Timeline for USMLE for IMGs

BEST WAY TO PLAN YOUR USMLE JOURNEY

• September 1st of every year is when ERAS starts accepting applications. The deadline usually is September 15th (except Match 2021 where it was Oct 21st and Match 2022 where it is Sept 29th)

• This means you need to have all your documents and scores ready before September 15th.

• ECFMG certification: This takes anytime between 7 days to 3-4 weeks to arrive from the day you apply for it.
  1. When can you apply for ECFMG certification: When you have all your step 1, 2 CK, and OET scores in hand + You have graduated medical school and your credentials are verified.
  2. Credential verification: Your medical school needs to send your degree and final transcript to ECFMG. This process can take between 1-4 weeks.
  3. There is usually a delay in score reporting that happens for Step 1 and Step 2 CK around May-June every year. Be on the lookout for that and plan accordingly. If there is no delay, your Step scores should come within 3-4 weeks of taking the test. 

Interview questions for the residency match

All frequently asked questions are highlighted with (FAQ)
How to approach each question is explained below it
Disclaimer: All these questions are compiled from different sources and personal experiences.

J-1 visa: Statement of Need and surety bond for Indian International Medical Graduates (IMGs)

J-1 visa: Statement of need (SON) attestation from Indian Consulate

Pediatric Residency Series: Preparing for Fellowships

Welcome to this post of Pediatric Residency Series. In this post, we will talk about fellowships including some factors that can help you in getting the fellowship you want:

Mentors / Research / Conferences:

Please click here for a detailed description of these points.

Know your timeline:

For most Pediatric specialties, ERAS opens early June, you can upload the needed documents till mid July. Interviews in August, September and possibly early October. Finalizing Rank Order List in November. Match results around mid December. You apply at the end of your 2nd year/start of your 3rd year and gets the results at the middle of your 3rd year.

Check ERAS for fellowships timeline and any other updates.

 

Letters of recommendation (LORs):

LoRs are very essential and have a tremendous impact on your fellowship application. Choose your letter writers carefully. Letters from big names and titles are amazing but are not as good as a personalized letter from another doctor who knows you personally and who has worked with you for a long period of time. LoRs are like a testimony of your worth to the new program. Remember to ask your colleagues about good LoR writers, also remember to approach the potential letter writers politely. Give your writer an ample amount of time to write your letter. It would be great to approach your potential letter writer two months before the application deadline. Whenever ERAS opens, send your personalized ERAS LoR request to the writer so he/she can upload your waived LoR to your account. You will need 3-4 letters for your fellowship applications; one of them will be from your Program Director (PD). Letter writers are not limited to people who supervised you clinically but they can include your research mentors too.

Personal Statement (PS):

Your Personal Statement is your way to express yourself informally after letting your CV show your formal side. Be sure to have a catchy start. Take your time in preparing your PS. Proofread it and make sure it has no grammatical errors. PS can make a PD curious to meet you!

Rotations: 

Rotations whether electives or less preferably observerships are your opportunity to prove yourself. They become even more important if you are doing your residency in a small program with a modest patient load. When you are doing an away rotation, you are being compared to the residents in the other program so do your best to impress. You can get amazing LoRs in your away rotations that can be so helpful in your fellowship application. You may also match in a program that you rotated at.

Study/Read:

Make it a habit to read one small thing about your desired specialty as frequent as you can. You can not imagine how much info you can have just by reading small things over a long period of time. However, be careful, do not let that interfere with your normal residency studying schedule. Ask your seniors/attendings about the available study material (books, articles, videos..etc).

Choosing programs:

It is advisable to have a checklist for the things you want in your desired fellowship program. Do you want a heavy research program? Does the program have the advanced fellowships that you want? Would you like to live in a city? 

Develop your own approach, do your own extensive research and of course ask seniors and mentors about their input. The interview day itself can either make you want that program more or can ring a bell and let your drop that program to a lower position in your ranking list.

FRIEDA ranks programs per reputation/research output/visa sponsorship..etc. However, make sure to check the website for each program to get the most updated data always since Frieda may not be uptodate all the time.

Comment below if you feel like anything can be added to this post :)

- Murad

Pediatric Residency Series: Research

In addition to its valuable role in helping humanity, research is one of the most important aspects of the fellowship application.

In this post, I will mention some points that will help in getting more research and in having a more systematic approach towards this field.

1-Start early

Time in residency flies very fast. If you know which specialty you are targeting, start doing research as early as you can. This will expose you to more ideas, allow you to have more possible publications and may also strengthen your clinical grasp on that specialty. 

