US Residency

[MedHopeful93 42]

Hey! I’m a 4th year med student hoping to match to a competitive specialty in Canada.  I’m considering backing up with another less competitive specialty.

 

My question is: can you apply to the US if you’ve already completed a Canadian residency? If I match to my 2nd choice speciality, would that diminish my chances of matching to the US if I decide to go that route? 
 

Appreciate  any insight!

[shikimate 196]

Yes, you can definitely apply to a US residency. You will be competing with other AMG and IMG alike. 

It's not possible to predict how you'll do, because there are so many specialties and programs. If you got competitive USMLE scores, then obviously that would be a great boost.

[ArchEnemy 131]

24 minutes ago, MedHopeful93 said:

Hey! I’m a 4th year med student hoping to match to a competitive specialty in Canada.  I’m considering backing up with another less competitive specialty.

 

My question is: can you apply to the US if you’ve already completed a Canadian residency? If I match to my 2nd choice speciality, would that diminish my chances of matching to the US if I decide to go that route? 
 

Appreciate  any insight!

Yes you can always apply to the US after you have already completed a Canadian Residency. However, there is the huge opportunity cost of course.

If the specialty is competitive in the US as well, it might be worthwhile considering not backing up (i.e. going unmatched), then do a "research fellowship" year and write your Step 1 too. In the US, Step 1 scores are king.

[bearded frog 452]

If you go through the eligibility stuff you can definitely apply but your chances will be very remote unless you strike up connections otherwise. A remote YOG is an uphill battle, and matching to a competitive specialty is difficult in the first place for a non-American needing a visa, even with an amazing application.