indonesian system. but he havent taken Electives. Most medical schools also only offer you an Elective placement when you applied as a medical student.. if they have a plan to take residency abroad.32 medis No comments So. Well. University of Oxford Elective program itself.. You literally dont have life outside hospital. I will tell why I choose Oxford as my elective placement in the next chapter. is undoubtedly very excellent. I have friend who now struggling to get residency in US. but actually I havent decided yet whether taking residency in Indonesia or not. in fact you have to PAY to hospital. but you dont get paid by hospital. it is 180degree different in another country. He now tried to get an "observeship" program instead of elective program in rural hospital in US. Resident doctor is paid job. 32hours straight working hours. It is because . Chapel. They offer . but. it is Oxford. Like I posted before.beyond all the things. You could compare among them. but you will also get similar privilege as local Oxford students.Well. and get involved with a new-sophisticated treatment for patient. which is a good way to feel "Oxford vibrant". to put it very bluntly. and museum which belongs to Oxford University . you could also be enrolled as a member in Oxford Medical Alumni (OMA) ( but you have to pay small amount of pounds for member's fee). And those reason ensured me to apply for elective in University of Oxford. Oxford only accepts few students per year. so I have comparison to work in developed country hospital. lectures from many internationally-recognized proffesors from the best institution around the world. library. Harvard charged you approximately USD 3500/month (totally ridiculuos). The program is very well-organized. Without telling any word. Cambridge charged 250+900 pounds for administration+accomodation fee. at the first time. not only you will get opportunities to be trained in one of the best and greatest NHS teaching hospital in United Kingdom. if they want to visit them). I knew this program is highly competitive. after finishing your Elective in Oxford. As an elective student. my reason why I chose Oxford over its rivals ( Harvard or Cambridge) is simply because it is completely free. but this program is irresistable. You will get a University Card which is very useful to visit many Colleges.everyone already know about Oxford. first of All. botanical garden. You will also can attend so many journal readings. But I must admit : University of Oxford Elective Program is very outstanding and excellent program. but Oxford is beyond. FREE of charge ( people usually have to pay each. But free of charge is not enough for Oxford. . and they managed this program very seriously. I did Proffesional Exchange in Germany last year. you will get your own College ( Green Templeton College). Beyond my expectation . Greece. Being an Oxford Elective Student. indoubtedly is an honour. all clinical skills. he brought me to see JR hospital.what I want to see) during my Electives. Oxford is also has an International environment. and it is a good place to learn English Culture and History.most graduate student are non.Japan. What I really like about Elective in Oxford. And it is not just observeship program. Paul Greig. Dr. Oxford is one of the best cities in United Kingdom. putting LMA. Germany ect and we came from different background and different field of study. what I want to learn..Carolyn Cook. Oxford city itself is simply beautiful. United States. they talk in advanced vocabulary. Australia.the changing room. but I like the international vibrant in Oxford. she gave me all stuffs that I probably need. Some people considered Oxford people are typically-British-elite. They speak British English Received Pronunciation (RP). they never really let Elective student alone without nothing to do.Korea. I remember. I know this is because my college is for Graduate Student and. Then we discussed again about anaesthetics. I also met my supervisor. and once again. After he discussed my objectives. India. he arranged my timetable so I can get as many opprtunity as I can so I could fulfill my objectives.China. Many ancient buildings with long history along with UK beautiful scenery make Oxford as the city of dreaming spires. IV cannula. an anaesthetist consultant. It is recommended program and every people should always consider to apply into this program. No consultant would like to discuss " what student want to learn" to students. Furthermore. It is about compulsory lesson. They emphasized also on basic sciences. the place where I have to work and study during my Elective. but beyond of that. The Oxford Medical School Elective Coordinator brought me to JR hospital. the OR.the ER. Indonesia. And she was almost available every time I need during my Elective. Mrs. she explained every single details. they do let Elective students to have clinical exposure with many patients as much as They can. It is very rare because in Indonesia. hospital map. He was the one who open his door for me and made a cup of coffe on my first meeting. Germany : the best country in the Western Europe? . It seems like many people from every parts of the world study in Oxford.Malta. Taiwan. the scrub room. security card ( so I can open the doors in my department in JR Hospital) ect. A perspective from an Indonesian . every little thing we do in medicine has science reason on basis. in my table.. when I had formal dinner in my college.On my first day. He then gave me the timetable. their program is really well-organized.UK citizen. university card. He discussed with me about my learning objectives ( I should give my objectives to Oxford Medical School before . there are many various nations . I did many intubations. He also give me timetable for lecture and tutorial during my Elective. There is always learning opportunity for elective student to enhance their knowledge and skills. Sometimes it is true. North-Rhine Westfalen. I shared Wohnung ( German : flat/apartment) with a German doctor and a German student. this is obviously only one opinion from an Indonesia guy. I was also very fortunate to be able to be invited by Native conservative German family to celebrate Easter ( their big holiday) during that time. Belgium. I stayed in Germany in the late Winter and Spring 2012.or Frankfurt.the most powerful. United Kingdom and Austria) to be a comparison. bu also suburban area and small cities like Aachen. I've already also traveled to and stayed in several countries in Europe ( France.23. .ect.the richest or the best in The Western Europe.Lübeck. Hence. I've visited not only the big cities like Berlin. I worked as a Famulant ( German: junior doctor/clinical student) in Universitaetsklinikum Essen. I consider that I've already had some experiences and perspectives about the real Germany and how the people actually lives. It wont affect any rank or any statistic regarding which country is the greatest. Netherland. It was only my personal opinion toward this country : Germany.06 Opini No comments First of all.Munchen. purchase a travel agent packages. Another great thing.the hauptbahnhof are usually located in downtown. All of them are great.taxi. Germany is my favourite country. because their NAZI history ( Deutschland uber Alles!). U bahn. You can save alot of time. Netherland has its Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS). I do not know in statistics whether Germany's performance is better than any others country in Europe or not.Aachen. and I always ordain Salzburg.and I was always amazed with Germany's national public transportation system.Stuttgart.there are several point that makes me pondering that Germany is one of ( If we can not say the most) the best countries in Europe (or particularly in Western region). This integrated national system is notably very helpful for foreigner like me because it is easy to understand.or bus (inter city) ? With same sign. if you want to travel in Germany. You dont have to confuse about choosing which modality or which kind of bus you take because it is similar in every part of Germany. 1. I also love the concept of one-stop-services of "hauptbahnhof" (main central station) where every modalities transportation ( bus. The choice is always ICE or RE ( city to city)? S bahn. I was raised with British pop cultures influences. You dont have to read many terms and conditions.same rules.Dont get me wrong. Public Transportation Are you familiar with DB (Deutsche Bahn)? ICE or RE? U bahn or S bahn? Yes. And Clearly. But.I guess. France has TGV ( fastest train) and it is obviously excellent. But What I was amazed from Germany in comparison to other countries is.or Dresden. You dont have to hire a guide. but overall it is similar whether you are in Kiel.Frankfurt. Paris will always be my favourite city (till now). so it is quite easy to hang around. There is only very slight distinction among 16 states (Germany is federal country). private sector were not really involved in this bussiness so there is no unnecessary competition and the price for public transportation is very affordable. Well.train. .Austria as the most romantic city in Europe. So what is the differences? England already has National Express and Nationalrail or Britrail and they're quite good. is the goverment are clearly invested massively for public transportation and take lead. The timetable for every public transportation in Germany are precisely very punctual and can be accessed on the internet. but for me. they are inclined to not mentioning their achievements and proclaiming their country to be the best ( though I believe they noticed that their country is one of the most powerful in the world).subway) station are located into one spot (usually in city centre/touristic site and with so many shops/mall/hotel/parkinglot there).same prices. Their train system unites Germany and connects every cities there. the system is really and extremely integrated into one national system with same high standard with (almost) similar terms and conditions. The great thing about germany. I wrote this without any intention to make other countries less than Germany. it is only my opinion without referred to reliable sources. unapproachable Those are some stereotypes for German people.Diszipliniert 4.Please speak French".This is what I like from Germany. But the good news is most of them can speak English. But from my experiences. They tend to accept that English is our lingua franca in this world ( because the history of British Empire) and wont force foreigner to speak German (though preferably if you could speak in German. But like every other stereotypes. During my night shift in hospital. Even when you already studied German in high school (like me). Ok. or have experience of "Mitfahrengelenheit" (you rode in with stranger car but only pay for the shared cost of petrol) 2.Everything in order 2. For students. People. you hardly understand what they actually talk.still I Love Paris :D Living cost. or traveling during weekend. German is hard.Unnahbar" What's typical German? 