2-Mentors

A mentor can be a current senior or an attending in your program or in any other program. Mentors have more experience and will shine a light on things that you may not consider. They will also give you research ideas and inform you about the conferences specific to your field of interest. The fellowship world is smaller than the residency one and mentors can write you letters of recommendation, put a good word for you and direct you to fellowship programs that best suit you.

Do not forget to check the: AAP Mentorship Program. As an AAP member, you have free access to this mentorship program which links you to mentors through its algorithm based on your preferences. This AAP feature is a hidden jewel that everyone should use.

3-Finding Research:

“How can I find research opportunities?” This is the-million-dollar-question and one of the most frequent ones I get.

I like to divide the answer into two main parts:

*Research at your program

This varies a lot based on your residency program but options include and are not limited to:

A- Case reports and case series

Do you have an interesting case on the Pediatric ward, PICU or NICU? Ask your attending if it is reportable, decide which journal or conference to target and start writing!

AAP has an amazing summary about this here.

B- Retrospective studies

Is your NICU big and with a high patient turnover? Come up with a research hypothesis or let your seniors and attendings aid you in this. These days and especially with the ICD code system, you can think about any research idea and find the research objects within seconds!

C- QI projects

Have you noticed anything in your program that can be improved? Is it an order set that can be added to your EMR? Do you feel a teaching module for residents or students would help? Create your own QI project, compare pre and post intervention results and present the findings at a regional conference or wherever you deem appropriate.

D- Surveys

Surveys are usually easy to do. Come up with the survey questions (search and ask while doing so) and run it by your mentor. You may do a pilot survey on a smaller amount of people before sending your official survey to your target group. The downside is possible low response rates which can make the survey hard to be published.

Do not forget to obtain the needed IRB approval in your program before doing anything :D 

*Research outside your program

A- Meta-analysis / Systematic reviews / Review articles

The above mentioned types of research can be done anywhere and anytime. They are usually carried out in teams including a statistician (or anyone who knows statistics) needed for meta-analysis. They may be time consuming so keep that in mind.

B- Global projects

Collaborative research is a type of research that is recently getting more publicity. There are infinite projects out there that you can join. You just have to know about them. An example is the Covidsurg collaborative project. 

C- Databases

Databases are incredible - and sometimes costly- sources for retrospective research. The hardest part is formulating the research question. After you have your idea, search online to see if it has been done before. An example is the famous Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) database. This database has many sub-databases with gigantic amounts of info that can be used for research purposes. Every disease you can think of is there with its corresponding ICD code. KID (Kids Inpatient Database) and NIS (National Inpatient Sample) are two subsets that include Pediatric patients. 

D- Twitter

Yes, as you have read! Some research projects can be posted on Twitter and you can directly contact whoever posted them and start.

4-Conferences

Conferences are very vital when it comes to research. Not only that attending conferences gives you the chance to meet people who share your interest, socialize and make new connections, find mentors, look for possible away electives and present your work. It also excites you, gives you new ideas and allows you to discover new places which will help in breaking the “stressful” residency routine.

Always know when the conferences are held, the early vs late registration fee, abstract submission opening date and deadlines so you can plan your traveling, accommodation and schedule changes.

Stay tuned for a list for conferences that you can attend/present at whether for general Pediatrics or Pediatric sub-specialties.

This post mainly applies to those in Pediatrics but same principles apply to most other specialties.

-Murad :)

Being street-smart during interviews: Apps/Websites

We all like free money $$$, don’t we? Doctors, engineers or any other profession you can think of! These days, we are living in a world which is full of apps and nearly all of us have smartphones. What if I tell you that you can use your phone to make money just by doing what you normally do?
Well, these apps and websites are really useful to save money, get some of your money back, get cash and to redeem many offers!

1- Google rewards
A very simple app by Google in which you have to answer a survey and get money from that. For Iphone users, you can redeem each 2 dollars or let them accumulate (survey value can be as low as 10 cents up to 50- 60 cents or even more). For Android users, you can use the money to buy apps/rent movies ..etc in Play Store.
 It is said online that when you go to new places the app may send you more surveys. Keep your location service turned on. The process may take sometime but anyway, you lose nothing, it’s free :D
Go download the app from App store or Play store now!

