Just a quick note to International Medical Graduates: Residency Tokens for ERAS 2012 are now available. You can use the token to register with AAMC’s MyERAS starting on July 1.
Visit the ECFMG ERAS Support Services website for instructions on how to get your token.
There is a clearly-written article by Jan Greene in the current issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine about fifteen new, U.S. medical schools that are currently being accredited and slated to open. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) estimates that this increase will lead to an additional seven thousand medical school graduates every year throughout the next decade.
Sounds great, right? More chances of getting into a US medical school!
Well, no so fast.
The idea behind opening these new schools was to preempt the impending doctor shortage, but, as Greene points out, the new medical school openings will not solve the scarcity because there are no plans to increase the number of residency spots. In fact, in fourteen years, the number of teaching hospital residency spots for which Medicare pays a share (about thirty percent) has not increased. With Medicare cuts in the works, it’s unlikely residency positions will expand or that hospitals will have extra funds for unsupported spots.
Unfortunately, this means more competition for residency spots for everyone, especially International Medical Graduates. (The domestic graduates will likely be prioritized by residency directors.) And it means no solution to the doctor shortage. Unless funding for training programs increases, which seems unlikely, future doctors should expect a bottleneck at the post-graduate level. Bad news for doctors and the American medical system.
For “Junior” Medical Students: What You Can Do Now to Improve Your Chances of Matching
Matching to a residency program through the NRMP® (National Resident Matching Program) is a competitive endeavor. Even strong candidates – especially IMGs (international medical graduates) – can have difficulty getting PGY-1 (post graduate year one) positions in many specialties. Those that do match may not get their first or second choices, leaving them in suboptimal locations or programs. Read more ›
Matching to a residency program through the NRMP® (National Resident Matching Program) is a competitive endeavor, especially for International Medical Graduates (IMGs), formerly called “Foreign Medical Graduates.” These applicants, who graduate from medical schools outside of the United States, face difficult odds. In 2009 only 47.8% of United States citizen IMGs obtained first year positions through the Match. Of those IMGs who were not U.S. citizens, only 41.6% matched (Source: Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates).
Furthermore, some IMGs complete their third- and fourth-year rotations in locations that are geographically distant from their base schools. Therefore it is more difficult for them to attain application guidance through their institutions or through senior students who have experience with the process. Because of these challenges and the poor odds, professional residency admissions consulting has become increasingly important in optimizing residency applications for IMGs and improving the odds that these candidates get into residency programs. Read more ›
Matching to a residency program through the NRMP® (National Resident Matching Program) is a competitive endeavor. Even strong candidates – especially IMGs (international medical graduates) – can have difficulty getting PGY-1 (post graduate year one) positions in many specialties. Those that do match may not get their first or second choices, leaving them in suboptimal locations or programs. Consequently, professional residency admissions’ consulting has become increasingly important in optimizing residency applications and ensuring that candidates get into the programs they desire. Read more ›
Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more
