Fellow future resident hopefuls

Same boat. Just finished my first year, going to America next week to hopefully make more sense of the whole process. Looking over Step 1, it is an absolute beast. Makes preclinical years here look like a joke. The depth and understanding required will make your basic science, A&P and microbiology really good, although at this moment in time I cant see its relevance, but then again I can't really comment.

Someone on here, forgot their username has done it. They did internal medicine I think. I assume you know that it's basically impossible to do any competitive specialties and the exams are a lot harder than UK med schools.

I found them

Hey

Yes i've already started prepping for part one so the doom has set in! I tried to message him but he doesn't seem to be using TSR anymore I've spoken to a few people who have done it and they said although it's difficult it's by no means impossible, just takes a lot of dedication, it's the same exams US med students sit, so I guess it's only fair foreign grads should be at the same standard. Are you applying yourself? I think it's mostly surgical specialities and derm that are ruled out.

Great to find someone else considering the leap! Do you know which speciality you are interested in? I'm ideally looking to get an H1B visa which means I need Steps 1 2 and 3 eughhhh! I got a couple of books for step one... opened one up and immediately got a headache. Do you think the depth is because there is no *rotation* as such and you immediately specialise? It's shocking the difference between UK and US medical training

Tbh at this stage I feel its a bit early for me to know what speciality I want to do, everyone seems to cringe at the sight of family medicine but the whole 9-5/lifestyle etc appeals to me more then say a competitive surgical field. I have a greencard, parents and younger siblings are all citizens so does that exempt me from any exams? Pretty sure I needed step 1, 2CK, 2CS and 3?

The whole depth thing you have to remember is that all medical graduates in the US did a 4 year pre-med course which is basically a long extension of our A levels but to a whole different level. Pretty much a degree in the sciences so their level of understanding, in my opinion, is already ahead of ours before they even begin med school. I think you'll see as you start your course, certain things just fall into place. I remember looking at the questions before I began Medicine last year and I was just like what the hell. Now, although I may not be able to answer all of them, the understanding is definitely there. So give yourself some time and you will be fine!

Any idea what you want to do?

You still have to do them all unfortunately, but you would only need steps 1 and 2 when applying for residency. 3 can be done during residency. I could apply for a J1 visa and only do 1 and 2 but you can't easily convert it into a greencard. So ideally I want an H1B visa, which are harder to get and you need the scores for all 3 steps when applying for residency I am very jealous you have a green card!

I don't blame you for liking the idea of family medicine, I think it's pretty under rated and you will build up a great relationship with patients. I'm glad you have said it should slot into place, most people I have spoken to spent months 7-8 hours a day revising for step one, it's definitely going to be a challenge!

I'm really interested in OB/GYN but may change my mind by the time I apply. But i'm going to try to get as much US experience as possible. Do you know which area of the US you would want to live in?

Your right, it will definitely be a challenge, from the people that have done it have told me it makes our finals here look like a joke. So although it will be difficult, it will make you a better doctor in the end. Have you looked at the resources you are going to use? I was recommended First Aid and Goljan's pathology book alongside the USMLE world question bank. Ideally, I would want to sit Step 1 no later then the summer between year 3 and 4 as Year 4 are my finals and tbh, our preclinical teaching pretty much finishes after year 2.

I'll want to work in New York, ideally in either Long Island, Brooklyn or Manhattan just because I have family there. It is pretty daunting when you think about it, our little NHS bubble seems minuscule compared to their system!

How do you know that Brooklyn offers the highest international places? I'm still trying to find my feet with understanding the whole system lol! What do you mean 'matching', as in applying for residency? I think I will definitely do F1 here just to get GMC registration just for security purposes, as you never know what can happen.

As for the amount of studying needed, I think your right, it is all about balance. 7-8 hours for 5 months is a bit extreme IMO but then again everyone does learn differently. I think I would only go to the US if I got a residency close to where my family was, so I have a lot of thinking to do committing myself to sit these crazy exams. Can't forget that the first 3 years of residency there are hell!

You still have to do them all unfortunately, but you would only need steps 1 and 2 when applying for residency. 3 can be done during residency. I could apply for a J1 visa and only do 1 and 2 but you can't easily convert it into a greencard. So ideally I want an H1B visa, which are harder to get and you need the scores for all 3 steps when applying for residency I am very jealous you have a green card!

I don't blame you for liking the idea of family medicine, I think it's pretty under rated and you will build up a great relationship with patients. I'm glad you have said it should slot into place, most people I have spoken to spent months 7-8 hours a day revising for step one, it's definitely going to be a challenge!

I'm really interested in OB/GYN but may change my mind by the time I apply. But i'm going to try to get as much US experience as possible. Do you know which area of the US you would want to live in?

Not my interest but couldn't help but butt in when I saw this. On work experience I meet two doctors about to start residencies in america.

One for OB/GYN, and the other for war trauma surgery or something like that.

I know during years 2/3/4 the women doing trauma surgery spent most of her time in USA gaining experience/research involvement.

The man doing ob/gyn didn't seem like he did much apart from smashing the usmles. They both scored in the top few percent of IMG's which I think helped alot!

Thanks for the info! I have heard that the USMLE score is basically the most important component of the application so I guess that doesn't surprise me. Do you have any idea how she managed to set that much experience up? I'm not having a great deal of luck...

I've heard that too! Sorry I mean as a state New york is very international graduate friendly... as opposed to say California which isn't. But then i'm basing it on the number of programmes that sponsor H1B visas, which you don't need so it may be slightly different for you. Yea match is when you apply for residency. It's through the ERAS system and looks ridiculously complicated. I can't get my head around it. I'm fairly happy to live anywhere in the US so I think i'm just going to apply to as many programmes as possible and hope!

I'm actually more worried about these mental exams than I am the medical degree! Where are you studying medicine? I'm starting Southampton in September.

I think she just personally contacted places she wanted to go. When your in medical school it will become clearer. But if you can organise an elective in usa I'm sure it will be a similar process to get abit of experience in the summer. Especially if your giving them help for free.

Apart from that not too sure about the formalities of organising experience.

How did your application go? Not seen you on here for months

Ideally, you work backwards. Decide on speciality, then location, then find contacts and electives.