2-Ibotta
Ibotta is one of the available rebate apps. Check the offers in the app, tick them and then buy the thing you need from available places- whether online via the app or in-store-. Nearly all the superstores (Walmart, Kroger, Target) and famous online stores (Amazon) are there. You can redeem your money after you accumulate 20 dollars via Vimeo or PayPal. You get money when you refer friends and you all may get money when you all work as one team!
Here is the link for the app, let us make one big team :D
https://ibotta.com/r/avalwqu.
(better to open the phone using your phone directly)


3- Sweatcoin
As this app advertises itself: “It pays to walk”. This amaaazing app converts your steps into “sweatcoins”. You can use your sweatcoins to redeem many offers through the apps. As of now, one of the offers is an iphone XS or a 1000$ cash if you collect 20000 sweatcoins in 2 years! Offers include small electronics, clothes, music services...etc.
This app can be your friend during the whole match journey as well as when you go to the gym, you ll collect these coins without even trying :D
Psst..one more thing, when you refer anyone, both of you will get 5 sweatcoins so use the link below to download it..Get 5 sweatcoins for free and refer your friends.
This app will literally encourages you to “move it move it”
https://sweatco.in/w/murad665752

4- MileagePlus X (from United)
One of the best apps to travel for free! When you collect 10K or 12.5K miles through this app, you can simply book a flight for free using the miles you earned!
Many merchants are included within this app (Starbucks, Airbnb, The Home Depot, Uber, Walmart, Under Armour..etc). Just buy a gift card through the app and use it to pay at these places whether in-store or online. Miles range from as low as 0.5 Mile per each dollar spent to 12 Miles per dollar with some offers time limited. Before buying from any store, check this app and see if you can get some miles :)
The app also has MileagePlus dining which will give you miles when you eat in participating restaurants! Treat yourself and your stomach and get some free miles :D


5- Google Express
This nice app from google will not let give you money per se but it will help you in comparing the price of one product between different stores (Walmart, Target..etc). It comes with a cool 20$ (up to 20$) off your first purchase through the app.

6- Retailmenot and Slickdeals
These 2 websites will have deals and coupons for different things. Check them, crop or copy the coupon, buy for less.
www.retailmenot,com
https://slickdeals.net

7--Honey (extension)
Add this extension to your browser and it ll look for any working coupon that your can use when you are doing your online shopping on Amazon.

Let me know if you know other apps that should be added to this list!

-Murad :)

New application process for ECFMG registration

Hello,

This post is regarding new application process for ecfmg registration.


STEP1 : The process for obtaining USMLE ID is still the same which has been described very clearly here http://www.medicowesome.com/2016/12/how-to-apply-for-usmle-exams.html#more


STEP2 - ECFMG CERTIFICATION USING IWA:

1)when you go to IWA and login to your account you will only have one option : apply for certification (no application for examination any more ) so you will just click on that.

2)simply follow the steps and confirm you information and you will end up getting a payment page of 125$.


STEP3 - FORM 186 :

1)After payment they will send you form 186 (unlike before you dont need to go to your medical school and have it signed by your deen)

2)You will simply go to the website :- https://www.notarycam.com/ecfmg/


STEP4 - INTERVIEW WITH ONLINE NOTARY :

1)Fill an application and upload form (186) and high quality image of your passport or photo ID preferably but not necessarily in english.

2)You will receive an email from one of the online notaries and schedule an appointment of an online meeting with him/her.

3)If you are ready at the moment you can schedule an appointment immediately(which is what i did) or you can schedule for an appointment later.

4)During your meeting with the notary please prepare your passport as you will be asked to show it, to confirm your identity.

5)Afterwards the notary will ask you to position your self to the mid of screen and ask your permission for taking a screenshot.(If your webcam is of low quality they will ask you to mail them a passport picture of yours,so be ready with that too)

6)Then you will have to electronically sign your form-no need to actually sign it,they will display your name in few fonts and you have select one.

7)Now you have done your part.The notary will seal the document and send it to the ecfmg.

8)You will get an 2 emails after this process-one from notary that they have sent your form186 to ECFMG and second email is from ECFMG which you will be getting after few days that they have accepted your form 186.

-Srikar Sama

Letters of Recommendation [LORs] 101

The letters of recommendation are very important for the residency application process. All the programs require a minimum of three and a maximum of four letters of recommendation for a complete application. So, I thought I will put together all the information needed to know about Letters of Recommendation[LORs].

DISCLAIMER: Long post!!

1. How important are LORs?

LORs are compulsory while applying for a residency program. Most of the programs require at least three LORs for a complete application.

2. Do all the LORs need to be from the states?

It is good to have all the LORs from the clinical experience from the states. But, a few programs require a letter from the department head of your med school. In such cases, you need to submit one from your med school.

If you don’t have all the LORs from the states, try to get at least two. Its easier for the program director to believe if someone from the same country says that you are well versed with the system than from someone who is outside the country.

But is there not anyone who matched without any letters from the states? There are!! But there are many terms and conditions involved like stellar scores, strong contacts etc. So, to be on the safe side it's better to apply with letters written by someone in the states.