1. this is not London. and there is a man who forced me to speak French "this is Paris.5 dollars) and for Asian like me.Kalt 5.I particularly amazed with their attention with details. Languange and Living Cost "Was ist der typisch Deutsch? 1. but when you speak with native German. But.If you want to reduce your costs for transportation during traveling in Germany. there is semester ticket which you can purchased for 200euros/terms and it is valid for almost every transportation in whole area of the state (you can imagine. it is a great plus). German people are (more or less) is nice people.Ordnung 2. the living costs are ridiculously cheap in comparison with others developed country.5-4. and it is exquisite how crazy they are for detail. I usually eat half Döner for dinner and eat another half for breakfast. the portion of one Döner is for two portion meals.Pünktlichkeit 3. you can always share ticket with Gruppen ticket. sometimes it's right. like in Northrhine westfalen. Just try to ask something (even just casual question like a direction to a street that you dont know) and they will give you every detail. About the Language. You can buy Döner (Turkish-German hamburger) for 3-4 euros (3.Discipline 4. They will draw you sketch and everything.Cold 5. and WILLING to speak English.punctuality 3. It is not like when I was in Paris. you could travel from Aachen to . sometimes it's wrong. black. then you got education as high as you want and you can. 750 euros compare with 1000poundsfor living cost. Let's suck your money and bank deposit" 5. Germany is different with some fellas in western europe who charged foreign student very greedy like " Ok..because I am so infatuated with Brits! And when Britons speak with their accent as well.local.000 poundsterling/month (outside london) and 1200pounds/month for London. it easy to find Indonesian students (another great point). This affordability would not reduce their standard. In Germany. gobsmacked? Yeah. 3. It is sufficiently enough for living cost in whole parts of Germany.french kiss). in fact their universities were still in highest rank in the best world university. you see the difference.you must be INSANELY rich. Dont ask me about British cultures.muslim.atheist. British? Ok..christian. They offer very high standard of education for FREE. Cultures France are very well known for French Food (and also. Germany Cultures are less popular than Germany BMW or German team soccer but they do have great culture!"pommes und currywurst" would not beat the popularity of "Boeuf bourguignon" and they will not ever beat English for their accent but Germany has another thing to explore. but as long as you want to learn and pass the exam. you are from third world country and want to study abroad. But UKBA (United Kingdom Border Agency) will only issued UK Tier 4 visa (student visa) if the applicant showed there is a financial ability to support them 1. The affordability of German Education attracts so many students around the world including Indonesians. There are several states in germany who charge a little tuition fee but still it is quite cheap.Indonesia. white.from Essen to Münster).Education Education is one of great points for Germany.asian. foreigner. No matter you are native. . To be a comparison. I am.Dusseldorf. DAAD (Deutsche Akademischer Austauch Dienst/ German Academic Exchange services) gives annual scholarship for scholars with 750euros/month.right? One of my friends from Jakarta who studied Engineering in Essen Germany told me that his living cost in Essen were lower than his cost in Jakarta. Previous Thread Next Thread Loading. I could learn some lessons how to develop your country (remember. this nation has already went through hardship and another hardship before they achieved like these days. Jan 27. And we should remember in the early days. I was invited to Easter tradition celebration in Munchen with my friend (Native German) and it was very exciting! and then I realized. Services are made possible through the generous support of SDN members and sponsors. Page 1 of 2 1 2 Next > 1.. Ich hab mein Herz in Deutschland verlosen! And (if I could). 1. 2005 Messages: . With the Prussian Empire and Old Romanic Empire history in Germany. after I leave this country. English and Dutch are actually German inherited. From Germany. Thank you. I defenitely will come back someday to this country to make such a sweet-walk-to-remember! Ich immer vermisse Deutschland! Preparing for USMLE in Australia: my experience Discussion in 'Australasia and Oceania' started by Pollux.I recalled when I visited Bayern (Bavaria) I see alot of native german cultures there. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. we could see. there is always a piece of my heart that I already left in Germany. they become one of the remarkable developed countries in the world. Germany starts from a scratch after World War II) and with their perseverance.. Germany is very rich for their cultures. And there are so many points why I love this country. 2009. Such a great Job! And now. SDN is a nonprofit organization. so I spent extra effort studying for these subjects. I didn't feel quite ready and decided to postpone my exam till the end of third year. I found the study group very helpful in getting me motivated to study for this exam. where a group of my friends would spend an afternoon every Saturday to go over materials that are frequently tested on the USMLE. but could only manage to do 1-2hr/day on weekdays and up to 8hr/day on weekends. I'm currently a 4th year student at UQ. I generally don't find lectures useful in med school. prepare for it during the week. I spent a month studying . I initially intended to sit the exam at the beginning of third year. At the end of the month. and I was able to get through resources fairly efficiently at my own pace. I spent a lot of time in second year studying at home as opposed to going to lectures. and microbiology. (About Ads) Hi. especially the subjects mentioned above. and got my score last Wednesday. I only had some time during my rural rotation and psychiatry rotation to study for USMLE. Each person would be assigned a topic. and give a brief talk on the topic on the following Saturday. I took the step 1 in December. I also joined a USMLE study group at the beginning of second year. Compared my classmates. as the Australian medical curriculum does not place a lot of emphasis on basic sciences education. so I spent a month studying after second year was over. At the end of third year. Wrong.123 Status: Resident [Any Field] SDN Members don't see this ad. and would like to share my experience with other medical students studying for this exam in Australia. The course covers very little biochemistry. and the greatest piece of advice I've received regarding lectures is to attend them selectively. I had to spend a significant amount of time on the side to study for this exam. pharmacology. I am extremely happy about my hard-earned score of 276/99. thinking that I would have plenty of time to study during the clinical rotations. . IMG at an Australian medical school (UQ). feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding my preparation. I'd be grateful if you could read the Q&A section first before you PM me. ===================== Initial goal: 250+ Total prep time: 1000 hours. unused.. Behavioural science: Kaplan notes & Kaplan webprep. . USMLE Road Map Anatomy.hardcore again. first time through) Plus NBME + UW exams + USMLE CD + RR Goljan. I tend to crossreference it when I read other books and I frequently consulted it during second year during PBL. However. For every diagram/table/metabolic pathway in FA. Anatomy: Kaplan notes & Kaplan webprep. so I was very familar with the content of this book. Prep material: FA of course!! I read it cover-to-cover 3 times. However. just in case I have already answered it. I also annotated notes in FA when I did UW. I've posted my experience in exam preparation below. Biochemistry: Kaplan notes & Kaplan webprep. I made sure that they were familiar to the point that I was able to to reproduce them from memory. HY Neuroanatomy. and finally took the exam on the 26th of December. MCAT=38 NBME 1: 258 (9 months out) NBME 2: 261 (2 months out) NBME 6: 262 (25 days out) UW 1: 265+ (15 days out) NBME 3: 265+ (8 days out) NBME 4: 265+ (6 days out) UW 2: 265+ (4 days out) NBME 5: 265+ (2 days out) USMLE CD: 96% (1 day out) I did over 10000 USMLE-style practice exam questions in the following order: USMLERx: 94% Kaplan Qbank: 91% First Aid Q&A step 1: 93% UW: 88% (Random. Goljan notes. (300hr) Jan . I would drink 300mL of oolong tea or green tea to keep me awake. I spent 45 minutes in each block and took a 20-minute break after each block (except the first block). MicroCards. (300hr) Exam experience on 2008/12/26: I started the exam at 8:30 and finished at 4:00 with 20 minutes of break time to spare. eat half a sandwich. I thought the strategy worked quite well for me. I did NBME1 in March and got 258(720) and was pretty happy that reading Kaplan notes paid off. I love pathology so it wasn't really a daunting task for me. Physiology: Kaplan notes. Micro Made Ridiculously Simple. I also started listening to Goljan audios in first year and I was really glad that I started early. On average. 