s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 1 Last year I reviewed 500 applications from applicants who graduated outside
of the US.
Did I read 500 personal statements? No. Did I screen in anyone based on
their personal statement alone? No. How many did I personally read? I only
read the ones of the candidates that we interviewed. How many were really
read closely? Only the ones who we discussed ranking for residency.
What is the personal statement for?
When I interview you, I want to know where you came from, what you have done
and what you want to do. Your personal statement should tell me these
things. The personal statement provides a view into who you are as a person
and gives me some things to ask you about. Most statements read the same,
which is to be expected - we all grew up smart, went to medical school,
enjoy seeing patients and want training that will give us the experience we
need to get to our goals.
I don't expect that your personal statement will read like a New Yorker
article or a novel. I don't expect to be amazed by your writing. Few
physicians are good writers. I do expect the words to have your voice. When
the writing is impressive in someone who is not an English major, I am
suspicious that the content is cut and pasted or written by someone else.
What the statement gives is an opportunity for the applicant to show her
attention to detail. Personal statements with spelling mistakes or grammar
errors plant a seed of doubt into my mind.
When you sit down to write your statement, think of three things that you
want me to know about you. Outline these three things. Think hard about what
inspired you to become a doctor, what are you passionate about and what you
want to do with your training. Be as concise as you can - think that every
word you use costs $5. Cut out all the words you don't need. Keep the essay
short. Give me some white space between paragraphs (as I have done in this
post). 5 paragraphs, 5 sentences each, that is all I can handle before my
attention wanes. If you only have 3 minutes of a PD's time, what would you
want them to read about you?
Be as specific as you can. Try "At the conclusion of my training I aspire to
be an endocrinologist" as opposed to "I want to join an excellent training
program where I will see patients in an academic environment..." You want me
to have the opportunity to talk to you about endocrinology, something you
might be passionate about.
Honesty is everything. A 2010 study in Annals of Internal Medicine http://www.annals.org/content/153/2/112.abstract spoke to the problems with plagiarism in personal statements. The group found plagiarism in 5% of all essays. They found that the essays of non-U.S. citizens were more likely to demonstrate evidence of plagiarism. Other factors associated with the prevalence of plagiarism included medical school location outside the United States and Canada; lack of research experience, lack of publications or a low Step 1 score. The study was not perfect but it raises an important issue. You don't want to be one of these people who plagiarize.
Be modest and don't overstate your achievements. Don't exaggerate how much
independence you had during your observership (your letter writer will tell
me what you did). Don't report that the study you are working in is "in
press" when it is not yet submitted (I can easily check). Don't state that
you are a "gold medalist" from your school if you are not. Do highlight
experiences from home or in the US that have been important for your
development as a physician and as a person.
I look forward to reading your statement the night before our interview. | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 2 here are some questions I have got so far:
1.why this program (all asked this)
2.tell me about yourself (whatever i prepared before did not work for me...I
kept changing my answers in each program;hopefully they wont catch the
discrepancies in my answers, lol)
3.why this specialty
4.how do you deal with adversity
5.how do you deal with a failure
6.how did you manage your personal life with the pressure of the medical
school(I did not obviously but , again they dont know that!)-I just
graduated..this may not be relevant to all applicants but they might change
it how do you manage your personal life with the pressure of the Match or
something else.
7.what did you learn from your patients so far? is there any particular
patient that thought you something that so valuable for you?
8.what regions did you apply?
9.my research..One asked me to explain what I was trying to accomplish with
that research.
10.how in the earth you have that much time to travel? (it was a real
question!)
11.what took you so long to go to the medical school (in my case it took me
>zillions years to go to the medical school...for most here in this forum
this might be an irrelevant question as well)
12..tell me what you do in your spare time...(like they did not read my PS!)
13.what places have you lived in the US or in the world?
14.one person was particularly interested in the country of origin...dude
was mesmerized with my country
bottom line:
1. I was never asked medical knowledge. My stellar triple 99s scared the
hell out of them,lol
2.No embarrassing or unexpected questions..
3. I was welcome there. I felt "They want me so badly!!!!"LOL LOL LOL) OK...
I might be delusional at times..hahaha....
4.In one place the PD took me to a very nice restaurant for lunch-one to one
...and the PC gave me a city tour with her car- YES they did...
5.Nobody offered me prematches..
6.They said call, write if you have questions..
7. Everybody was very relaxed, comforting, made me feel on ease.
8. I was encouraged to ask questions: but I am told before that I am a nosy
person (haha), so I have had alot of experience asking questions in general;
At one place, one of the faculty said" wait I have some questions for you!,
LOL-seriously...I had him talk all the time, please dont ask me how I did
that!!!!!!!)
sooooo another bottom line: it was ok...but I was still exhausted after each
IV so far...good luck all...
addendum:
I asked them:
1. what kind of residents they are looking for: The answer was not triple
99s (I was somewhat disappointed of course with my triple99s, lol). They
said somebody who would fit in our program and get along with everybody else
. One person said;" you can teach medical knowledge to anybody (although I
am not sure of this after being in this forum for 8 months now!) but not
personality" which reminded me of john2007...where are you dude john2007???
2.In your opinion, would I fit in this program? She said very much so...I
dont know if she is a good faker though..lol
3.and all the usual questions that everybody asks...
more Qs:
1. what makes a good FM/IM/Peds? doctor?
2.why this program (again again is asked)
3.where are you from?
4.tell me about your family?
5what do you do in your spare time?
6.tell me about your hometown.
7.when did you decide to become an FM/IM/Peds? doctor?
8. what are you gonna do after your residency?
9.what school are you from?
10.do you have questions for me?
11. how old are you? they have rules;no teenage doctors in the hospital,lol
12.what is the meaning of your last name?