3. What is the difference between a waived LOR and non-waived LOR?

Waived LOR is uploaded by the LOR writer or someone on his behalf and it by default means you never saw the letter.

Non-Waived LOR is uploaded by you or the letter writer. It means that you have seen the letter and know the contents.

Waived LORs are supposed to carry more value than non-waived. But, if you believe that a non- waived LOR is stronger than a different waived LOR you have, definitely use the strong one.

Value: strong waived LOR> strong Non-waived LOR> weak waived LOR>weak Non-waived LOR.

4. How do I send a request/upload a LOR into the ERAS?

There is a tab for LORs on ERAS. Follow the instructions and it gives a printable form to send to the LOR author to upload the letter. You can also send the request directly via ERAS to the author. It has step by step process on how to upload a LOR.

Remember the author should have an AMA account to upload.

5. When do I ask for a LOR?

Usually in the last week or last day of your rotation. Ask your author for a feedback first and assess what he/she feels about you and then ask for a LOR.

Example:

“Hi doctor, it has been a pleasure working with you. I would like to take any feedback you have for me regarding my performance”

“I will be applying for so and so residency this year, will you be comfortable in writing a strong LOR for me?”

If they say yes, ask them if they are comfortable uploading it to ERAS and if they are familiar with it. 

Tell them you will send the ERAS request form once the application season starts. If they are not, offer to help them upload the letter explaining to them the importance of a waived LOR.

Never push them to do what they are not comfortable with. Be polite.

6. My LOR author offered me to write my own LOR, what do I do?

Never leave such an opportunity. It means that the mentor trusts you to write a letter. This is an opportunity to write a strong LOR. Try to include the following in the LOR:

      

    A) Start with how the author knows you and how long he/she worked with you.

    B) Try to give examples to the positive features described. Ex: Don’t say this student is punctual, say something like he/she always arrived before time and left only after the work is done. It will show you are punctual and committed.

    C) Put in strong adjectives. Ex: Rather than hardworking say very hardworking.

Keep a proforma in handy. Some authors might ask proforma. Try to personalize as much as you can.

7. I did a lot of rotations and have a lot of LORs, which ones do I use?

This usually happens with repeat applicants. First of all, use the LORs which you feel are the strongest. If you believe that all of them are strong enough, use the LORs specifically from the same region as the program. Ex: If you are applying to programs in Michigan, and if you happen to have a LOR written by someone in Michigan-use it.

If any your LORs are from people in higher positions like PD, APD, Chairman and are strong LORs- use them.

8. How do I get my LORs from the previous year?

Just buy the token and login into your ERAS account, LORs would have been transferred.

9. I have a LOR from a specialty different from what I am applying for, Is it useful?

Yes! Although it is better to have a LOR from the same specialty, it is not bad to have LOR from a different specialty.

Any LOR is better than no LOR. But make sure that LOR doesn’t say that you are interested in a specialty different from the one you are applying to. Or ask your LOR author to mention your dedication to the specialty you are applying for.

Ex: If a pediatrics author is writing LOR for IM application, Ask them to mention you are dedicated for IM and not to mention you like peds.

10. How useful are the letters of reference?

Letters of reference are written by a physician who you didn’t work with but know you personally. This is a gray area. It worked for some people and some consider it useless.

                                                                                                                                       

TIPS:

1. Use google to find proformas online. Don’t copy paste but try to understand the format.

2. Try to send it to people who matched, they might help you make corrections and make it stronger.

3. Authors might not upload the same LOR you gave them. Remember, they have the liberty to change-they are the authors.

4. If someone offers you to write a LOR after September, ask them to write it and take it by hand to interviews and give it to the PDs. Most PDs will e interested in reading them and will appreciate the effort taken by your mentor. It is a bigggg plus.

5. If your rotations happened well before application season, stay in touch with your mentor through Emails, tell them about your progress. Once the application season begins, remind them of the LOR.

6. ERAS takes a maximum of two weeks to process the LOR during peak times. So, keep that in mind. Don’t keep them not uploaded till the last minute.

7.If your author is not uploading the LOR on time send them Emails with subject “gentle reminder” beginning July 15^th and tell them they have to upload by September 1^st or else you might not be able to apply for residency. Remember they are very very busy.

This whole information is through personal experience and from questions I usually find online. Hope this compilation helps. Feel free to ask questions or contribute to this. 😊

Give as you live <3

Much love <3

-Hyndavi

How to choose which residency programs to apply to?

Match season is coming and everyone is asking: What programs should I apply to :D ?
Well, there is no magical answer for this and each applicant has his/her own situation.