8-10hr/day.Nov 2008 . I thought the exam was quite a bit harder than NBME but easier than UW. Microbiology: Kaplan notes & Kaplan webprep. Pharmacology: Kaplan notes & Kaplan webprep. go to the washroom. Road Map. Pathology: BRS Pathology. and wash my face so I felt refreshed and ready to tackle the next block. Spent the last week just memorizing FA and doing practice questions. Pharmacology Flash Cards (Brenner). I read the supplementary material (HY. Immunology: Kaplan notes & FA. During this time. Preparation timeline: During second year .Did most of the NBMEs and UW assessment exams in this month.Read BRS Pathology and pretty much memorized the book. I had only about 4 months during this time (rural and psych) where I could fit USMLE studying into my schedule. BRS Physiology. Goljan audio. and did the majority of the practice questions. listened to Kaplan webprep while commuting. . but could only manage to study about 25 hours a week. It was probably comparable to UW self-assessment exams in terms of difficulty. (400hr) December 2008 .On and off. During each break. December 2007 . Completed UW question bank for the second time. HY Pharm. 8-10hr/day. However.Finished reading Kaplan notes (all subjects except Path) and Goljan notes for Path. flash cards).Cell biology: HY Cell and molecular biology. but I always felt that I learned something new each time. I finished Goljan audios at least three times. I noticed the trend of increasing proportions of cell biology questions in the NBME. Pathology: Not surprisingly the bulk of the exam. and 5% was difficult. I thought UW covered these sorts of questions really well. 10% was tricky. I even had brain CT and angiograms for structure identification. Behavioral science: 20 questions. Biochemistry/Cell bio/Molecular bio: Geez. Make sure you know the various bacterial exotoxins and their mechanisms of action. Make sure you know the brain stem and cranial nerves well. because it probably helped me answer 5 questions correctly. I had quite a few questions on pharmacodynamics too. except a few psychotropic medications and a question on defense mechanisms. Most involved the up/down arrows and graph interpretation. I probably had 50 questions that fell into this category (Biochem/Cell bio). Anatomy/neuroanatomy: 15 questions. Half were biostatistics. Around 70% of the questions were patholgy questions or required pathology integration. so there weren't really any surprises for me. Most of them involved intepretation of X-rays/CT/MRIs.I marked 6-7 questions each block. Even West Nile virus appeared on my exam. As usual. I walked out of the testing centre feeling quite confident I did pretty well. I had almost no questions that came out of the psychiatry section in FA. I . Piece of cake compared to UW. For metabolism. know the key regulatory enzymes and global control of metabolic processes (i. I thought FA covers pharmacology in sufficient details.e. nothing too obscure. but I never expected this many on my exam. I thought 85% of the questions was straight-forward. The different kinds of receptors and intracellular signalling pathways are extremely high-yield. Microbiology: 30 questions. Pharmacology: Around 25 questions. emphasis was placed on autonomic pharmacology and cardiovascular medications. Endocrine questions are high-yield too. and the other half were the typical "what would be the best action/response in this scenario" type of questions. Quite a few questions involved TB and HIV. insulin vs glucagon's effects). I only had around 5 questions that came with pictures of gross pathology specimens. I was glad that I flipped through HY Cell and Molecular biology just a few days before the exam. I thought just reading FA or Kaplan notes was not really sufficient to answer these sorts of questions. Physiology: 30 questions. and I found it quite helpful as a last-minute review. but wasn't too sure if I was able to get 270+. Raymon is just simply amazing. . I would highly recommend listening to webprep for biochem. I'd like to thank those who emailed or PMed me and also their permission to post these questions up. 276/99! I didn't even know it was possible! Needless to say. I was ecstatic!! ===================== I've also compiled a Q&A from the emails and PMs I've received since last Wednesday. However. I didn't use Kaplan videos so couldn't comment on them. I was running out of time toward the end of my preparation so I didn't use the videos. Got the score last Wednesday. Dr. I would suggest doing the webprep audios only after you finish reading the lecture notes. Q: Did the Kaplan webprep audios make a big difference where the lecture notes are concerned? A: I wouldn't say the webprep audios were essential. pharm. especially for biochem and pharm. I went over the rapid review section at the end of FA the night before the exam date. Q: First Aid &#8211. However. he does an excellent job integrating pathology. so I would definitely recommend using it as the primary resource the week before the exam. If time is a factor for your preparation. it is still of utmost importance to memorize all the tables/diagrams/metabolic pathways in the biochem section of FA. I hope this answers more questions regarding my exam preparation. and biochem. and did you use the accompanying videos? A: I used Kaplan notes 2004 edition. I think it really ties the information together nicely toward the end of the preparation.was certain I broke 260. Q: Do you think the lecture notes for biochem are okay to use without the videos? A: I think the lecture notes for biochem are adequate to be used on its own. but they certainly helped solidify many important concepts. Learning Resources: Q: What edition of Kaplan notes did you use. how much does it cover? A: FA covered about 80% of the material on my exam. that's for sure.Q: For Pharmacology. A: I agree with you that using FA to supplement MRS would be very helpful. A heavy amount of rote memorization is required to master Microbiology. route of metabolism on the other side. Q: Despite reading Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple over again. I dont feel like there is anyway to "master" these questions cause they often test trivia that while I know I read. and -RNA viruses. The practice questions from UW and NBME are very good though. but I have only read the first few chapters of HY BS so I can't really comment on them. because they frequently appear on the exam. Sorry to confuse you. mechanism. Make sure you know these like the back of your hand. I didn't like Kaplan and FA because they focused too much on the psychiatric disorders. use the mnemoics in Kaplan notes to remember the DNA. do you think studying FA is enough? A: I think FA is enough for Pharm. Any suggestion what shall I go for to cover that? A: A lot of my friends liked HY behavioural and biostats a lot. they are handy to carry around if you want to study them on the bus or during a boring lecture. with the drug's generic name and trade name on one side. provided that you know the mechanisms of the drugs well. I think FA is quite sufficient. but make sure you are comfortable doing those calculations and drawing those 2x2 tables. I do think my main problem here is focusing too much on MRS and not on FA. Q: You mentioned that kaplan and FA were not enough for behavioural and biostat questions. For virology. Pay close attention to the bacterial exotoxins as well. clinical uses. I found it quite difficult to memorize the list of clinical uses and side effects without having a solid understanding of the mechanisms. and it certainly made those things easier to memorize. It's a good idea to start with MRS in the beginning of your preparation. and not so much on the "best response/action" scenario type of questions. +RNA. Q: Did you like the Pharmacology flash cards you used or were they too detailed? A: I liked the flash cards. It can also be conveniently used to quiz yourself. but toward the end. so I chose to do Kaplan notes before tackling FA. (Remember: Big pictures first!) The gram positive and negative lab algorithms in FA are gold. side effects. and the list of drug class. I would encourage you to focus on the classifications and lab algorithms first before you start memorizing the rest of the minutiae. Although. . I just cant recall on the spot. Doing lots of biostats questions will definitely help solidify the concepts. but for biostats. the tables in MRS and the charts in FA are the way to go. so you're familiar with the concepts. I am still missing tons of micro questions. I don't think they are overly detailed. and I would recommend doing as many questions like those as you can. Goljan notes. you do have to make sure you comprehend the info in Kaplan notes before moving on to FA.80 pages of FA in a day toward the end of the preparation. What types of questions are you getting wrong. do you include the book questions or any other questions? . I forgot much of what I learned maybe 2 weeks ago. The only book that I was still reading after I started doing questions was FA. I could read around 60 . at the speed of 12-15 pages per hour.Q: How much do you get through a day and how do you retain that information? One of my problems is that I get through maybe 30 pages of Kaplan Biochem notes a day. But once you start remembering the mnemonics and are familiar with the content. A: Don't worry too much about having to retain everything in Kaplan notes. Q: When you say you did 10000 questions. BRS path and phys. I started doing questions after reading all of Kaplan notes. Question banks: Q: Did you do questions after each subject during your initial read. I find that I really didnt learn that much. but when I first started. I tend to forget things as I go. or did you skip questions altogether until after you completed your first read? A: Thanks for raising this point as I probably didn't make it very clear in my post. When I do questions later on on the same subject. Q: How many pages of FA and kaplan notes can you get through in a day? A: I set goals to get through 100 to 120 pages of Kaplan notes every day. are they questions that require straight fact-recall or ones that require you to apply a concept? If it's the former. It helps solidify information right away. which was only a few pages long but very memory-intensive. Another thing I found helpful was to read the corresponding section in FA after finishing a subject in Kaplan notes. It depends on the subject too. for the