Matched in ER "outside the Match" [Archive] - ValueMD Medical Schools Forum

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01-29-2005, 09:51 AM

Good Morning Fellow Sabians,

Just wanted to let everyone know that this week I matched into a Big Ten university emergency medicine program in my hometown. After my rotation and some discussions, they took me "outside the Match". I'll be starting in July, 2005.

Thanks to everyone who has posted helpful information over the years, especially DrScottyMD, camkiss, and ResearchingGuy. This forum has been very useful to me, and I hope it continues to be so for future SUSOM students.

Keep working hard, make some good friends, have a good attitude, enjoy the beauty of Saba, and never give up!

Good luck,

Josh

jgilbert63

01-29-2005, 09:58 AM

You DA MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wolfvgang22

01-29-2005, 11:10 AM

Congratulations! I wish you all the best in your new position!
:-rainbow

Patrik Leonard

01-29-2005, 11:31 AM

Congrats Josh!! I really couldn't be happier for you. It's fun to now start hearing from you folks that were here in my early days on the island about what you're matching in. Can't wait to get there myself!! Take care,
Patrik

swinginislanddoc

01-29-2005, 11:45 PM

Congrats! I'm jealous! I want to do ER! That's awesome!

Put in a good word for me, okay?! :wink:

rdecastro

01-30-2005, 12:03 AM

DSMMD

01-30-2005, 09:47 AM

Just a little word of advice. For those of you who are going into or want to go into Emergency Medicine, I highly recommend you not calling it "ER". I really think that this term is taboo and is being used less and less. The specialty is Emergency Medicine, and people work in the Emergency Department (ED). There are many rooms in the ED however.

Also, for those of you who are excited about the prospects of pre-matching, I would really caution you against doing it unless you are dead set that you want to go to a certain program. The reason behind this is that if a program likes you enough to make you a pre-match offer, chances are you will be ranked high enough on their match list to land there if they are not your first choice.

But none-the-less, congrats on entering the field of Emergency Medicine.

To my knowledge thus far, Saba grads have matched in EM at the following locations:
New York Medical College
Michigan State - Saginaw - Synergy Health System
University of Louisville
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Somewhere in Texas (Parkland maybe)
Wayne State University - Detroit Receiving Hospital
Wayne State University - Sinai-Grace HOspital (multiple people)
May be some others

01-30-2005, 12:56 PM

Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to start taking myself much more seriously in the future. :shock:

Well, back to the ER!

ducman

01-30-2005, 01:58 PM

The hard work paid off - congratulations Josh!

rho

02-14-2005, 10:34 PM

Congrates
If you dont mind, can you tell us how many interviews you got and what your step 1 and step 2 scores were.

wolfvgang22

02-14-2005, 10:39 PM

Siddman

02-14-2005, 10:44 PM

And I always thought ED was "erectile dysfunction".

Hey...good one wolfgang22.......and congrats to Josh....all of his work finally paid off.....

Siddman

DSMMD

02-15-2005, 05:06 PM

I do know that when I applied for EM to start in 2001, I believe I applied to 47 programs and had 4 interview offers (2 wait-lists, and I think there are about 6 programs from which I am still waiting to hear). I will tell you that there was at least 1 program that I believe rejected me based only on my common application form (when I checked ERAS, that had not downloaded my letters of Rec or any other supporting material before sending out my rejection letter). (But the kicker was that they had to scramble to fill that year).

I wound up matching at my top choice and had great training. After residecny, I acquired the top fellowship of my choice where I also am serving as faculty for a US medical school. And I have just accepted a position upon the completion of my fellowship at one of the other facilities at which I interviewed for residency where I will become faculty there with protected time for research, and pursuit of my fellowship interest.

wolfvgang22

02-15-2005, 06:11 PM

Good to hear. How did you do on the step 1? Do you feel Saba prepared you adequately for the step 1?

DSMMD

02-15-2005, 06:50 PM

First off, I was at Saba before the apparent USMLE review course really took off. I felt that coming out of Saba, I could have passed the USMLE, but then again, I also did a lot of good studying on my own while on the island. I was not into the party scene and focused on studying on a daily basis. I did wind up taking a commercial review course when I got back to the states only because I felt that if it could give me some additional points it was well worth it.