Below are some sources that may help in gathering some info about programs:

1- www.Matcharesident.com

This paid (79$) website provides a list of programs that you are eligible to apply to after filling the following requirements: USMLE scores, Visa Status, AMG or IMG, time since graduation, having US clinical experience or not and of course the specialty you are applying for.
It gives you a list of the programs, arranged alphabetically according to state with USMLEs and year of graduation cut-offs in addition to “IMG-friendliness” of the program among many other factors.

2- ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service)

ERAS itself will show you all the programs available but without any filters, so you will need to check the website of each program individually to avoid applying for nothing. For example, ERAS won’t stop you from applying to a program in California even if you don’t have a PTAL - which is a requirement for all California programs.
Keep in mind is ERAS is the place where you apply to programs, so regardless of any source you use to create your list, ERAS is the final destination to choose programs from.

3- Website of each program

One of the most reliable ways to know about a program is to check the website itself. You ll find the info you need mostly under the name/title/tab of: Prospective Applicants or How to Apply and sometimes in the FAQ section.
Unfortunately, some programs websites are deficient and not organized or not even accessible. In this case, you ll have to use the other sources mentioned in this post to get the info you want.

4- FRIEDA (Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database)

FRIEDA is an online database of all graduate medical education programs in the United States that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
Click here to access FRIEDA or just search FRIEDA on Google. Make an account and enjoy searching. You can use filters like: states, visa sponsorship..etc.

5- Doximity

Doximity is an online social networking service for U.S. clinicians. You can create an account and see programs in different specialties arranged according to research output or reputation and US news ranking.

6- Already made lists

You ll find many lists circulating around the internet. You may use them too but an advise it to double check them and make sure that they are uptodate since programs policies may change over the years.


7- Asking seniors

Seniors may help and give you a more detailed insight about programs and states. Ask them :)
==
Tips:
> In order to apply to California programs, you need what is so-called: a PTAL ( Postgraduate-Training Accreditation Letter). For more information, click here.

> The situation may be different in different specialties. For instance, Peds has less than 200 programs which means searching will need less time and effort than IM which has 400+ progs!

> It is good to use more than one source. You can use matcharesident list in addition to checking ERAS and the website of each program. Matcharesident may rarely miss a program and sometimes programs show up late in ERAS.

> Search well and specify some good time to search programs. This is a very important decision that may affect the rest of your life :D

> Apply to all programs in a particular geographical location if you have a strong family tie and you REALLY want to match there. DO NOT MISS OUT ON ANY PROGRAM IN THAT CITY/STATE.

Wishing you a good Match season everyone :)

-Murad

SON 101

Statement of Need [SON]

1. What is the SON?

This is a document issued by the Ministry of Health[MOH] which states that they are lacking physicians in the required specialty and thus need more trained physicians. It also mentions that the concerned person signed a bond with the government that the person will return to his/her country after the required training within 2 months and will stay for at least 2 years or pay 5lakh rupees.

2. Who should apply for it?

Everyone applying for J1 -exchange visitor visa for residency must apply. People requiring H1b need not. It is also not required for J1-research scholar visa.

3. Where can I get the application form for SON?

You can get it from the ministry of health website here http://www.cgisf.org/page/display/292/236

4. What should all be included with the application form?

             a)Completed application form [ANNEX A, C, and D]

             b)Surety Bond [ANNEX I].

             c)Contract or offer letter.

             d)Copy of your passport.

             e)Copy of Visa if living out of the country.

5. How do I make the surety bond?

Surety bond should be made on a 100rs nonjudicial stamp paper. The format is in the application form. You can fill it out in the word format and print it out. Only the first page should be the stamp paper, Rest can be A4 sheets or judicial yellow pages without a stamp. It doesn’t matter how many pages it comes until you have everything in the bond. All the pages must be notarized and also be signed by you and your sureties.

6. How do I send it?

Via speed post or courier. Anyway, should be fine. Send it through something with a tracking number so that you know when it reaches. The following is the address:

Under Secretary (IC)

International Cooperation SectionMinistry of Health and Family Welfare(Department of Health & Family Welfare)Room No. 514, 'A' WingNirman Bhavan, New Delhi 110 011, India
x

7. I applied, what do I do now?

Call them after 2 working days from the time your application reaches @ Phone: (011-91-11) 2306-3068/2306-1945 or email @ soic-mohfw@nic.in and ask for your application number. They are pretty responsive to both but more to the calls. Also, ask them for the time frame of when it will be signed. The applications are numbered in the sequence they receive and are processed in the same sequence.

8. Should I personally go to submit or collect the form?

You can personally go in if you stay near Delhi. For submitting if you go, you save a couple of days which might not make much of a difference. Once the SONs are issued they are sent out in bulk and you will not have a tracking number. So, while collecting, when you collect it by hand you can send it to ECFMG from there itself you can save a week at least.