latter. I think the primary purpose of reading Kaplan notes is to help you understand FA later on so you can memorize the facts in FA with better ease. the speed goes up quite quickly. and at the end of the day. it's impossible and often unnecessary to try to remember some of the details. it was painfully slow. anatomy and biochem were slower. and most HY books that I mentioned. while I retain the information. Furthermore more. I could remember spending an entire day just studying the embryology section. I wouldn't worry too much about Kaplan notes and would probably spend more time studying FA instead. whereas physiology and pharm were faster because I had done BRS physiology and Pharmacology flash cards already. Q: Would you say that a particular question bank or all the 3 question banks that you did do cover all the usmle questions (=subject matter) that you were asked? A: I would say UW was the most high-yield of them all. if you learn from your mistakes. making sure you really understand what the question is asking. USMLERx and Kaplan Q-bank have been known to test minutiae that are not necessarily high-yield info. It can take a very long time when you first start doing it this way. because this Q-bank is basically based on the material in FA. you will not get the same type of question wrong again. so doing tons of questions was certainly helpful for me.g. but with time. probably just as much as the questions themselves. Don't skip the explanation for questions you answered correctly. so I'd actually still remember it. it was actually mentioned twice in FA. you can learn a lot by reading about why the other choices are wrong. What can I do? A: I would recommend going over the explanations in more detail. However. When I first started doing questions. e. These 3 question banks combined definitely covered more than any one of them alone. Q: I am dedicating a solid 8 hours everyday to question banks (I time myself).A: I only counted the questions in USMLE format. Sometimes the strategy is to eliminate the other answer . but an hour to read the explanations and annotate notes into FA. Q: I am quite frustrated with questions that test minutia details. but my scores are not improving. but after a while. UW (2000) + Kaplan practice tests (2000) + Kaplan Q-bank (2000) + FA Q&A (1000) + USMLERx (did ~2000) + NBME 1-6 (1200) + UW self-assessment 1&2 (400) + Goljan RR Path questions (100) = 10700 I didn't count BRS questions or questions in Kaplan notes because they were not always in board format. "Which of the following can be found in bacterial endospores?" (Answer is dipicolinic acid) I had never seen anything like that and I had to flip through pubmed to get the answer. it often took me 40 minutes to do 50 questions. only 5% of questions on my exam were things I had never encountered before. It's easy to feel frustrated when you first start. although dipicolinic acid is probably a trivia type question. and I wouldn't recommend it either. As I mentioned in my post. Good luck. I learned a lot from the explanations in UW. Are these questions worth remembering? A: I'm not trying to discourage you here. Q: Did you do robbins review of path? Was USMLERX useful? A: I didn't do Robbins. USMLERx was okay in terms of helping me memorize some details that I wouldn't have paid attention to in FA. I'm sure your accuracy rate will improve. Side effects). they can ask you about the side effect of the most common antibiotics used. they often give you a clinical presentation of an infectious disease. If they want to be mean. so make sure you know FA well and don't get too discouraged by the low-yield questions. but that doesn't mean the real exam is like that. . these are the ones that are high-yield. but a month gives you enough time to test if you really understand the materials tested. and are guaranteed to be on exam. How can I tell if its important? Or is it all completely important? A: I only annotate information that I consider "high-yield". you know they just can't be right. while still giving yourself enough time to go over FA again and do the rest of the NBME forms. I went through UW the second time 3 weeks before my exam. if other choices are peptidoglycan and mycolic acid. I agree that Micro Qbank questions can sometimes be a bit annoying.Antibiotics). Ignore the weird trivia type of questions that have no clinical correlation.Bug . I still had 2 weeks left to review the material that I mentioned above. When I finished. I don't think there's much benefit doing it again right after you finish it first time through. These require a two-step process (Presentation . Things that aid in the laboratory diagnosis or things that have to do with treatment (for example. and are less common than the type of questions above. For me. For example. then ask you for the most appropriate antibiotics.Bug . Take Micro for example. the second time helped me increase my speed as I was more comfortable dealing with long question stems (but that could be an effect of having seen the questions before as well). Q: What did you annotate into first aid? Only qbank questions? I find some of the Micro Qbank questions extremely tedious and testing pHD like material.choices if you couldn't recognize the right answer. I did 350 questions every day to simulate the exam length and build up my stamina. As you do more questions. These questions require a three-step process (Presentation .Antibiotics . Q: When should I do UW again? A: I would recommend doing UW again as close to the exam date as possible. and not because you memorized the questions and answers. HIV gene products and antiviral drugs that target these products) are also extremely high-yield. I found that FA covers > 90% of the Micro questions on my exam. Q: About doing usmleworld 2X: did you find that helpful even though you already did the same questions once? A: I did UW again one month apart. you'll soon know what types of questions tend to show up over and over again. markdc Senior Member Joined: Feb 17. after doing some questions. I knew my strengths and weaknesses and knew what to focus on in order to get the most out of the review process. The questions also help you remember the material in FA more easily. you soon realize the amount of information that FA actually covers. and so did HY neuroanatomy for 2 weeks. if you really have no idea what the question is getting at. I realized I had a lot of trouble with neuroanatomy. I could often read the question stem and predict what type of question they were going to throw at me. Q: Any advice on test-taking strategies? A: One thing I found really useful from doing tons of questions is that on the real exam. Jan 27.Q: When did you really start feeling comfortable with the material? A: I probably started feeling comfortable with the material after I finished Kaplan notes and had done 2000+ questions. which seemed to effectively remedy the problem. as you do more questions. reading the options first while using the process of elimination is often helpful. I would also recommend coming up with your own answer in your head before you look at the answer choices. Of course. Pollux. 2003 Messages: 153 Location: Canada . By that time. reading the other answer choices (distractors) before committing to a response can be confusing. For example. especially when you're not very certain of your answer to start with. 2009 #1 2. Besides. Jan 27. 2009 #2 3. markdc.Congrats on your accomplishment Pollux.. Are you 100% aiming for the US? I am already out and working and thinking about the daunting task of completing the USMLE at this late point.. . Click to expand. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. Are you 100% aiming for the US? I am already out and working and thinking about the daunting task of completing the USMLE at this late point. 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] markdc said: ↑ Congrats on your accomplishment Pollux. This gives me at least a backup plan so I can return to Australia for college training in case the financial crisis in US continues to get worse. amakhosidlo Accepted Joined: Feb 13. 2009 #3 4. I am aiming for the 2011 match. Jan 28. I plan to stay in Australia for my intern year and apply for US residency in the mean time. Pollux.Thanks markdc. Can I ask why you're interested in going to US now that you're working? Best of luck in your preparation. 2008 Messages: 943 Status: Medical Student . Feel free to email me if you have any questions regarding the exam and exam preparation. ugh.276??? That is. and thoroughly reassuring. Jan 28. Theillestill Joined: Oct 21... Any advice for IMG's(US) applying to Oz schools? amakhosidlo.. Jan 28... 2009 .Not so worried anymore.amazing. 2008 Messages: 124 Location: Melbourne Status: Dental Student now to see if i can do the same for NBDE part 1. Theillestill. . I've been hesitant to apply to Oz schools due to worries about being able to prepare for the Step (If I chose to return to the states).. 