14.why that fellowship?
另一个IMG的经验
I had a pleasnt experience, the team was friendly, though i am not sure what
all they were looking silently in me.
The Qs I had,
1)All in very very detail about my experience, how I managed my patients in
the past.
2)What are all the things you put together to come to USA?
3)Why this program?
4)why this place?
5)what do u want in your future?
6)I am married, so about husands job, is he interested in coming as well and
what are his plans and so on.
7)About my interests.
8) any interest in particular subgroup ( thats how they asked ), I talked
about subspeciality/fellowship ideas of mine.
9)Any interesting clinical case that I have seen so far. The other
interviewer asked me from a very particular job, so i had to quickly think
and react there.
第三个IMG
more questions I've gotten.......
Psych IV- if you were inspecting an inpatient psychiatric hospital, what
would you look for?
- what do you think makes a good psychiatrist?
- is there anyone who you consider your role model in psychiatry or that you
look up to, and why?
- any special interests within psych?
IM IV- tell me a challenging/interesting/complex case?
- if you notice that an attending is doing something wrong, how do you deal
with that?
- why this specialty?
- future plans? like after residency
第四个IMG
ok....my friend erg was asked these questions:
1. tell me how your parents treated you when you were a kid. (badly, lol)
2.you have been working independently for along time;can you take orders
from younger attendings, residents...(he is 68 going toward 69! sorry dude,
I had to make it clear that you are not 28 anymore like me.)
3.what if you dont match, do you have plan B? (I think it was his question.)
4.the usual questions...nothing bad or stressful...
原楼主继续补充
here is more questions my friends got this season:
1. what "age" did you decide to become a doctor/surgeon/psychiatrist?
2.did you think that medical school was hard?
3.why did you get married/divorced/separated (whatever applies to you,
basically).
4.what if you dont like this residency program?
5.do you have family with you here in the US?
6.where is your next IV? where are you coming from?
7. where do you reside now?
8.how do you make living now?
bottom line is any "personal" question can be asked -YES against the rules. | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 3 第五个IMG
These were the questions asked to me during my 4 interviews
1. Tell me about urself?
2. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
3. How do you handle a stressful situation?
4. What are your stress busters?
5. What will you do if i give you 100 million dollars and ask you to spend
charitably?
6. Dont you think that you are over qualified for our program?
7. If you had completed IM residency already at home country, why do you
want to do it again in US?
8. What is your visa preference? Why?
9. Where do you see yourself after 5 years?
10. What sub-specialty do you wanna pursue?
11. Are you married?
12. Why arent you married till now, that too being an Indian?
13. What is your girlfriend doing?
14. Does she have plans to pursue her career in US?
15. How are you going to help her with her career in US?
16. What will you do if you think that your senior resident's knowledge is
less than you? How can you cope with it?
17. How will you handle a junior colleague who is not doing his work
properly?
18. Do you know to drive a car?
19. Do you know type-writing?
20. What do you want in a program?
21. How do you want us to train you?
22. What will you do if you dont get fellowship of your choice? Do you have
a plan B?
23. How are you going to cope with this great transition of shifting from
India to US?
24. How many ivs do you have?
25. Where else do you have ivs?
第六个IMG
questions I got in two IVs
1. what makes a good primary care doctor?
2.tell me why primary care is important.
3.why this program?
4.how many Ivs did you get?
5. Is this your first Iv?
6. why should we pick you over others?
7.why did you become a doctor?
8.how did you like the hospital tour?
9.what restaurant did the residents take you last night?
10.did you apply IM/FM as well?
11.can you live in this city?
12.do you need visa?
13.tell me about yourself
14.do you have questions to me?
原楼主继续补充
more questions I have got in IVs:
1.if you could be a tree, what type of tree would you be? My answer was : A
salix tree!!!
2.could you work for free? NO!
3. why do you want to do fellowship in XYX?
4.did you fly here? You did not fly here? Did you drive then? was it easy to
drive?
6.do you have any ties to this state? is your family in this state?
7.do you own a house? a car? do you have debt?
8.how does your best friend describe you?
9. do you like your hotel that you are staying?
thank you so much nobody asked me "tell me about yourself" recently!! As
self centered as I am , I am tired of this question!
继续补充
some more questions I have got:
1. how do you deal with difficult family memebers of the patients?
2. can you go to ER now and admit a patient confidently?
3.what is the rotation that you liked the least or the most?
4. what did you do in your rotations ? what were your responsibilities?
5.what do you you like at this program?
6. why did you get such a low score? (it was not 99!)
7.what was the most difficult time in your life? how did you deal with it?
第七个IMG
have been following this thread for sometime, has been very use ful to
me
I wanted to post some questions regarding my IV experience, so that it will
help others who r attenting the IVs
- as routine tell me abt urself?
- what qualities make u a good team member?
- If ur resident who is inexperienced than u asks u to do something which is
wrong, how r u going to deal with it( they asked me this Q as I have 2yrs
of clinical Experience)
- why this place was the question I faced in all the interviews I had so far?
- As I have a kid, they asked me how I am planning to manage with my kiddo?
- Intersting case so far, especially involving genetics( the interviewer was
specialist in genetics)
- to explain regarding my experience and awards I got so far in detail?
- regarding the hobbies I mentioned in the application
So, I felt one should be through with your own CV (from A-Z) as they can ask
you any questions on it. be prepared to face some unexpected Questions as
well, what ever it is answer them with confidence.
1.why did you wait and not apply to USMLE earlier?
2.step I low score.
3.how do you deal if your patient dies?
4.have you ever been sued before?
5.you did externship in radiology/surgery but not IM. Why?
the rest was similar, tell me about yourself, do you have questions.