As for my scores, I did better than the mean for US and Canadian first time test-takers and went up considerably for my step II. Step II is important being an IMG and wanting to go into EM as if you do well on step I they want to see consistency. If you don't do great on step I they like to see improvement. The other thing I will say about scores is that when I asked some residency programs for scores that they felt they needed for IMGs, I was able to meet those. (Typically at least 85 I think). I will also say that I was on interviews with US students where I told them of some of the requirements I was told for the USMLE and they said they did not have those scores yet they were getting 20 interviews to my 4. But the bottom line is I only had to travel for 4 interviews and I really got fortunate with where I matched.

Also, I will say that when I recently interviewed for my future positions there are still places out there that asked me why I went to Saba. I kind of thought that I would have left that behind after finishing a residency and now being in a fellowship.

Audio

02-15-2005, 07:29 PM

You've done very well for an IMG...hell you've done very well by even US or Canadian standards.

However, I am concerned when you say you only received 4 interviews out of 47. What I'm really concerned about is the fact that I am a Canadian and it seems as though everything is stalked against me to get a US residency (although, I guess it's better to be from Canada than from another country).

To the Canadians out there, how hard is it to get a US residency? How much higher do our USMLE stats have to be to even be considered?

Thanks.

ResearchingGuy

02-15-2005, 08:59 PM

It's very exciting to hear you got an EM (ER ED) spot PDQ. I'm sure you'll be BMOC back at home.

Give my best to your family.

DSMMD

02-15-2005, 09:59 PM

I think the issue of being Canadian really comes into affect depending on your ability to work in the states. If you have a greencard I would imagine it would be much easier than if you would need a Visa. I do know that during my residency, one of the guys was Canadian but had a greencard.

Skipper

02-15-2005, 10:06 PM

wow congrads...i hope i can land one of those one day....

the skipper

retina_geek

02-16-2005, 03:18 PM

as a canadian who just matched in ophtho, i can honestly say that being a non-US citizen is a huge obstacle... i applied to internal med as a back up and received less interviews and poorer quality interviews than my american classmates... regardless of the fact that i had step 1 scores 10-15 points higher, or that i wrote 4-5 1st authored papers/chapters, it didn't make a difference in the end... very, very frustrating indeed. interestingly, however, my ophtho interviews went along great... of course coming from a caribbean school will knock you out of half the places you apply to (i doubt most even read my application past the IMG part), the one's who cared to interview me really appreciated everything i had done up to that point... i eventually matched at my number one choice and the rest, as they say, is history. you'll read or hear a lot of stories like this; people applying who are overqualified and only getting a handful of interviews... the truth is that most program directors are conceited and really don't care to invest their time in reading all the apps they receive... honestly, i don't blame them as 90% of those applying to competitive programs are good enough to get in... but the fact remains, that those who deserve a spot, coming from a school like saba, get it... i only got a handful of ophtho interviews and when i told the us med students while interviewing (they all had somewhere between 20-25 interviews lined up), they said that i would never have a chance... residencies will either throw you away immediately upon reciept of your application or will read it and love it... saba is a great school with a budding reputation... just give her and see what you get...

rho

02-17-2005, 01:25 PM

Congratulation, did you just get matched for 2004-2005 match and did you have to go through the san-fransisco match.

studentMD

02-17-2005, 04:34 PM

ophtho is through the san fran match which occurs earlier than the nrmp match... retina geek matched through the san fran match

em is through the nrmp match and the student prematched outside the regular match

rho

02-18-2005, 12:59 PM

Is it difficult for FMG`s to get a job, even after going through a competitive field like E.M. I was under the impression that E.M physicians were sought after and would have quite a few offers even before completing residency. I am sure it depends on the state you plan on working in and some other factors like licensure. Some of the forums that I was going through discussed how that was misconception, and this was from U.S students. Residents were emailing directors of hospitals and hoping to find a job that way. Also unlike F.P and Internists, it is more difficult and expensive to set up an Emergeny clinic, which makes it harder to start your own practice and needs for you to rely on hospitals to hire you. I think most of these residents were D.O students and might be in the same boat as FMG`s.
If it is more difficult for a FMG to get a job, do you think doing a fellow ship would make an applicant more competitive.