2009 #4 5. #5 6. Pollux Joined: Sep 14, 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] amakhosidlo said: ↑ 276??? That is....amazing, and thoroughly reassuring. I've been hesitant to apply to Oz schools due to worries about being able to prepare for the Step (If I chose to return to the states). ....Not so worried anymore. Any advice for IMG's(US) applying to Oz schools? Click to expand... Please take my experience with a grain of salt. I never intended to use my score to prove that IMGs studying in Australia all succeed on the USMLE. I just wanted to show that it's definitely possible. You just have to put in a lot of work on your own. I'd still encourage you to try US schools first before you apply to Oz schools, especially if you intend to go back to US eventually. I believe the application process has changed quite a bit since I applied to Oz schools, so you probably have to look up these things yourself. However, I'd definitely suggest applying early, and to as many schools as possible. (You can list 2 schools on your ACER application, but many schools take independent applications; please look them up yourself because the list constantly changes) Theillestill said: ↑ now to see if i can do the same for NBDE part 1. ugh. Click to expand... I don't know about the NBDE so can't help you there, but all the best. Pollux, Jan 29, 2009 #6 7. amakhosidlo Accepted Joined: Feb 13, 2008 Messages: 943 Status: Medical Student Pollux said: ↑ Please take my experience with a grain of salt. I never intended to use my score to prove that IMGs studying in Australia all succeed on the USMLE. I just wanted to show that it's definitely possible. You just have to put in a lot of work on your own. Click to expand... Haha, well obviously. I meant that it was reassuring in the sense that, like you point out, your story proves it can be done. Pollux said: ↑ I'd still encourage you to try US schools first before you apply to Oz schools, especially if you intend to go back to US eventually. Click to expand... Well, part of the reason I'm applying to Oz schools is that with the way things are going, I'm not sure I want anything to do with the American healthcare system, hence my interest in Australian schools. (That and a lifelong infatuation with Australia in general .) I've just heard of the shortage of internships predicted for Oz grads in the next couple of years, and was taking into consideration the fact that I might be forced to return to the states to find employment opportunities after graduating... amakhosidlo, Jan 29, 2009 #7 8. markdc Senior Member Joined: 2003 Messages: 153 Location: Canada I would say that Pollux is not representative of anything here. microbio etc to the level of minute detail needed for the Step 1. Pollux. but knowing what nematode causes perianal pruritis is hardly useful in the long run. 2009 #8 9. Jan 30. it is mostly useless stuff to memorize for the real world. In order to do that I have to the USMLE at some point. markdc. If you want to prepare for the USMLE you have to do it on your own. the less likely it is that I will do it. 2007 . Pharmacology and Physiology sure. That being said. shan564 Below the fray Joined: May 30. However the longer I wait. There is very little focus on biochem. I don't know if I will apply to the US but it had always been part of the master plan to have the option to go. He did what he did on his own and it likely had nothing to do with the education he received here.Feb 17. My new plan is to study for the Step II and MCCQE1 together and then worry about step 1 later if for some reason I don't match here or in Canada soon. 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] amakhosidlo said: ↑ .Messages: 2. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. Louis Status: Resident [Any Field] Great suggestions. I'm fairly certain that I'll be referring back to this thread in the future as I prepare for the USMLE. Louis via Sydney via St. 2009 #9 10.260 Location: St. shan564. Jan 30. Well. Pharmacology and Physiology sure. but knowing what nematode causes perianal pruritis is hardly useful in the long run. but some people are not so optimistic that the situation will be the same in 1 or 2 years time. microbio etc to the level of minute detail needed for the Step 1. and there are a few more to come. There is very little focus on biochem.... but I'm sure the interns and residents here will tell you that the Australian healthcare system has its own share of problems too.. That being said. If you want to prepare for the USMLE you have to do it on your own. The international students at UQ in the year above me had no problems getting intern positions after graduation for those who chose to stay.) I've just heard of the shortage of internships predicted for Oz grads in the next couple of years. Click to expand. part of the reason I'm applying to Oz schools is that with the way things are going. (That and a lifelong infatuation with Australia in general . It works quite well now. . hence my interest in Australian schools. it is mostly useless stuff to memorize for the real world. I agree that the Australian healthcare system is quite unique in that there are both private and public systems. There are concerns now that they might be overproducing medical students relative to the number of training positions available. I'm not sure I want anything to do with the American healthcare system. markdc said: ↑ I would say that Pollux is not representative of anything here. and was taking into consideration the fact that I might be forced to return to the states to find employment opportunities after graduating. Click to expand. He did what he did on his own and it likely had nothing to do with the education he received here.. I'm not working yet. but there are concerns that the healthcare cost will skyrocket in a few years time due to aging populations." Australia has opened around 5 new medical schools in the last 4 years.. The shortage of doctors might end in a few years time due to the projected "medical student tsunami. and progressing to clinical years without a solid foundation in them will only make life harder. these two subjects probably have the most clinical importance. It gave me the option to skip irrelevant and uninteresting lectures so I could spend my time and energy studying for the USMLE.. especially in areas like biochem. and the questions were so random that going to lectures didn't really help. so my plan is to complete my specialist training in Aus or US before moving to Canada. I see. the less likely it is that I will do it. I don't know if I will apply to the US but it had always been part of the master plan to have the option to go. . Click to expand. (Are you based at GCH if I remembered correctly?) I probably won't be taking the MCCEE or QE any time soon because I'm not Canadian and therefore not eligible for CARMS matching. markdc said: ↑ Pollux. My new plan is to study for the Step II and MCCQE1 together and then worry about step 1 later if for some reason I don't match here or in Canada soon. it's gotta be the assessment format and the exam content in the basic sciences years. let me know. I will be sitting step 2 CS some time this year and CK next year. I really miss Vancouver ) shan564 said: ↑ Great suggestions. In order to do that I have to the USMLE at some point. I don't like the fact that the Australian medical curriculum de-emphasizes the value of basic sciences to the point that the amount of pathology and pharmacology education that one receives in 2nd year is quite minimal. only 4 exams each year. Click to expand. However..If I want to thank UQ for one thing. I agree that a lot of information on the step 1 seems to have little clinical importance. However the longer I wait. If you ever want to study together. I'm fairly certain that I'll be referring back to this thread in the future as I prepare for the USMLE. In my opinion.. (I went to uni at UBC.. don't hesitate to contact me. Last edited: Jan 30. 2009 Pollux. fruitloops Joined: Nov 6. 2007 Messages: 44 Status: Post Doc Pollux. From those marked questions. I'm curious about how you went through your exams. Jan 30. there's some I miss and some I get right. so. 2009 #10 11.Thanks. Are you in Australia now? If you ever have questions regarding USMLE preparation. I remember that you applied to UQ and USyd last year and got accepted to both. Of course. Congratulations on doing so well and thanks very much for your helpfulness. at the end of practice . I don't know if it's a good strategy for me to mark them anyway. Did you mark them at all and then go back to check ones you were unsure of? I ask because I tend to mark all the ones I'm not sure of. Feb 3. 2008 Messages: 13 Status: Pre-Medical Congratulations on your excellent marks! Thanks for your thorough posts-very helpful. I always go over the marked ones and missed ones. 2009 #11 12. Feb 3. islandoc2B. 2009 #12 .exams. Any thoughts about this? Thanks in advance. Seems I sorta knew marked ones I got right. islandoc2B Joined: Apr 28. but wasn't sure of them. fruitloops. redshifteffect. Both excellent guys but they had a lacking of the fundamentals. redshifteffect Senior Member Joined: Jan 25.165 Sadly the only two interns who failed internship last year were both from UQ. 2009 #13 14. Feb 4. redshifteffect Senior Member Joined: Jan 25. 2003 Messages: . 2003 Messages: 1. From what I've heard around the place UQ seems to be well known for skipping out on a lot of the basics.13. Thus it's now taking two or three doctors to do what used to be the domain of a single doctor. and it's nearly impossible for them to find anyone willing to work the full 5 days as they've been trying for the last 5 years. Even in pathology both of my consultants work only 4 days a week. but keep in mind that not only is the Australian population aging (thus requiring more healthcare services/and therefore doctors) but so are the doctors themselves. Feb 4.165 In terms of the "medical student tsunami" I've heard it both ways. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. and there simply will not be enough graduates even with the increase in numbers to fill all the jobs that will be vacant in the next few years. 2009 #14 15.1. 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] . It's really impossible to accurately predict what will happen. again increasing the number of doctors that will be needed. Then there's also the trend towards increasing numbers of (mainly) female doctors (as well as non-traditional male) doctors who work only part time or take on mainly locum work. Many doctors will be retiring in the next 5-10 years putting a lot of pressure to find people to fill these jobs. redshifteffect. fruitloops said: ↑ Pollux. Did you mark them at all and then go back to check ones you were unsure of? I ask because I tend to mark all the ones I'm not sure of. Of course. there's some I miss and some I get right. I found that going over all the questions again took too much time for me. so.. 80% of questions I answered incorrectly were also questions that I marked. I tended to mark questions rather generously though. From those marked questions. Click to expand. Congratulations on doing so well and thanks very much for your helpfulness.. and from experience (the stats in UW).. islandoc2B said: ↑ Congratulations on your excellent marks! Thanks for your thorough posts-very helpful. Then after doing all the questions in the block. I don't know if it's a good strategy for me to mark them anyway. and I usually don't change my answers for unmarked questions anyway. I marked all the questions that I was not sure of (even the questions for which I could narrow down to 2 choices). Hi fruitloops. I'm curious about how you went through your exams. I always go over the marked ones and missed ones. .. Seems I sorta knew marked ones I got right. I'm not sure whether there's an ideal approach to marking questions. but this is just what worked for me. Any thoughts about this? Thanks in advance. I would go back to the marked questions only. Click to expand. at the end of practice exams. but wasn't sure of them. . Feb 4. Click to expand. 