原楼主终于面试完了，耗时4个月，这是最后的面试qbank
hi guys again!!
I have finished my interviews and I have a few addition to the question bank
... I know it wont help us for this season but who knows may be somebody can
use it next year.
here are some questions:
1.after the residency, are you going to go back to your country?
2.do you think you have got a good medical education at your medical school?
3. how is your medical knowledge? (excellent!!! LOL I tried to answer this
in a way not sounding arrogant but did not want to look too modest either)
4.tell me about an interesting case that you have seen (finally somebody
asked me this. it was the first time..)
5.okkk....that was an interesting case, now tell me about another case. ( so
one has to prepare more than one cases, looks like.)
6.have you ever worked in a rural area before?
7.where do you live now?
8. do you think you can work 16 hours daily?
9."are not you glad that ACGME decreased the hours of interns to 60hrs/
weekly? What do you think about it?
I hope you all match your favorite programs. Good luck to all… | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 4 原楼主最后一个面试，最狠的问题
shoot I forgot to add;
In my very last IV, I was given a printed form that asked: please write one
paragraph of a patient encounter.
最后，原楼主接受prematch，去做pathology的resident了。 | S******9
发帖数: 2837 | 5 Thanks a lot
Very helpful | g*****a
发帖数: 95 | | T*******O
发帖数: 179 | | m*******8
发帖数: 50 | | s********p
发帖数: 1319 | 9 Great!
Thank you for your kindness!!
outside
done
person
【在 s*h 的大作中提到】
: Last year I reviewed 500 applications from applicants who graduated outside
: of the US.
: Did I read 500 personal statements? No. Did I screen in anyone based on
: their personal statement alone? No. How many did I personally read? I only
: read the ones of the candidates that we interviewed. How many were really
: read closely? Only the ones who we discussed ranking for residency.
: What is the personal statement for?
: When I interview you, I want to know where you came from, what you have done
: and what you want to do. Your personal statement should tell me these
: things. The personal statement provides a view into who you are as a person
| j*******6
发帖数: 259 | 10 Thanks for sharing.
outside
done
person
【在 s*h 的大作中提到】
: Last year I reviewed 500 applications from applicants who graduated outside
: of the US.
: Did I read 500 personal statements? No. Did I screen in anyone based on
: their personal statement alone? No. How many did I personally read? I only
: read the ones of the candidates that we interviewed. How many were really
: read closely? Only the ones who we discussed ranking for residency.
: What is the personal statement for?
: When I interview you, I want to know where you came from, what you have done
: and what you want to do. Your personal statement should tell me these
: things. The personal statement provides a view into who you are as a person
| | | a******3
发帖数: 1017 | | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 12 谢谢楼上的pony, yaya, cici还有春步，这个qbank应该是我见过的IMG面经里面比较全
而且新的了，就是去年整个一年的面试记录。面试贴是10年到11年春那个IMG连载的，
是最新的面经qbank。我估计她应该是个印度人，回帖的img以印度为主，有几个信
allah的估计是埃及或者巴基的IMG面经。
最顶上那篇关于PS的，应该是纽约一个IMG多的项目的PD的帖子，来源不清楚了，是
2010年他应要求针对IMG的PS来谈的。因为是从PD的角度来谈的IMG，是我目前看到的关
于PS最有用的帖子。 | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 13 下周末你们要去洛杉矶听defire他们的住院医讲座吗？ | M*****1
发帖数: 371 | 14 这也是我一直有点concern的。我的实验室老板说如果一个外国人联系她申请postdoc，
申请信却是完美的英语，那我肯定这不是他写的，会对他有非常不好的印象。那么我们
的PS是否应该关键是内容要对，语言方面不能太完美但杜绝语法和拼写错误？
谢谢楼主的热心。 | a******3
发帖数: 1017 | 15 想去啊，可是从东到西，路途遥遥啊 ^_^
【在 s*h 的大作中提到】
: 下周末你们要去洛杉矶听defire他们的住院医讲座吗？
| s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 16 我估计又和上次CS的webinar讲座一样，边听边速记了。
【在 a******3 的大作中提到】
: 想去啊，可是从东到西，路途遥遥啊 ^_^
| c****r
发帖数: 494 | | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 18 Many people will spend time as an observer. Few will do it well. First, know
the limits of the institution. Abide by these limits. There is nothing
worse than me reading a note in the chart from someone who I know is an
observer. I have to inform the attending that the observer cannot see or
chart on patients. The note has to be removed and sometimes risk management
has to be informed. Don’t overstep your boundaries. Many of the interns or
residents or attending don’t know the rules on observers. I often see
observers joining in on the patient exam, just be careful as it is not legal
to touch a patient at most hospitals (unless you are a student). The rules
are not fair but they are the rules.
You must recognize that your presence on the team means more work for
everyone. You cannot improve the efficiency of the work day. You can’t help
with the work and there is a lot to do. The attending might look at you as
a waste of his time especially if it is his first day on service. Usually
you will be welcomed on the second day if not on the first. Be cooperative,
go with the flow, don’t complain.
What not to do: Interrupt the presentations. Talk all the time. Be pushy. Be
irritating. Be a know it all. Be silent. Be invisible. Leave early. Stay
after your resident tells you that you can leave (this is a hint that they
want you gone for the day).
Your involvement will probably be limited to rounding in the morning, don’t
expect to go “on call” with the intern (he is too busy to give you the
time of day). Don’t expect the resident to take you under his wing. Don’t
expect a lot of face time with the attending. Most attendings will be nice
and welcoming, some grouchy and a few just plain nasty.
What can you do?
Appear professional. Guys wear conservative ties with white or light blue
shirts and tan brown or black pants. Women wear what is comfortable. Don’t
wear scrubs. Don’t wear cologne / perfume. You will get a white coat. You
will look like you belong.