Do not forget to inform them if you are collecting by hand so that they keep your SON aside rather than posting it.

When you go to MOH, go to the gate 5 Nirman Bhawan, get a pass made[don’t forget your ID and tell them you are there for SON] and go and collect from ‘A’wing - Room No:514.

9. How do I send it to ECFMG?

MOH gives your SON in a sealed envelope which should be sent unopened to ECFMG. They also provide you with a copy and a letter stating that they gave your SON.

If you received it by post, you can open the main envelope inside which will be a smaller envelope with seal.

ECFMG address: EVSP/ECFMG, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA19104 USA.

You can send it through any courier service. DHL at some locations gives a student discount for this and charges around 1500rs. [Especially the one nearest to MOH]. Again, have a tracking number.

10. When does my J1 process start?

As soon as the ECFMG receives your SON they upload it into your documents on OASIS by title Ministry of Health letter within a week. If all the documents are perfect, you will receive a welcome letter within 1 week from then. It usually takes much lesser time than that. Once the welcome letter arrives you can fill in DS 160, pay the SEVIS fee and take an interview date.

TIPS:

   1. Apply for SON ASAP after you get your contract letter. The sooner you apply sooner is the whole process to get the visa.

   2. Read each and every line of application form multiple times and be careful while filling it out.

   3. Don’t forget to put your ECFMG ID in the application form.

   4. Call MOH or ECFMG when in doubt. They are pretty responsive. 

   5. Be patient. This process is time taking. Patience is much needed.

This whole information is through personal experience and from WhatsApp groups. Hope this compilation helps. Feel free to contribute or ask questions. 😊

Give as you live <3

Much love <3

-Hyndavi

Tips to get interviews in top-tier residency programs

Who didn’t dream about starting his residency in a great famous program? What is your dream program? Is it Harvard? Yale? John Hopkins? Stanford?......and the list goes on..

It is hard but it is not impossible. Besides having nice USMLE scores, here are some points that make your application stands out:

1- Research
Doing a research in big institutes may help in getting a call from these places. While doing your research, you will be able to meet new people, some of them may know a person who is related to the residency selection process. At the same time, you are showing your commitment, social skills and your willingness to be a part of the team.
Another point to consider is having publications in international journals with a high impact factor. This includes but is not limited to JAMA, The Lancet, Nature, Cell. Whether you worked in institutes in the US to have these publications or you were involved in an international research that was eventually published in these journals, having such accomplishments is a great addition to your application.

2- MPH and/or PhD
Having a Masters degree - especially if done in the US - can be a big plus for some university programs. You may do masters in biostatistics,epidemiology and many others. It may be costly and lengthy (a year or two) but it's worth it.

3- Preliminary (transitional) year
Doing a preliminary year in some high-tier residency programs may be your winning ticket to enter that program. You may match in the same program or apply to and get interviewed by another amazing program since you will now have a 1 year of fully accredited USCE (United States Clinical Experience) in addition to the experience and knowledge that you gain.

4- Contacts
It is amazing how social life shapes us as humans. The importance of having contacts or making new ones during your research, MPH or preliminary year can’t be overemphasized. Programs prefer a person who they already know and whom they are sure they can work with.
Consider attending conferences in your field too, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine...etc.

5- Exceptional Academic Record
Famous institutes like applicants who are bright, smart and committed. An “excellent “academic record helps to prove this.

6- LUCK
Believe it or not, occasionally, luck plays a role here. Be outgoing and interact nicely with as many people as you can. Being in the right time at the right place is what you need sometimes!

Finally, for all AMGs and IMGs, always remember that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Start now and chase your dreams :)

-Murad

Query on Step 2 CS deadline & match timeline

I read this link and I'm confused, it says:

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 2019 Match (in March 2019) 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 2019 Match, you must take Step 2 CS by December 31, 2018. If you do not register now and schedule soon, it is possible that you will not be able to obtain a test date in 2018. At the time of this writing, the earliest available test date at any test center is in August 2018.

Link: April 2018 https://www.ecfmg.org/news/2018/04/09/imgs-participating-in-2019-match-should-apply-for-step-2-cs-now/

I plan to apply for matching in 2019, do I need to take the exam in December 2018?

- Sent through email

Hello,

Let me clear terminologies before I start explaining.

Match 2018 means: Application in September 2017, results in March 2018, Residency starts in July 2018.

You said apply for matching in 2019, which means apply in September 2019 for the March 2020 match, yes?