2009 #15 16. It would have made clinical years a lot easier with a solid foundation in the basics. I've had my mind set on Pathology for a while now) Pollux. Both excellent guys but they had a lacking of the fundamentals. md2011 Member Joined: (j/k.Thank you for taking the time to read my posts.. Working 4 days a week? I'm definitely going into Pathology then. detailed knowledge in subjects like biochem and anatomy is probably not relevant to everyday clinical practice. I do believe that the UQ curriculum places too much emphasis on clinical medicine rather early on in the course at the expense of a solid foundation of basic sciences. I'm not terribly surprised. like pharmacology and pathology. From what I've heard around the place UQ seems to be well known for skipping out on a lot of the basics. Granted. Hi redshifteffect. redshifteffect said: ↑ Sadly the only two interns who failed internship last year were both from UQ. Thank you for your input. I wish they had spent more teaching hours and effort on the more clinically relevant subjects. For some reason.. however. Pollux. 2009 #16 17. # of segment). and envelop/naked are important for step 1? Thanks for the great advice you have posted.Dec 21. do you think memorizing virus structure (DS/SS RNA/DNA linear/circular. capsid shape (helical/icosahedral). 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] . Feb 4. md2011. 2005 Messages: 76 Status: Medical Student Hi. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. For microbiology. Hi md2011. so I would not really worry about learning them. For example. but knowing them definitely helps. they are less susceptible to denaturation by stomach acids. Click to expand. Rotavirus (reoviridae).. do you think memorizing virus structure (DS/SS RNA/DNA linear/circular.md2011 said: ↑ Hi. Because naked viruses don't have an envelope. On the other hand. Feb 5. you could link the viral structures back to the diseases themselves. Picornavirus. For example. and envelop/naked are important for step 1? Thanks for the great advice you have posted. Adenovirus. There's a pretty nice mnemonic for that in Kaplan notes. +ve RNA. You don't necessarily have to know viral structures to get the virology questions right. For example. but knowing that Rotavirus is a naked virus with dsRNA could further confirm your suspicion.. Pollux.naked PAPP smear and CPR. capsid shapes are not as high-yield. Polyomavirus. For microbiology. You could come to the conclusion that it's most likely to be Rotavirus based on the clinical presentation and patient's age alone. I would recommend learning the viruses with DNA. Papillomavirus. Hep A (picornaviridae). Reovirus Alternatively. PAPP = Naked DNA viruses = Parvovirus. capsid shape (helical/icosahedral). and -ve RNA genomes as well. I relied a lot on mnemonics for micro. CPR = Naked RNA viruses = Calicivirus. Norovirus (caliciviridae). # of segment). Naked viruses . so their route of transmission is often fecal-oral. they will often give you a clinical scenario (1-year old infant presents with severe watery diarrhea for 24 hours) and mention that naked virus with dsRNA genome were identified. 2009 . Pollux. 2007 . 2009 #18 19. Feb 5. fruitloops Joined: Nov 6. Thank you very much. 2005 Messages: 76 Status: Medical Student That's so helpful. Pollux md2011. md2011 Member Joined: Dec 21.#17 18. Thanks again for all of your help and thoughtful tips! So. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. I need to read through it again but it's important that the information stick this time. Are there any tips to remembering which enzymes go in which direction and memorizing control points of different cycles? I do have Goljan's HY Biochem list which seems to require just brute force memorization -. Both times.Messages: 44 Status: Post Doc Hi Pollux. two different times and understood everything quite well. Feb 5.have you seen or used it? Any helpful hints are greatly appreciated. I've seen your recommendation to know all of the illustrations in First Aid. I've read through Kaplan biochem notes. specifically the chapters focussed on metabolism. 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] . my objective was primarily to understand. fruitloops. 2009 #19 20. with me test looming at the end of the month. Now. . Thanks again for all of your help and thoughtful tips! So. I need to read through it again but it's important that the information stick this time. Don't bother learning EVERY single enzyme in the metabolic pathways. just try to focus on the biochem section in FA. Do you mean you're going to read Kaplan biochem again with less than a month remaining? I would not actually recommend it. and you should be fine. You're very welcome.. Click to expand. I've seen your recommendation to know all of the illustrations in First Aid. Now. my objective was primarily to understand. and pyruvate kinase. know the 4 enzymes in gluconeogenesis that catalyze the reactions in the reverse direction. .md2011 said: ↑ That's so helpful. specifically the chapters focussed on metabolism.have you seen or used it? Any helpful hints are greatly appreciated. I've read through Kaplan biochem notes. Thank you very much. Take glycolysis for example. because these enzymes catalyze irreversible reactions and are subject to regulation.. Similarly. two different times and understood everything quite well. the enzymes you need to know are hexokinase (glucokinase in liver). Instead. fruitloops said: ↑ Hi Pollux. with me test looming at the end of the month. Both times. Pollux Click to expand. PFK. Are there any tips to remembering which enzymes go in which direction and memorizing control points of different cycles? I do have Goljan's HY Biochem list which seems to require just brute force memorization -.. which can be found in FA 2008 edition or newer. fructose intolerance. but this does require certain amount of rote memorization. via substrate-level phosphorylation. you should have no problem remembering the direction of reaction they catalyze. pyruvate kinase gets its name not because it adds a (P) to pyruvate. Remember: Kinase = Adding a phophate group. which you can finish in one day. no gain. and galactosemia. such as Von Gierke.If you know the substrates that these enzymes catalyze. making ATP. 2009 #20 21. Pollux. markdc Senior Member Joined: Feb 17. I think it's around 8 hours total time. It adds the (P) to ADP. However. You can easily see that this applies to hexokinase and PFK because you're adding a (P) to the substrates. If you really wants to spend more time on biochem. I would also recommend learning the list in FA which summarizes the enzyme catalyzing the rate-limiting step in each of the major metabolic pathways. Feb 6. Sorry. Pay special attention to the enzymes where deficiency leads to clinically important diseases. Phosphatase = Removing a phosphate group. No pain. I didn't use Rapid Review Biochem because I found it to contain a few unnecessary details like the whole shebang on Purine and Pyrimidine denovo synthesis. which I consider to be overkill for board purposes. 2003 Messages: . I would recommend Kaplan webprep Biochem audios by Dr Lionel Raymon. 153 Location: Canada redshifteffect said: ↑ Sadly the only two interns who failed internship last year were both from UQ. 2009 #21 22. 2003 Messages: 1. redshifteffect Senior Member Joined: Jan 25. Feb 6.165 .. Both excellent guys but they had a lacking of the fundamentals. Click to expand. How does one fail internship? Isn't it a rotation based assessment? I can see how someone would have to repeat one rotation because of a bad assessment but the whole internship? Did they make these guys re do the whole year? markdc.. From what I've heard around the place UQ seems to be well known for skipping out on a lot of the basics. average or above average and a pass/fail over riding all of that. There were also other things like clinical skills etc that were assessed in the above three categories.a midterm and an end of rotation appraisal from our supervisors. There were basically three categories. They still failed to pass. 2005 Messages: .. so were unable to get general registration at the end of the year. But to put this into context. The way that internships were assessed in Hobart was we had two assessments . but lets just say they failed more then one rotation (if it was only one they could have simply repeated that rotation) and they were given very "easy" consultants when it was noted that they were struggling. and a section at the back for putting a plan into place if the intern was struggling at midterm. redshifteffect. below average. I dont want to give too much away in case the people in question read the forum. Feb 6.. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. They also failed all their core rotations.markdc said: ↑ How does one fail internship? Isn't it a rotation based assessment? I can see how someone would have to repeat one rotation because of a bad assessment but the whole internship? Did they make these guys re do the whole year? Click to expand. even by the end of the term. and were unable to make even simple clinical decisions. 2009 #22 23. they were seeing about 1/3 of the number of patients in DEM that other interns were seeing. 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] redshifteffect said: ↑ The way that internships were assessed in Hobart was we had two assessments . Last edited: Feb 6.a midterm and an end of rotation appraisal from our supervisors. that should be some sobering statistics for UQ SOM. But again.. yet two of them failed the intern year.. 2009 Pollux. maybe I just don't know enough interns and residents. and a section at the back for putting a plan into place if the intern was struggling at midterm. 