Speak up. Even if you are wrong. Let your voice be heard. You can impress
the hell out of your attending. He will expect very little as most observers
are terrified. You may have a unique viewpoint and you are certainly
intelligent. You know a lot, maybe more than the medical student on the
service and likely more than the intern. If you get asked a question that
you don’t know, state “that is an interesting question but I don’t really
know the answer, I am happy to find out.” You can offer to do a teaching
session on a topic related to a patient that is on your service. Get good at
solving acid base problems – something that no one is really good at and
prepare a 20 minute chalk talk in advance of the observership. If you
present this topic people will take notice. You can participate in patient
care discussions on rounds. Ask a question, at least 2 per day. If you don’
t ask questions – no one will know that you exist. You can bring papers on
rounds for the team on topics related to patients on your service. Ask if
there is anyting that you can do to help (like go to radiology to review a
CT). You can invite the resident for a cup of coffee to talk about life. You
can share a bit of where you came from and your family life. You can make
new friends. You can have a laugh and enjoy yourself. If your attending asks
you to join the team for lunch or dinner do join them (you won’t have to
pay). Take photos at the end with your team. Ask your attending for a LOR,
ask for his/her email and send them your CV and LOR cover page. At the end
of the rotation, don’t buy your attending a present but write a short thank
you card (Dr. ABC, Thank you for taking the time with me this past month.
Your patient care is inspiring and I sincerely appreciate your teaching. I
learned so much medicine in such a short time. With gratitude XYZ) Email the
attending every 2 weeks until s/he has done the letter ("just wanted to
gently remind you to try to get to my letter, it means a lot to my future, I
'm happy to send you a template if that makes things easier") | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 19 主要是从PD的角度评论PS和OB的帖子，以前我基本没有看到过，尤其是专门针对IMG的
。这个PD还不错。
论坛上的印度人不是每个人都很慷慨的。人上一百，形形色色。这个印度IMG是全程面
试都发帖的，也是我第一次遇到这种帖子。一般人都是match上以后发个回顾贴讲IV。
她是从一开始就发帖，共4个月。这种心态不是一般人能比的。那句话我觉得讲的很好
，you can teach knowledge，but you can’t teach personality。match不是看成绩
的，match是要找个和program合得来的人来干活的。
就像我们这个麦地版面，常年在线潜水100多人，常发贴的不到20个。也就你们几个热
心ID发帖多一点。Goodgene那个IV list的贴，求信箱的回复一百多个，肯贴自己IV的
才几个？无论成功失败，贴出来IV总是好的嘛。什么时候我们版面也能像印度巴基和埃
及那样热闹了，CMG的前途才会好起来。
【在 c****r 的大作中提到】
: 这个贴子太好了。谢谢lz费心总结。
| s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 20 似乎这个PD是应要求做的访谈，除了ob，ps，好像还有推荐信和面试的部分。我需要再
去找找，看能不能搞个PD系列的， | | | a******3
发帖数: 1017 | 21 小猪你真可爱，袍子也不错，给你打了10分 ^_^
【在 s*h 的大作中提到】
: 似乎这个PD是应要求做的访谈，除了ob，ps，好像还有推荐信和面试的部分。我需要再
: 去找找，看能不能搞个PD系列的，
| s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 22 谢谢。下次发帖要加个签名档，求打分。哈哈
PD的帖子真多，我可能要重新发帖整理一下。下面是他的问答的关于女性面试的着装禁
忌，你们也许用的上
Don't wear perfume. I interview lots of candidates and my office is small.
Nothing worse than too much perfume that I don't like...
When you meet your interviewer look them in the eye, give a firm handshake
and smile. That impression in the first minute is very important.
【在 a******3 的大作中提到】
: 小猪你真可爱，袍子也不错，给你打了10分 ^_^
| s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 23 关于推荐信是否waive的问题，PD的回答是
Your letter is stronger if you mark "waive" as then you don't get to see
the letter.
This makes the letter stronger as the letter writer is free to say what s/he
trully thinks about you.
Even if the letter writer does not state that you have waived your right to
the letter the letter will be stamped by the person who scanns the letter
with a notice that the letter has been waived.
也就是说waive与否，eras是要在扫描时标记的，PD一眼就能看到。 | s********p
发帖数: 1319 | 24 谢谢“小猪大猪”大侠这么详尽的东东。
这段时间还忙着考试，来不及做这方面的功课，只好坐享其成——汗！！
以后有机会请你去靶场，微冲，1分钟理论上可以出来1千2百发子弹的感觉!!!——我原
来发的那个关于枪械的贴，你回过，对吧？！
see
he
to
【在 s*h 的大作中提到】
: 关于推荐信是否waive的问题，PD的回答是
: Your letter is stronger if you mark "waive" as then you don't get to see
: the letter.
: This makes the letter stronger as the letter writer is free to say what s/he
: trully thinks about you.
: Even if the letter writer does not state that you have waived your right to
: the letter the letter will be stamped by the person who scanns the letter
: with a notice that the letter has been waived.
