Guest puppyshizzle Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 I did not know where to post this, but here seemed reasonable. I'm a second year medical student, and was debating whether or not to write the USMLE this upcoming summer. Has anyone written it, or is anyone else planning on doing so? I've been wondering about the exam and am a little confused. I do not necessarily want to do a residency in the states (however don't want to rule it out either) but I would like the option of being able to go down there eventually do either do a fellowship or perhaps work for a period of time at one of their large centers. Is the exam only for those wanting to do a residency there? Is it also required (step 1, 2, 3) in order for a Canadian trained doc to go down there just to do a fellowship? Further, what if I trained here in any given specialty and wanted to go down there to work for some time... do I need the exam or are there board exams for each specialty which must be written? Any response/insight would be much appreciated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 It's a confusing issue, and not one where there's a simple solution that fits all problems. Many US states recognise the LMCC exams (both of them) as equivalent to the USMLE exams (all three of them), and therefore if you happen to be interested in one of those states, the LMCC marks will count as your USMLE scores. I don't happen to know which states those are, unfortunately. For fellowship, as far as I am aware, having your USMLE series written, along with your residency training completed, basically enables you to apply for a state license in whichever state you are doing your fellowship in. I'm a bit hazy on the details, but basically this means that you can moonlight while doing the fellowship (assuming that you are on the appropriate H1-B visa which will let you do this, as opposed to the J-1 visa which prohibits moonlighting), and in addition, probably makes it easier for the programs to collect on billings for any work you perform (in essence, in your fellowship you are taking attending level responsibilities, and generating attending level revenue for the department, but getting paid a resident's wage). As a result, I think it's a good idea for any Canadian graduate to write all three steps of their USMLE's. Never again in your medical career will that basic science information be as at hand as it is just after Med 2. You might as well just eat the exam costs as another component of your already huge debt, and know that it's another educational hurdle that has been completed, and extends your US options further. With that said, if you have any intentions or even inklings of going to the US for residency, the Step 1 is HUGE when getting residency interviews. In Canada, the medical community is small enough that away electives and reference letters carry huge weight when getting interviews. In the US, everything revolves around that Step 1 score simply because of the sheer number of applicants (who all look pretty identical on paper, so it serves as a numerical threshold by which you can discriminate between applicants). Write the Step 1. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moo Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 Here's another reason why you should take Step I. Review for the wards! I know a lot of the basic sciences won't be needed for the wards, but honestly, Step I isn't that nit picky on the details. I can't imagine going onto the wards without having reviewed some of the diseases, physiology, pharmacology, etc. I studied ages ago. It'll probably give you a heads up on your classmates as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 Step I isn't that nit picky on the details. I think you misspelled "is". Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sn22 Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 Hi, I don't know if I'm putting this question in the right thread or if its been elaborated on elsewhere...anyhoo, I'm in my first year at the U of S. One of our upper years was saying that Saskatchewan students cannot get Visas (for long enough) to do residencies in the US. I think he said that the longest Visas available are for about 1 1/2 years, which makes it difficult to even do a fellowship. Can someone please elaborate on or drop me a link where I might find info on what types of visas or other requirements are necessary for potentially doing residencies or fellowships in the US; and also how this differs between provinces. Thanx a lot!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moo Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 I don't think your classmate knows what he is talking about. I have never heard of this provincial restriction (unless he is talking about the J1, for which you need a statement of need from the government) as to getting a visa. Besides, the visas are issued by the US government, so assuming that all Canadians are created equal, there should be no problems with getting a visa, provided you match somewhere. There are many Canadians going down to the US to work every year (not just in medicine) so I cannot imagine why your classmate would think something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted March 11, 2004 Report Share Posted March 11, 2004 I typed up a huge reply to your question, and my computer ate it, so I'm actually going to start up a new thread in this forum regarding the H1B and J-1 visas that allow you to do residency or fellowship in the US. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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