Let's talk about the 2019 match mentioned in the link you sent. It says currently, there will be no availability of testing centres for this year's match (September 2018 application, March 2019 Match, Residency starts in July 2019). The ECFMG website is able to predict the number of applications that they are going to receive. This year, they predict there will be no testing centers available, which is why I am guessing they are asking you to register in April (register now).

Your confusion arises because of two reasons:
You don't know the match terminologies with respect to the year.
You don't know the timeline for the match.

When they mean apply right now and give the exam before December, they are talking as a general mandatory requirement. IT IS A ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE.

To be a competitive candidate, IMGs tend to give the exam in such a way that the results are out before September so that we have all the exam results before the application cycle of the match. IT IS OPTIONAL BUT PREFERRED.

So really, the virtual deadline to give the exam for us is July. We also prefer to graduate before September to get ECFMG certified, however, it's not mandatory.

It is quite vigilant of you to keep an eye out for these notices on the ECFMG website.

Since the dates are not easily available, when you plan to go for an elective, try to register in advance.

If you go to the ECFMG website, there is a site called a step 2 CS scheduling and you can view the dates available at various centres. So register as soon as possible if you want to get your desired dates. Here's the link https://csess2.ecfmg.org/calendar.aspx

PS: The step 2 CS permit is available for one year and it does not expire quickly (compared to other exam permits that expire in 3 months) which is a huge advantage.

So to summarize, July is the ideal deadline for Step 2 CS to get results before September (Application submission). December is the mandatory deadline to get result before February (ROL submission, to be eligible for the match).

Google the step 2 CS reporting schedule to help plan for your match.
https://www.ecfmg.org/news/2018/04/18/results-reporting-schedule-for-step-2-cs/

Hope that helps!

-IkaN

Being street-smart during interviews: Flights!

During the hectic interview season and when you wanna travel from the east coast to the west coast, you will need flights for sure :D

Below are some tips about tickets and flights:

1- buying tickets:

> It is almost always cheaper to buy tickets online, check: Expedia, Kayak, Google flights and Cheapoair websites and compare the prices.

> Check Southwest (recommended) website too, its flights won’t show in the websites mentioned above.
What is special about Southwest is that it allows you to have 2 checked bags (up to 23 kgs each) for free! Also, you can change your flight one-time without paying anything or pay the difference between the 2nd ticket but without losing the original one.
Southwest has some nice offers too and tickets sometimes go as low as 49$ :O

> There is an app called “Hopper” on smartphones, it gives you the prices of different flights and notify you if the prices go up or drop. It also shows you which days are more expensive and which are cheap.
It sometimes shows you a bit more expensive price than the websites mentioned above so you can use it to have a general idea about cheaper days then buy the ticket from the internet.

2- When to buy the ticket?

> In general, the earlier you buy the ticket, the cheaper it will be. Be careful, sometimes this doesn’t happen and you suddenly find that the price of a certain flight has dropped so keep looking.

> Some airlines may have some offers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday so stick to your laptop these 2 days and save some money :D

> Avoid buying tickets during the Christmas season. Prices become crazy skyhigh!

3- Which airlines to choose?

I will talk about the ones I tried only:
American Airlines and United: pretty much the same (at least in my experience), the price of any checked bag is not included in the ticket so you need to pay for it (25$ or 35$). They also charge you 100$ if you have an overweight bag ( >23 kgs / 50 pounds ).

They have a rule that you have to check your “checked bag” 30 and sometimes 45 minutes before your flight, so even if you arrive 30 minutes before your flight and you have a bag to check, you will miss the flight and automatically rescheduled to the next one.

Spirit: Although some people had bad experiences with it, it still has one of the cheapest ticket prices, but put in mind that you ll pay for everything in your flight including the water you drink. (Interestingly, my experience with them was so smooth though)

Other airlines include but are not limited to: Delta and Frontier.

Some important tips:

> If you travelling to a small city, don't fly there directly. Instead, book your flights to the city with a bigger airport (mostly the capital of each state) then take a bus from their to your desired destination. This can also be done to states that are near each other (Fly to a state near to your final destination then take a bus from that state). This may help in saving a lot of money but will need more time.

> Don't forget to check the weather forecast, snow storms result in many cancellations.

> For international travelers to US, if your airport doesn't allow you to board the plane except if you have a return ticket, you can simply buy a return ticket within 24 hrs of your departure flight and cancel it after your check in. This is better than buying a round-trip ticket or paying a fee to change the date of the return flight especially if you are not sure of this date.

===
Update: 6/2/2018...Thanks to Hyndavi:
copied:

I used Delta airlines for most of the part.
1. They allow you a free carry-on bag which is good for carrying interview stuff. Compare prices with other airlines adding the baggage cost and make a purchase.