: 也就是说waive与否，eras是要在扫描时标记的，PD一眼就能看到。
| A*G
发帖数: 256 | | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 26 嗯，那个枪贴我回复过。
我是后年参加match，现在考试都还没有考。只是因为PD现身答疑，这种机会不抓住，
明年等我想找人问问题都没有办法了。顺便感叹一下，确实印度人抱团，都混到这个高
位了都还出来帮他们后来人解决问题，和我们的单打独斗比确实厉害多了。好在现在慢
慢的CMG的活动也多了起来了，希望我们能迅速赶上。
【在 s********p 的大作中提到】
: 谢谢“小猪大猪”大侠这么详尽的东东。
: 这段时间还忙着考试，来不及做这方面的功课，只好坐享其成——汗！！
: 以后有机会请你去靶场，微冲，1分钟理论上可以出来1千2百发子弹的感觉!!!——我原
: 来发的那个关于枪械的贴，你回过，对吧？！
:
: see
: he
: to
| c****r
发帖数: 494 | 27 我 赞成你的观点。关于这个问题，可能我们对一部分人还是得更宽容一点。
最近跟很多其他国家的IMG打交道，他们是很团结，但是跟我们CMG来比，其实他们压力
并不大。因为年轻，没有孩子，没有工作，甚至都没有结婚，他们可以很大方地说自己
正在参加match。相比之下，CMG得养家糊口，根本不敢让老板知道，所以很多人选择潜
水。
正是因为这种压力，每个人都很紧张，不拿到最后的match，都不敢松一口气，试想一
下，天天发自己IV的进展，这么多人都关注你的match，压力再加压力啊。
虽然我不清楚最后match总体人群的情况，以我现在周围40多个今年准备match的IMG来
说，CMG的年龄是偏大的，年龄越大，压力越大，顾虑越多。
【在 s*h 的大作中提到】
: 主要是从PD的角度评论PS和OB的帖子，以前我基本没有看到过，尤其是专门针对IMG的
: 。这个PD还不错。
: 论坛上的印度人不是每个人都很慷慨的。人上一百，形形色色。这个印度IMG是全程面
: 试都发帖的，也是我第一次遇到这种帖子。一般人都是match上以后发个回顾贴讲IV。
: 她是从一开始就发帖，共4个月。这种心态不是一般人能比的。那句话我觉得讲的很好
: ，you can teach knowledge，but you can’t teach personality。match不是看成绩
: 的，match是要找个和program合得来的人来干活的。
: 就像我们这个麦地版面，常年在线潜水100多人，常发贴的不到20个。也就你们几个热
: 心ID发帖多一点。Goodgene那个IV list的贴，求信箱的回复一百多个，肯贴自己IV的
: 才几个？无论成功失败，贴出来IV总是好的嘛。什么时候我们版面也能像印度巴基和埃
| A*S
发帖数: 354 | 28 re.
【在 m*******8 的大作中提到】
: 求原论坛地址，谢谢
| b*******s
发帖数: 954 | 29 谢谢！
outside
done
person
【在 s*h 的大作中提到】
: Last year I reviewed 500 applications from applicants who graduated outside
: of the US.
: Did I read 500 personal statements? No. Did I screen in anyone based on
: their personal statement alone? No. How many did I personally read? I only
: read the ones of the candidates that we interviewed. How many were really
: read closely? Only the ones who we discussed ranking for residency.
: What is the personal statement for?
: When I interview you, I want to know where you came from, what you have done
: and what you want to do. Your personal statement should tell me these
: things. The personal statement provides a view into who you are as a person
| s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 30 这个帖子本来是我发了为后年match提前准备的。毕竟PD不是随时能碰到的，肯发表观
点的更是凤毛麟角。现在更正一下。PD不是IMG，而是正宗的AMG，是BOSTON地区某大学
医院内科的一个PD，他的观点只代表个人的观点，不一定符合社区医院及其他项目主管
的想法，毕竟他的大学医院要求比较高。我们CMG申请，还是主要立足于社区医院。 | | | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 31 今天继续我的PD系列。这次是另一个PD，也是AMG， 新英格兰地区的大学医院PD，他的
观点和前一个PD基本类似。只选择IMG有关的部分。
Package中最重要的部分
For IMG candidates, the Dean's letter is completely useless. USMLE scores
are almost always used as a first cut. US clinical experience is highly
valued, and an LOR from a US experience is vital. Observerships probably
have some value, but much less so than a true rotation with primary
responsibility for patient care. Visa status should have no effect by law,
but probably does -- not needing a visa at all is probably a plus.
关于LOR，对比了AMG和IMG的LOR，
对AMG而言，有用的LOR是An LOR from someone known to the PD/Program -- a
letter from another IM program director, a recent graduate of a program, or
someone known to the program is a huge bonus.
无用的LOR是Letters of Rec -- I have read thousands of LOR's. Almost all
state that the student is in the top 5% of students with whom they have
worked. Reminds me of Lake Wobegon. Other than letters from someone I know,
no value at all in my experience. Rarely we get a true gem of a letter, with
statements like "seemed more interested in getting coffee than taking care
of patients." or "confrontational style seemed better suited to a boardroom
than the wards". Needless to say, you don't want me to remember your letters.
这个对于我们选择谁来写推荐信是很有帮助的。 | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 32 关于申请时间
Application timing - Many program start selecting applicants for interviews
before Dean's Letters are released. Remember that we get your USMLE scores
and your transcript, the latter of which gives us a good sense of how well
you've done. If all looks good, many programs will offer an interview. A few
programs have all P/F transcripts -- usually these are "top notch" schools,
and in these cases good step scores will usually generate an interview
offer prior to the Dean's letter. If there's an "anomaly" on your transcript
, we will often wait for the Dean's letter to clarify.
The most competitive programs wait for Dean's letters before offering any
interviews.
Most other programs use a rolling process -- once your application is
complete (except for the Dean's Letter) it is reviewed. Hence, if you get
your application complete in Spetember, you might get an interview early.
This has a few benefits -- first, having a bunch of interviews tends to make
people worry less about the process, and second the early applicants tend
to get first choice for interview days.
Step成绩
A high step 1 score followed by a low Step 2 score is a cause for concern.
关于怎样做好intern
I don't have a list of the medical stuff you will need to learn. There is SO
much to learn in intern year, there is no way to make a list. The
Washington Manual is a great resource to start with, for the medical issues.
