Other Being an IMG & competitive specialities!!

[diagnostician_11]

Hi, I'm an IMG who has recently graduated. I know this sounds too dreamy! I want to know my options in Dermatology in US. I know and I've read that it is hard. I would like to know the route to it. Let's say I did a family med or IM residency and then applied. My point is that is there any path possible to secure a position in Derma as an IMG?? Or should I not even bother and see another country?? Thank you.

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[AdmiralChz]

This was recently discussed elsewhere. IMG + Derm is essentially an impossible combination, honestly. I can't see how finishing another residency would help, and would take at least 3 years...

 

[doctor3rif]

QUOTE="diagnostician_11, post: 18143113, member: 800717"]Hi, I'm an IMG who has recently graduated. I know this sounds too dreamy! I want to know my options in Dermatology in US. I know and I've read that it is hard. I would like to know the route to it. Let's say I did a family med or IM residency and then applied. My point is that is there any path possible to secure a position in Derma as an IMG?? Or should I not even bother and see another country?? Thank you.[/QUOTE]

I don't think doing another residency will strengthen your chances much. What you have to realize is that Derm residency positions are limited and preference still goes to US graduates due extreme competitiveness, even US grads struggle to get it. If you have a legitimate passion for Derm. I would consider getting in contact with the two IMGs who got derm, I believe in 2014, from one of the well known caribbean schools. They probably had to go an extra mile to stick out of the crowd and make convincing arguments for the job i.e. research. OR you can consider related specialty, dermatopathology.

 

[the argus]

Derm as an IMG is very unlikely but not impossible, and not that many people even try. There was just a new Charting Outcomes document recently released. In 2016, 8/22 US-IMGs matched in derm, and 10/21 non-citizen IMGs matched. So, difficult but not impossible. Your best bet is having excellent USMLE scores (step 1 >240) and doing lots of research in the field. And even then most IMGs only got 1 or 2 interviews. This shows that these people likely spent a significant amount of time at a single program (i.e. research), and then either matched at that program or not.

Your chances are probably best if you're able to move to the US and spend a couple years doing research at a single program and then hope to match there.
http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Charting-Outcomes-IMGs-2016.pdf

 

[diagnostician_11]

*The argus* thank you , but when you say 8/22 ? you mean 8 doctors right?

 

[NotAProgDirector]

That is correct. Last year, 22 graduates of international schools who are US citizens ranked a derm program as their first choice (and hence are implied to be trying to get a spot in Derm). Of those 22, 8 got spots. What this doesn't say is that there could have been 100's more that applied to derm positions but received no interviews, and hence didn't actually enter the match for Derm.

If you look on page 43 onwards, you'll see the detailed stats for Derm. The match numbers are different because only those who agreed to share their data are included. You'll see that the mean number of research experiences and abstracts of matched candidates was 18. So, as the argus has stated, without a very solid research background you're going to have severe trouble getting a spot.

 

[the argus]

That is correct. Last year, 22 graduates of international schools who are US citizens ranked a derm program as their first choice (and hence are implied to be trying to get a spot in Derm). Of those 22, 8 got spots. What this doesn't say is that there could have been 100's more that applied to derm positions but received no interviews, and hence didn't actually enter the match for Derm.

If you look on page 43 onwards, you'll see the detailed stats for Derm. The match numbers are different because only those who agreed to share their data are included. You'll see that the mean number of research experiences and abstracts of matched candidates was 18. So, as the argus has stated, without a very solid research background you're going to have severe trouble getting a spot.

This is an important point. Those numbers I quoted are for people that actually got an interview and ranked a derm program first on their list. There could have been (and almost certainly were) more IMGs that applied to derm and didn't receive any interview invites, therefore did not rank any derm programs and subsequently wouldn't be included in this analysis.

 

[diagnostician_11]

This is an important point. Those numbers I quoted are for people that actually got an interview and ranked a derm program first on their list. There could have been (and almost certainly were) more IMGs that applied to derm and didn't receive any interview invites, therefore did not rank any derm programs and subsequently wouldn't be included in this analysis.

There's a program in Boston made for international grads. You don't receive a Board but you get a doctorate after 4 years so you will be a specialist in your home country. It's made for non-US grads and you you will pay an annual fee to get in. My bet was to apply there and after that re apply for a regular residency to be board certified. Would that help? And thanks for the helpful info up here.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

There's a program in Boston made for international grads. You don't receive a Board but you get a doctorate after 4 years so you will be a specialist in your home country. It's made for non-US grads and you you will pay an annual fee to get in. My bet was to apply there and after that re apply for a regular residency to be board certified. Would that help? And thanks for the helpful info up here.

No, it will not help and will probably hurt. I expect many Derm programs look at this program as simply a way to extract money from people who are desperate. The best way to answer your question is to ask them -- but remember that if they can point to 1 or 2 people who did this, you need to compare that to the total number of people who have completed the program.

 

[shouldigomd]

It is tough and very difficult to do straight away. I know of a couple IMGs that got into derm but after some years of research. When you see the match list you don't know how many times these people have gone through the match and their history.