2. In December and January, there might be a lot of delays and flight cancellations. Make sure you call them after your trip and ask for compensation. They usually credit in miles which you can use at later stage. There are incidences where I claimed even after a month. Email or lodge a complaint.They are pretty responsive. American airlines is good too.

3. Whenever there is a delay or cancellation request them for an immediate rescheduling. For interviews during December and January, try to take the earliest flights possible to avoid missing an interview.

4.Try to carry a snack whenever possible as food in the airports repeatedly can cause unwanted expenditure.

5. Never check-in a carryon bag because a luggage missing or any delay can affect your interview. Sometimes, they just collect if before boarding and give it back after landing, which is ok.

6. Regarding Southwest, if you cancel a ticket, you get a credit into your Southwest account which you can use at a later stage. .
========
Comment below for any other tips you feel may be helpful :D Happy flying everyone :)

-Murad

Spanish learning tips for USMLErs

Speaking Spanish is a nice addition to your CV if you are planning to specialize in the US. Spanish is the 2nd most commonly spoken language in the US and some states especially southern ones like Texas and Florida have a huge Spanish-speaking population. Moreover, learning Spanish is fun :D

Here are some tips/methods that can help with that:

1- Language learning apps:

Memrise
www.memrise.com
One of the best apps out there, it works on any device. Just make a free account and practice a bit every day to find out that you learned several thousand words without knowing.
In addition to the main “deck” offered by the smartphone app, you can study many other decks just by going to the website on a laptop and search for the language you want. The only pitfall is that the main deck doesn’t teach you grammar so you have to find other decks or sources.

Duolingo
Another great app which is similar to Memrise. I haven’t used it but I have heard great reviews about it.

Spanish Verbs Lite
A nice smartphone app that has a selective set of verbs with their conjugation in all tenses.
===
2- Social apps for languages:

Tandem and Hellotalk

Consider these apps like a Facebook/Tinder but for languages.
You enter your language and choose the language you wanna learn. These apps will match you with people who speak the language you wanna learn and you will be speaking the language that they wanna learn. Nice platforms to make “language learning friends” especially that you write about your interests so you can befriend others who have the same ones.
===
3- Youtube channels:

Butterfly Spanish
https://www.youtube.com/user/ButterflySpanishola
ِA very useful channel to boost your Spanish. I ll leave you with what Anna wrote about her channel:
“Learn Spanish for free with Spanish lessons that cover grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, tips & tricks, and cultural aspects. My Spanish lessons are for all Spanish levels and are based on my passion for Spanish culture, language, and teaching.

123dialogues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFINwW5qL1w&list=PLzRf-4Z5tJuQvis4oLgmkfG83Lrkjj_DA
A great channel which has many dialogues in both Spanish and English.

You can always search Youtube to find more stuff. This is one of the playlists when I searched for Medical Spanish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyzgZbZnUik&list=PL5o-4-kgVLgivtGLZy6iTV-x6EqPSUDUI
===
4- Immersion:

Immerse yourself in Spanish. Use your Facebook in Spanish and maybe your smartphone too. You will automatically memorize words without even trying. You ll know that “me gusta, comentar and compartir” are the Spanish words for “like, comment and share”. After a while, you ll be amazed that you are picking more and more passively.
==
5- songs

Songs can stick in our minds in a magical way. Look for Spanish songs and read both the Spanish and English lyrics.
==
6- Friends

No matter how many progs and apps we use, nothing is like having a real conversation with a human being. The MATCH journey will let you meet people from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and many many others Spanish speaking countries. Practice with your friends and ask them to correct you.
==
7-Podcasts:

A treasure to learn languages. Many podcasts are there, among the best is: coffee break Spanish.
https://radiolingua.com/coffeebreakspanish/
Listen to the audio file, learn the accent, repeat. They also provide transcripts for the audio file in PDF form.
Coffee break podcasts are available for other languages including Italian and French.
==
8- Time Time Time

Specify a fixed period of your day to learn/talk in Spanish. This may be as short as 5 minutes up to a few hours. It may be when you wake up or before you sleep. Just develop a habit of learning new words and practicing your Spanish daily.



=>Updates<=
Some suggestions from the readers:

> Meetup
https://www.meetup.com/
As the name suggests, this is a website through which you can meet people.
Create a free account, then choose your interests and discover groups of people who share your interests and hang out with them. Language learning is among the things you can choose and especially in the US, you ll meet many people who wanna learn Spanish.

>" Spouse - induced"learning
Some friends stated that having a spouse is one of the biggest motives to learn a new language :D

Comment below if you know any more tips/programs/apps/books that can help in mastering Español  :)

-Murad