The real magic in intern year is getting a sense of whom is sick and who
isn't, and that ain't in any book.
I do have a list of the common "non medical" intern issues:
1. Call the attending when a patient dies at 3AM, even if you don't want
to wake them up --- imagine what happens when you forget to call at 6AM, and
the faculty member bumps into the family at 7:30 and asks how things are
going. Not good. Always call. Always. UNLESS it is an expected death AND you
are told not to call (corollary -- when someone is CMO and death is
expected, ask if you need to call the attending at signout)
2. Read on a regular basis. There is so much to learn, you must read
every day. This includes day's off. Read 60 minutes each day, you will be
much happier (and smarter). (You do not need to read on vacation)
3. Find something fun to learn with each patient. No matter how "boring"
the admission is, there is always something to learn. If you keep this
attitude, it will help.
4. When on call, get your team to stop working, get something to eat, and
relax for 30 minutes before midnight. You may get to bed 30 minutes later,
but your team will function much better.
5. For those in a university program, don't forget what it was like to be
a medical student, and treat them with respect.
6. If you have a spouse/SO, call them when you are on call, preferably
before they go to bed. Set the alarm on your pager to remind you. A 5 minute
phone call when you are on call goes a long way.
7. When you don't know something, didn't check it, or forgot -- admit it.
Never, ever, ever, ever say it was "normal" or "fine". This is the cardinal
sin during internship. If you do this and are caught (and trust me, you
will be caught somewhere along the line), your trust/reliability will be
blown and it is very difficult to get it back. High school, college, and
medical school are all about hiding what you don't know. Internship is all
about showing those you are working with what you don't know so they can
teach you. This is very difficult since you are out of practice.
8. Impaired physicians are a VERY common problem. Substance abuse is very
common. Next year, if you don't notice an impaired physician around you,
you have missed one. Chances are, someone in your training program will
become impaired, either due to substances, sleep deprivation, emotional
stress, etc. Always, always, always do something about it if you THINK
someone might be in trouble. Never figure that someone else will do
something, or that you're "not sure it's a real problem", or think that you
don't have enough evidence. If you are concerned, bring it to someone's
attention. be anonymous if you want to, drop off an unsigned letter to the
GME office, the program director, or someone you trust.
If you feel you might be impaired, get help. Rule of thumb: if you
think you might be impaired, then you are. It is much better to get help
before something bad happens. | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 33 关于申请时间
Application timing - Many program start selecting applicants for interviews
before Dean's Letters are released. Remember that we get your USMLE scores
and your transcript, the latter of which gives us a good sense of how well
you've done. If all looks good, many programs will offer an interview. A few
programs have all P/F transcripts -- usually these are "top notch" schools,
and in these cases good step scores will usually generate an interview
offer prior to the Dean's letter. If there's an "anomaly" on your transcript
, we will often wait for the Dean's letter to clarify.
The most competitive programs wait for Dean's letters before offering any
interviews.
Most other programs use a rolling process -- once your application is
complete (except for the Dean's Letter) it is reviewed. Hence, if you get
your application complete in Spetember, you might get an interview early.
This has a few benefits -- first, having a bunch of interviews tends to make
people worry less about the process, and second the early applicants tend
to get first choice for interview days.
Step成绩
A high step 1 score followed by a low Step 2 score is a cause for concern.
关于怎样做好intern
I don't have a list of the medical stuff you will need to learn. There is SO
much to learn in intern year, there is no way to make a list. The
Washington Manual is a great resource to start with, for the medical issues.
The real magic in intern year is getting a sense of whom is sick and who
isn't, and that ain't in any book.
I do have a list of the common "non medical" intern issues:
1. Call the attending when a patient dies at 3AM, even if you don't want
to wake them up --- imagine what happens when you forget to call at 6AM, and
the faculty member bumps into the family at 7:30 and asks how things are
going. Not good. Always call. Always. UNLESS it is an expected death AND you
are told not to call (corollary -- when someone is CMO and death is
expected, ask if you need to call the attending at signout)
2. Read on a regular basis. There is so much to learn, you must read
every day. This includes day's off. Read 60 minutes each day, you will be
much happier (and smarter). (You do not need to read on vacation)
3. Find something fun to learn with each patient. No matter how "boring"
the admission is, there is always something to learn. If you keep this
attitude, it will help.
4. When on call, get your team to stop working, get something to eat, and
relax for 30 minutes before midnight. You may get to bed 30 minutes later,
but your team will function much better.
5. For those in a university program, don't forget what it was like to be
a medical student, and treat them with respect.
6. If you have a spouse/SO, call them when you are on call, preferably
before they go to bed. Set the alarm on your pager to remind you. A 5 minute
phone call when you are on call goes a long way.
7. When you don't know something, didn't check it, or forgot -- admit it.
Never, ever, ever, ever say it was "normal" or "fine". This is the cardinal
sin during internship. If you do this and are caught (and trust me, you
will be caught somewhere along the line), your trust/reliability will be
blown and it is very difficult to get it back. High school, college, and
medical school are all about hiding what you don't know. Internship is all
about showing those you are working with what you don't know so they can
teach you. This is very difficult since you are out of practice.
8. Impaired physicians are a VERY common problem. Substance abuse is very
common. Next year, if you don't notice an impaired physician around you,
you have missed one. Chances are, someone in your training program will
become impaired, either due to substances, sleep deprivation, emotional
stress, etc. Always, always, always do something about it if you THINK
someone might be in trouble. Never figure that someone else will do
something, or that you're "not sure it's a real problem", or think that you
don't have enough evidence. If you are concerned, bring it to someone's
attention. be anonymous if you want to, drop off an unsigned letter to the
GME office, the program director, or someone you trust.
