Blog Archives

IMGs (and Others) Participating in the 2016 Match: Sign up for Step 2 CS Immediately

Here’s an important reminder from the ECFMG® News page:

To participate in the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Main Residency Match®, international medical students/graduates must have passed all exams required for ECFMG Certification. If you plan to participate in the 2016 Match (in March 2016) and still need to pass Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS), you should register now to take the examination.

To help ensure that your result will be available in time to participate in the 2016 Match, you must take Step 2 CS by December 31, 2015. If you do not register now and schedule soon, it is possible that you will not be able to obtain a test date in 2015. At the time of this writing, the earliest available test date at any test center is in October 2015.

The USMLE program also has issued a Scheduling Reminder for Step 2 CS, strongly encouraging medical students/graduates to schedule their exams early to obtain a testing appointment this year.

If you register and schedule now, you can change your scheduled testing appointment (subject to availability) at no cost, provided you give notice of more than 14 days.

Detailed information on the results reporting schedule for Step 2 CS is available on the ECFMG website.

– See more at: http://www.ecfmg.org/news/2015/05/29/reminder-imgs-participating-in-2016-match-should-apply-for-step-2-cs-now/#sthash.DZFNaVTV.dpuf

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“All-In” Policy

I recently received an email from an applicant who was offered a slot outside the Match. Although there are situations in which this type of overture is legitimate, please make sure you understand the NRMP’s All-In Policy to ensure that any offers you receive are valid.

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Emergency Medicine Should Not be your Back Up

I’ve recently heard from several residency applicants who are considering emergency medicine as a back up specialty for the coming Match. These candidates are interested in applying in their field of primary interest and using emergency medicine as a safety specialty. I would not recommend this strategy! Emergency medicine’s popularity has waxed and waned over the years, but currently it is pretty hot. It’s far from a back up.

For more information about emergency medicine candidacies and careers, take a look at my piece “Why Are Emergency Physicians Burning Out” on KevinMD.

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Emergency Medicine: Can a Sizzling Hot Specialty Burn You to a Crisp?

Please take a look at my recent guest entry on the KevinMD blog exploring the disconnect between emergency medicine’s immense popularity in the Match and an Archives of Internal Medicine study documenting severe burnout among emergency physicians. (According to the research, emergency physicians experience burnout at a rate of more than three times that of the average doctor and more than anyone else inside or outside of the medical field.) Pre-meds and medical students will find useful information in my guest blog entry, as they consider their future fields and lifestyles.

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IMG Performance in the 2013 Match – Good News and Bad News

The good news is that a greater number of IMGs (International Medical Graduates) matched to first-year positions in the 2013 Match compared to last year’s. According to the ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates® ), 6,311 of the 12,683 IMGs who participated matched, which was an increase of 1,425 compared to 2012. The bad news is that that number only translates into 49.8% of IMGs’ matching to first year positions.

Although international medical schools are a good option for some candidates, it is worth noting these numbers if you are a pre-med considering an international school.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

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

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