2009 #23 . I haven't heard of anyone failing their intern year in Queensland yet. Feb 6. There were also other things like clinical skills etc that were assessed in the above three categories. below average. Click to expand. Wow. I imagine there weren't too many UQ graduates who went interstate to Tazzie. There were basically three categories. average or above average and a pass/fail over riding all of that. 24. Feb 6. I'm curious if you thought that taking the test after clinical rotations helped you on Step 1. JDMD243. JDMD243. 2006 Messages: 105 Status: Resident [Any Field] Hey Pollux. 2005 Messages: 123 Status: .0 Joined: Jul 5.0. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. Curious both from a prep point of view and also wondering how useful cramming all this stuff into your head will turn out to be on rotations. 2009 #24 25. Because I took my exam at the end of 3rd year.. it's definitely useful to know the basics well when you're in clinical years. Curious both from a prep point of view and also wondering how useful cramming all this stuff into your head will turn out to be on rotations. 2009 #25 26. However. Click to expand. not just for the exam. It's really not worth the effort trying to tackle this exam and dealing with clinical rotations at the same time.0 said: ↑ Hey Pollux. but for rotations too. I'd say that these helped minimally in terms of Step 1 preparation. I'm curious if you thought that taking the test after clinical rotations helped you on Step 1. So use that as extra motivation to learn your basic sciences well. I had some time to study for clinical rotations using material like Step-Up to Medicine and Goljan step 2 audios. Pollux. Feb 6. Hi JDMD243. fruitloops Joined: . I would actually recommend taking step 1 after the basic science years if you can..Resident [Any Field] JDMD243. post-test study effort seriously wanes.Nov 6. so. it's easy until I realize there's a lot of it. I'm thinking of taking one at the end of this week and then another at the end of the following week. having almost 3 weeks left to study. 2009 Messages: . 2009 #26 27. My question is which two of the remaining nbme exams would you recommend that I take? I wasn't thinking of taking all the nbmes because I "waste" a whole day each time I take one in the sense that I don't have answers for the nbmes and am usually pretty tired after I take them. Feb 8. 2007 Messages: 44 Status: Post Doc Hi Pollux. I've taken UW 1. and NBME 5--tests were taken in November and last test taken was first week of December. fruitloops. Thanks again for all of your help. I'm considering the self-assessment situation. UW 2. majesticmar Joined: Feb 8. Anyway. The biochem actually seems easy when you explain some of the high points as you did in your last post to me-that is. . The last one doesn't matter.. so I'd say better be prepared for them.very helpful. Feb 8. 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] fruitloops . I had a lot of cell bio and molecular bio questions on my real exam. .1 Status: Medical Student Thanks for posting this. I would say give it a go. CONGRATS Last edited: Feb 10. most people consider NBME 3 to be the hardest because it contains tons of questions on molecular biology. 2009 majesticmar... Pollux Joined: Sep 14.I would recommend NBME 6 because the questions are most similar to the real exam. 2009 #27 28. Thanks. most people consider NBME 3 to be the hardest because it contains tons of questions on molecular biology. so I'd say better be prepared for them. 2009 #28 29. I would say give it a go.I would recommend NBME 6 because the questions are most similar to the real exam. 2005 Messages: 76 Status: Medical Student Pollux said: ↑ fruitloops . Click to expand... Hi. If you have more questions feel free to PM me again. Pollux.majesticmar . I had a lot of cell bio and molecular bio questions on my real exam. md2011 Member Joined: Dec 21. Feb 10. I've replied your PM. Pollux. The last one doesn't matter. . Hi md2011. Pollux. you should be able to answer >90% of cell and molecular bio questions on the exam. Pollux.Do you think HY Cell Biology book will be sufficient for the step 1 given the increasing number of cell and molecular bio questions on real exam? md2011.. 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] md2011 said: ↑ Hi. 2009 #30 . If you read FA and HY Cell Bio and understand everything in these two books.. 2009 #29 30. Feb 12. Feb 13. Do you think HY Cell Biology book will be sufficient for the step 1 given the increasing number of cell and molecular bio questions on real exam? Click to expand. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. 31. fruitloops Joined: Nov 6, 2007 Messages: 44 Status: Post Doc Pollux said: ↑ Hi md2011, If you read FA and HY Cell Bio and understand everything in these two books, you should be able to answer >90% of cell and molecular bio questions on the exam. Click to expand... Hi Pollux, Since we're on this topic of cell and molecular bio questions, do you think the 1999 HY Cell Bio is adequate or did you use the much denser newer version of HY Cell Bio? And, are the UWorld questions covering this topic not enough? Thanks in advance. fruitloops, Feb 13, 2009 #31 32. Pollux Joined: Sep 14, 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] fruitloops said: ↑ Hi Pollux, Since we're on this topic of cell and molecular bio questions, do you think the 1999 HY Cell Bio is adequate or did you use the much denser newer version of HY Cell Bio? And, are the UWorld questions covering this topic not enough? Thanks in advance. Click to expand... Hi fruitloops, I would actually recommend the 1999 edition, because the new edition contains way too much detail for board purposes. The UW questions are helpful, but by no means cover the entire spectrum of questions in this subject. I would highly recommend knowing the different types of receptors and the intracellular signalling pathways for each. There's a recent post on the usmle step 1 subforum where a guy shared his summary diagram for this topic. Highly recommended. Pollux, Feb 15, 2009 #32 33. md2011 Member Joined: Dec 21, 2005 Messages: 76 Status: Medical Student Pollux said: ↑ I would actually recommend the 1999 edition, because the new edition contains way too much detail for board purposes. The UW questions are helpful, but by no means cover the entire spectrum of questions in this subject. I would highly recommend knowing the different types of receptors and the intracellular signalling pathways for each. There's a recent post on the usmle step 1 subforum where a guy shared his summary diagram for this topic. Highly recommended. Click to expand... Hi, Pollux, Do you have the link for the summary diagram you mentioned by any chance? md2011, Mar 1, 2009 pdf File size: 124. Mar 2.5 KB Views: 794 fruitloops. 2009 #34 .#33 34. 2007 Messages: 44 Status: Post Doc Attached Files: o Steroid Hormone Receptors. fruitloops Joined: Nov 6. 2009 #35 36. 2008 Messages: 110 Status: . fruitloops! Pollux. OnlyLiveOnce Pursuer of Happiness Joined: Mar 15.35. 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] Thanks. Mar 2. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. 2009 #36 37. Would you recommend a certain edition of FA over the others? I noticed that the 2009 FA doesn't contain the "high yield clinical vignettes" at the beginning of each section the way the 2008 FA does. OnlyLiveOnce. 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] OnlyLiveOnce said: ↑ Hey Pollux.Medical Student Hey Pollux. Mar 3. Would you recommend a certain edition of FA over the others? I noticed that the 2009 FA doesn't contain the "high yield clinical vignettes" at the beginning of each section the way the 2008 FA does. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. . 2007 Messages: 26 Status: Medical Student Hi Pollux. I don't think the edition of FA makes much of a difference. Mar 4. What about doing clinical .. However. leilad Joined: Jul 30.Click to expand. Pollux. 2009 #37 38. you can always just buy the 2009 edition and borrow your friend's 2008 if you wanna read the vignettes. Congrats on the amazing test score! I had a couple of questions for you.. I was wondering where you went for your elective in first year and whether this will affect your chances at getting a residency position in the States. I used 2008 FA and I quite liked the clinical vignettes. so it would be a shame if they remove those from the latest edition. since you're thinking of going to practice in the States. Hi OnlyLiveOnce. 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] leilad said: ↑ Hi Pollux. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. I was wondering where you went for your elective in first year and whether this will affect your chances at getting a residency position in the States. I am also a fellow UQ'er! leilad.A. since you're thinking of going to practice in the States. if you "think" you may end up wanting to practice there (just in case AUS doesn't pan out for me).s. What about doing clinical . 2009 #38 39. but I wanted to know if it is absolutely imperative that you do them in N. would that increase your chances of getting into a residency position in the US/Canada? Also. I'm sure it helps. where do you think you will be doing your fourth year elective? I am confused about the whole process of doing electives in N. Mar 10. Thanks for the help and great job once again! p. for the sake of having a better shot at residency positions in USA/Canada. Congrats on the amazing test score! I had a couple of questions for you.rotations in North America.A. A. which is not a lot of time at all. doing your 3rd or 4th year clinical rotations in North America is highly recommended.rotations in North America. Pollux. where do you think you will be doing your fourth year elective? I am confused about the whole process of doing electives in N. would that increase your chances of getting into a residency position in the US/Canada? Also. However. 