Guest borboleta10 Posted July 9, 2003 Report Share Posted July 9, 2003 Do Canadian residents need to take the USMLEs to do a fellowship in the US? I've heard varying answers to this so far, but am still unsure. I know that you need the USMLEs to get an H1 visa (thus allowing you to stay in the US after your training is done, and possibly apply for a green card) instead of a J1 visa (with which you have to return to your home country after your fellowship is over). But if i don't want to stay in the US anyways, do I need to have the USMLEs just to get a fellowship? Does it matter to the hospitals you're applying to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted July 10, 2003 Report Share Posted July 10, 2003 I don't know the answer to your question, but I think it's worthwhile to write the Steps 1-3. If nothing else, it will be one less administrative hoop to jump versus not writing it, and as you've stated, it opens the door to applying for an H1B versus a J1 visa. As long as you don't do extremely poorly on them, I can't foresee them being a negative against your application as they will be some 4-5 years out of date by the time you finish your Canadian residency. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest borboleta10 Posted July 10, 2003 Report Share Posted July 10, 2003 thanks, Ian. To clarify, do you mean that having USMLEs is NOT a mandatory requirement for doing a fellowship?? In my research so far, it's confusing because the US federal government recognizes the LMCCs as equivalent to the USMLEs for licensing purposes, BUT different state governments do not... so although it could be okay for a canadian doctor without their USMLEs to do a fellowship in the States according to US federal laws, it might not be according to state laws? If anyone else can shed any light on this, I'd be extremely grateful. I'm not 100% sure I want to do a fellowship in the States (so don't necessarily want to commit the time, energy and $$ to complete Steps 1-3) but I also want to keep some doors open... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted July 11, 2003 Report Share Posted July 11, 2003 What stage of your training are you at? I can understand being reluctant to go back and re-study Biochem, Histology and all that if you are currently a resident, but otherwise, I think the time and expense of writing these three exams is pretty minimal in comparison to the costs of your medical education already. I know of individuals who have done fellowships in the US without the USMLE's, but as you point out, that may be state and specialty specific, and as with everything else in medicine, a policy that was in place five years ago may be radically different than the one five years from now. I don't know what the general rules are for Canadians doing US fellowships, or even if there are any general rules. As a result, I would simply write the things. To do otherwise, could potentially close doors for you in the future. If you are at all considering training in the US, why wouldn't you want take those exams to keep yourself on the same playing field as the US graduates you'd be competing against? If you are just looking to pass, and you write the exams after you have covered the corresponding material in med school, the study time should be pretty minor for Step 1, and absolutely minimal for Steps 2 and 3. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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