If you feel you might be impaired, get help. Rule of thumb: if you
think you might be impaired, then you are. It is much better to get help
before something bad happens. | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 34 how important are Step 1 vs Step 2 scores?
My personal opinion and experience is that Step 2 scores are much more
predictive of success in internship and residency, and hence I personally
put much more weight on them. Needless to say, if you are trying to get into
an uber-top residency program, then both are critical. A poor Step 1 score
followed by a good step 2 score is not a huge red flag in my book. A good
step 1 score followed by a low Step 2 score is a real concern.
As far as IMG vs USMG's are concerned, IMG's are much more dependent on
USMLE scores as I do not have much experience with many IMG schools. I
expect that many programs, myself included, screen out IMG's with low Step 1
or Step 2 scores. I get literally 800+ IMG applications each year, and I
have to start screening somewhere.
However, I'll tell you a little secret. The filter system in ERAS uses your
last USMLE score to filter against. Hence, if you were to retake Step 1 and
do really well, you would not be filtered out and I would look at your
application. I might decline to interview you once I see that fail on Step 1
, or I might not. Depends on what Step 2 was. If you haven;t taken Step 2,
you need to -- most programs will not look at IMG's who are not ECFMG
certified. | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 35 内科各专科的竞争性
Ultra competitive: Gastroenterology, Allergy/Immunology (esp research based
programs)
Highly competitive: Cardiology, Heme/Onc
Less Competitive:Pulmonary, Critical Care, Rheumatology (Becoming more
competitive), General Medicine (Research based)
Not Competitive: ID, Endo, Nephrology, Geriatrics
I have seen good people not get GI and Cardiology spots. H/O is very
competitive, but there are many spots out there.
Important factors for fellowship application:
1. A great LOR from the PD
2. A University based residency (caveat: some community based programs
sponsor their own fellowships, and take applicants from their own program)
3. A fellowship in that field at your home institution
4. Research, especially that which generates a publication or poster at a
national meeting
5. a great LOR from a specialist personally known to the Fellowship PD
6. Good USMLE scores will never hurt
I think that the PD LOR is probably one of the most critical pieces, along
with a good research project.
关于observership
Question A: US Experience for IMG's
Most university programs insist on some sort of recent, US/Canadian clinical
experience as part of an IMG application. In general, inpatient experience
is more highly valued than outpatient experience. This is often a difficult
task for IMG's, as they usually find themselves in "the license squeeze".
Since IMG's are not medical students, they cannot obtain experience (
including malpractice insurance) as a student. Since they are not part of a
training program, they cannot get a training license. Since they do not have
any US experience, they cannot get a full license. Without a license, they
can't get any experience. It's a Catch-22. Hence, IMG's often resort to "
observerships" -- a rotation where the IMG participates in rounds but has no
actual responsibility for patient care, writes no notes or orders, and does
not touch patients. The value of observerships is mixed. Some PD's feel
that they are useful, some think they are useless. Three things are certain:
1) a letter from your clinical experience is vital; 2) Letters from
physicians who work with residents/students are much more valuable than
those who do not; and 3) an observership at a residency program will be of
most value at that program.
改专业申请（国内妇科，美国申请儿科）能不能成功
USCE = US Clinical Experience, in case any thread readers were unaware.
Your application is what it is. Your outstanding USMLE scores will certainly
help. You have three years of clinical experience in your home country. You
are missing US clinical experience.
Your chances of getting any IM spot in the US are reasonably good. Many
community based programs take IMG's, many with no US clinical experience if
they have good clinical experience in their home country. SOme of this will
depend upon the country/program. If you apply broadly, you will likely
obtain some interviews and stand a reasonable chance of matching.
US clinical experience would really put your application over the top. With
a good US rotation (inpatient, primary hands-on care of patients) and an LOR
from the rotation, you would be almost certain to get a good spot with your
excellent USMLE's.
6年Gap怎么办，能不能match
With outstanding step scores (>95), research, and US clinical experience you
stand a good chance of getting a university spot. The >5 year hiatus may be
a problem, but with outstanding step scores many programs will overlook
this. A current US clinical experience would really help, but may be a
logistical impossibility.
FREIDA lists whether programs are Univeristy, University affiliated, or
Community. "University affiliated" often means that they are a community
type hospital that has medical students / residents rotate there -- some are
"univeristy-like" and some are not, there is no way to easily separate them
short of research.
Connections always help!
Good luck!
各种OB的价值排列
The clinical experience problem is one I have addressed earlier. Solutions
are not ideal. In order of value:
(Least valuable)
1. Volunteer in a physician's office who is a family member/friend
2. Volunteer in a private physician's office.
3. Volunteer at a community hospital (seeing inpatients)
4. Work in a physician's office for 6+ months as a patient care tech /
EKG tech / lab tech (i.e. something with direct pt contact)
5. Work as a research fellow at a Univeristy hospital (and get something
done)
6. Work as a research fellow at a Univ hospital doing direct patient
research (i.e. interacting directly with patients), and getting something
done.
7. Volunteer at a Univ hospital on an outpatient / consult service.
8. Volunteer at a Univ hospital on an inpatient service
9. Outpatient/Consult rotation at the level of a fourth year medical
student (direct patient contact)
10. Inpatient rotation at the level of a fourth year medical student
(Most valuable)
People may quibble about the exact ordering of this list. In addition, it's
not mutally exclusive -- you could do research and volunteer on an inpatient
service, etc.
How to get a volunteer / research / rotation is all about connections. I
receive plenty of emails from IMG's requesting a rotation / observership /
research experience -- they all go directly into the trash unless someone I
know asks me to seriously consider them. | f******3
发帖数: 60 | 36 thanks for your input. very helpful, although I am not going to apply this
year. | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 37 这个PD讨厌的personal statement类型（仅是他个人观点，不具有普遍性）
Write about something personal. Something NOT in your application. You can
write about anything, it might have nothing to do with medicine at all.