2009 #39 . I will be going to New Orleans in 2 weeks time and spending at least 4 months at Ochsner Clinic. but I wanted to know if it is absolutely imperative that you do them in N. And I was so clueless back in first year so it didn't really matter what I did for elective in retrospect. so I would recommend getting at least 3 from US clinicians... Hi leilad. I am also a fellow UQ'er! Click to expand. Glad to see a fellow UQer here! I would say where you do your first year elective is not very important.s. I'm sure it helps. I'd just suggest doing something that you find interesting. Mar 10. for the sake of having a better shot at residency positions in USA/Canada.A. I'll let you know how things go. Thanks for the help and great job once again! p. if you plan to apply for US or Canadian residency programs. if you "think" you may end up wanting to practice there (just in case AUS doesn't pan out for me). You will need up to 4 letters of recommendation when you apply for NRMP matching. We're only required to go in for 20-25 hours a week. if not necessary. I went back home (Taiwan) and basically just took it as a long holiday. 40. Raygun77 Joined: Dec 12, 2008 Messages: 136 Location: Melbourne, Aus Status: Resident [Any Field] Pollux said: ↑ Hi leilad, Glad to see a fellow UQer here! I would say where you do your first year elective is not very important. I went back home (Taiwan) and basically just took it as a long holiday. We're only required to go in for 20-25 hours a week, which is not a lot of time at all. And I was so clueless back in first year so it didn't really matter what I did for elective in retrospect. I'd just suggest doing something that you find interesting. However, doing your 3rd or 4th year clinical rotations in North America is highly recommended, if not necessary, if you plan to apply for US or Canadian residency programs. You will need up to 4 letters of recommendation when you apply for NRMP matching, so I would recommend getting at least 3 from US clinicians. I will be going to New Orleans in 2 weeks time and spending at least 4 months at Ochsner Clinic. I'll let you know how things go. Click to expand... Firstly, massive props for the fantastic score pollux! You definitely worked hard (1000 hours on the basic science is more contact hours than I had for my first two years at uni, lol !), and it certainly paid off for you- well done. A little about me- I'm a Ugrad at Melbourne Uni. In 3rd year so doing my last pre-clin semester. If I could, I'd just like to ask you a question about doing your elective in the states. A) If you wouldn't mind, could I ask how much you're budgeting for the entire trip? I imagine the hospital would have an admin fee attached to it, and then there's travel/accom/living expenses... I've toyed with the idea of doing my final year elective in the states/UK, but since I'm trying to be as financially independent as possible this could be a deal-breaker...I'd like to start saving now though, so if you could throw me a rough figure, I can probably get myself organised . B) Are there any barriers in Ugrad med students doing their electives in the states, a far as you know? My understanding is that the concept of a 'ugrad med student' is a bit of an oxymoron to a lot of american hospitals, and my friends have found it difficult to get research placements (for their B. Med Sci years) there. C) Finally, how'd you go about getting this elective sorted? Are a lot of institutions keen on having foreign med students over? Ideally, I'd love to do a rotation at a place like the Mayo Clinic since I'm interested in neuro, but I have no idea how keen they'd be on an australian joining them for 6-8 weeks. Cheers for any thoughts/insights. And hope your placement over in New Orleans goes fantastic- sounds to me you'll get all the recs that you deserve! Raygun77, Mar 14, 2009 #40 41. Pollux Joined: Sep 14, 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] Raygun77 said: ↑ Firstly, massive props for the fantastic score pollux! You definitely worked hard (1000 hours on the basic science is more contact hours than I had for my first two years at uni, lol done. ... Click to expand... !), and it certainly paid off for you- well Sorry about the late reply. Is reading school notes a good idea?For exam purpose and review of concept would suggest Kaplan's notes instead? I still have about a year before the Exam. and things have been quite hectic. I have sent you a PM. I just arrived in New Orleans a week ago. bsga Joined: Jul 16. Each subject's is over 1000 pages. Jul 16. you indicated that it only took you a month to finish Kaplan notes for all subject save for pathology. 2009 Messages: 1 Status: Medical Student Hi Pollux I am just reading your USMLE experience for the 1st time. How concise are these notes? I am planning to use my school notes in lieu of Kaplan notes. 2009 #41 42. 2009 #42 . In your thread.Hi Raygun77. Mar 30. -Pollux Pollux. Thanks and congrats bsga. so please check your inbox. Good job. Finishing about 5000 page of notes seems like a daunting task. Thanks for all your information.43. . 2009 Messages: 82 Status: Pre-Medical Pollux.) Hope your time in NO is great! SFs Own Tone. Jul 16. 2009 #43 44. SFs Own Tone Joined: Jul 12. It is very much appreciated. I would love to hear more about your time at Oschner and how you plan on matching in the US. I'm applying now to UQ (awfully awfully late) but I'm also planning on being ready for the 2011 year (USyd and UQ being my targets because of what I've heard. Click to expand. 2009 #44 45.. FYI. only a few go to Oschner. Also. 2007 Messages: 2. Louis Status: Resident [Any Field] SFs Own Tone said: I would love to hear more about your time at Oschner.shan564 Below the fray Joined: May 30.260 Location: St. shan564. Pollux wouldn't have gone to Oschner. SFs Own Tone Joined: . even now. Oschner is a new program that they just started this year.. Jul 17. Louis via Sydney via St.. most of the international students at UQ will do their clinical years in Brisbane.. only a few go to Oschner. even now. most of the international students at UQ will do their clinical years in Brisbane. Edit: Just read that he posted arriving in NO back in March. It sounds like its not part of the 2 years UQ/2 years Oschner.. Also. Oschner is a new program that they just started this year. Pollux wouldn't have gone to Oschner.. Click to expand. 2009 #45 46.Jul 12. Pollux wrote that he's in New Orleans now and plans on spending 4 months at Oschner. but his experience would still be a good indicator of Oschner's clinical education. SFs Own Tone. 2009 Messages: 82 Status: Pre-Medical shan564 said: ↑ FYI. Jul 17. I guess he would be finishing up about now. shan564 Below the fray Joined: . 2009 #46 47. 2007 Messages: 2. Louis Status: Resident [Any Field] Oh. I searched the thread for "Oschner".. shan564. 2005 Messages: 123 Status: Resident [Any Field] .May 30. Pollux Joined: Sep 14. Louis via Sydney via St. I see. Jul 17. but I didn't find his post because he misspelled it..260 Location: St. It is spelled "OCHSNER"... It's been a pretty crazy 4 months for me. Finishing about 5000 page of notes seems like a daunting task.. Each subject's is over 1000 pages. It sounds like its not part of the 2 years UQ/2 years Oschner. No. you indicated that it only took you a month to finish Kaplan notes for all subject save for pathology. Good job.org SFs Own Tone said: ↑ Pollux wrote that he's in New Orleans now and plans on spending 4 months at Oschner. shan564 said: ↑ Oh.. you can probably go straight to HY series or FA. How concise are these notes? I am planning to use my school notes in lieu of Kaplan notes. In your thread. Is reading school notes a good idea?For exam purpose and review of concept would suggest Kaplan's notes instead? I still have about a year before the Exam. I see. Edit: Just read that he posted arriving in NO back in March.bsga said: ↑ Hi Pollux I am just reading your USMLE experience for the 1st time. I would say it's been absolutely fantastic: very modern facility. because I decided to take the Step 2 CK AND CS while I was in the US. http://www. Now that I finally have time to write about my experience at Ochsner. Kaplan notes are very long-winded already. but I didn't find his post because he misspelled it.. actually. just finished my last day of rotation yesterday.. busy yet efficient . Yep. I just finished CK 3 days ago. I wouldn't recommend using your school notes for USMLE review purposes... If you have a good foundation in the basic science subjects. Click to expand. Thanks and congrats Click to expand. Click to expand. I searched the thread for "Oschner". I guess he would be finishing up about now.ochsner. but his experience would still be a good indicator of Oschner's clinical education. I've thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Ochsner and would recommend it to anyone. Jul 19. In fact. I was given a lot more responsibilities in the US than in Australia. . As a medical students. 2009 #47 48.260 Location: St. 2007 Messages: 2. Louis Status: Resident [Any Field] I see. shan564 Below the fray Joined: May 30. in terms following up my assigned patients and learning about their progresses. and I'm going back to New Orleans at the end of September for my last rotation in med school. I'm only going to be in Australia for 2 more months now for my O&G rotation. and coming up with a management plan. They expected me to function at the level of an intern. diverse patient population. Louis via Sydney via St. discussing the cases with the attendings. which is the best way to learn how things are done. I guess I misspelled it. Pollux.hospital service. and attendings who are dedicated to teaching. 2009 #48 49. 2009 #49 .260 Location: St.shan564. Jul 23. Louis Status: Resident [Any Field] Pollux . 2007 Messages: 2. Jul 19.did you do anything during first year aside from listening to Goljan and reviewing your normal course material? shan564. Louis via Sydney via St. shan564 Below the fray Joined: May 30. 50. Im an intern in Melbourne about to take the step 2 CS in a few weeks. FlamingGalah Joined: Aug 7. Completed step 1 and CK with high scores but havent done much study for the CS exam as yet. 2009 Messages: 1 Status: Resident [Any Field] Hey. Is it very similar to our OSCEs? and did you study much for it? Any deficiencies you noticed by training in australia that I should concentrate on? Ive got the FA and usmleworld subscription for it and I feel like i should pass without problems. Cheers . Just wanted to get an australian trained perspective of what it was like.