There are 4 standard personal statements:
1. Why I want to be an internist -- usually "I like solving puzzles" or
something on that theme.
2. Rehashing your CV in prose form.
3. Recounting a clinical encounter -- i.e. "I first saw Mrs. P in the
Emergency room; she stood out because she was bright yellow."
4. Starting with a quote, and then trying to tie it into your PS (usually #1
-#3 above).
My advice is to avoid all of these. It's not that they are bad, it's just
that they are boring.
Choose one thing to write about. One of your EC's. Something you like to do
outside of medicine. Something non-medical that you read an enjoyed.
If you make your personal statement enjoyable to read, it will drive your
interview -- people will probably want to talk to you about your PS, and
that only makes your interview that much easier. | s*****9
发帖数: 75 | 38 Thanks. It is very helpful. | M**1
发帖数: 327 | | r******9
发帖数: 68 | 40 非常有用的帖子，谢谢了。另小猪，如何打入印巴内部，获取有用信息？ | | | f****b
发帖数: 2410 | 41 informative, 差点，把你当PD 了， | F*******2
发帖数: 4 | | b*********y
发帖数: 93 | 43 very useful, thank you for taking time to collect all these information | c*******9
发帖数: 122 | 44 总结得真好，谢谢！
尤其是关于OB的VALUE的总结，回答了我很多问题。 | h***r
发帖数: 206 | 45 thanks so much for your time and 总结！我们就跟着你跑了啊！ 呵呵 | l****u
发帖数: 35 | | D********r
发帖数: 119 | 47 thank you so much for sharing! | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 48 Have you considered writing something about yourself, your interests,
instead?
Really, I see the same 4 personal statements over and over:
1. Why I want to be a doctor
2. Why I want to do IM
3. Let me tell you about my own personal health issue / sick friend / sick
family member.
4. Let me retell my CV in prose form.
Guess what? These are usually really boring. Your answers to these issues is
usually exactly the same as everyone elses.
Instead consider simply talking about something you're really interested in.
Tell me something about yourself. Make me want to meet you.
Oh yes, the other two things that happen ALL the time are:
1. Starting with a quote. Really?
2. Telling me about some patient you took care of.
Is there some book that tells y'all to do this? It's pretty pointless. The
personal statement is supposed to be "personal". Tell me something about you
. | s*h
发帖数: 1538 | 49 Carib grad and a borderline pass on the Steps essentially rules out anything
competitive for you...Gen Surg, Gas, EM and even most IM and Peds programs
are pretty much not going to happen for you. You can certainly go the "
multiple surgery prelim years" route and hope for the best, but every year
that you're out of school without a match makes you less and less
competitive. Carib grads need good (220+) Step scores to get a mediocre
residency spot and need stellar (250+) scores for a good spot or a more
competitive residency. If you're talking about sub-200 scores, you're going
to be filtered out by the vast majority of programs before they get a chance
to see anything else in your application. Fair? Probably not, but that's
not for you or I to say. Reality? Hell yes. You just need to accept it and
move on.
So what can you do to maximize your chances of becoming a practicing
physician? Adjust your application strategy and get some more experience in
something that would potentially help you out.
1. Aim low. Sorry, but that's the reality of your situation. You need to
apply to every FM program in the country. Your Step scores and school will
likely get you filtered out at half of them or more but there's no way to
know which ones a priori, so just apply. There are 449 of them (450 if you
count the one in PR)...some of them (5-10% if you're lucky) are bound to
offer you invitations. And then go to every single interview you're offered.
Stop at 20 or 30 if you're lucky enough to get that many. And jump at pre-
matches...next cycle will be the last one with pre-match options...take
advantage of it.
2. Prove you can/will be happy in FM. It sounds to me like your clinical
option for next year is in an FM clinic/hospitalist situation. Do that one.
Get a good letter from your supervisor. No amount of great gas research will
make you competitive for Gen Surg or gas programs...even if you're doing
the work the the chairman or PD.
Bottom line: It's time to go to Plan B (or perhaps Plan C) unless you want
to go to Plan D(efault on your loans). Your chances of being a surgeon or
anesthesiologist in the US curently approach your chances of winning the NBA
MVP trophy by 2015. None of my suggestions will guarantee you a spot of
course but they will help improve your chances.
I actually think using USMLE scores to help choose residents is a relatively
fair system. It's a standardized test that everyone gets to take,
regardless of what medical school you went to. Everyone has the same chance
of doing well, or not. There are lots of very unfair things I could use to
select residents -- the "prestige" of your medical school, your hobbies, how
cute you are in your pic, etc. Grades are highly variable at schools, and
LOR's are always "great". I have no idea whether your PS was truly written
by you. So, all in all, USMLE's are probably the fairest option. That DOESN'
T mean that they are a good way to predict whom will do well and whom won't,
but that's something different (although, IMHO, low scores are more
associated with poor performance).
Anyway, GS is basically a dead end for you, and no interviews should tell
you all you need to know. You can't "fix" your application. You could apply
to prelim surgery spots -- in that case your entire outcome will rest upon
the ABSITE exam, and if you had troubles with the USMLE you're not going to
like the ABSITE. A poor score on that will doom any chance of a GS spot, no
matter how much you "impress" people.
So, your goal is to change your application so that it looks clear that you'
re interested in FM. You might get some interest from IM programs also, and
peds and/or psych might be options also. You need to make your application
look like you're interested in one of these -- no one wants an intern who
shows up on day one and announces that they are looking to switch fields. |
|
