I was once asked in an interview (for a faculty position!) as to why I chose to train in the US? That question took me for a surprise as it forced me to reflect upon
the choices I made in my graduate medical education.
The following five reasons would satisfy any interviewer or friend or family questioning you and your intentions to pursue US residency training:
1. Advanced and cutting edge technology, medications and procedures available to you as a resident. Training in India, I was very proud of my diagnostic abilities such as making a diagnosis of pleural effusion even before a CXRay was obtained. But that’s being half a doctor as disease management is an equally important skill to learn to be a superb clinician. A great example is point-of-care ultrasound that is revolutionizing medical practice and has generated a huge interest in educational research.
Having access to diagnostic tests in labs and radiological studies, medications, consultation services and, most importantly, having the patients closely follow-up with you to see the effect of your recommended treatment offer unparalleled learning opportunities. I can confidently say that as a doctor in training, this is one of the most important reasons for US residency training. You could also say to your interviewer as to how you loved these aspects of residency training in US that you were exposed to during your observership or clinical rotation.
Patients love what you do as a resident and appreciate your time and effort to talk with them. This results in many of them following through on your recommendations and follow-up appointments. Access to wonderful educational resources such as Uptodate through your residency program to get the latest information and learn the practice of evidence based medicine is an amazing perk in US residency training so that you are not in the dark.
No health care system is perfect. Yes, medical care may not be beneficial at times and occasionally brings up ethical and moral dilemmas. Wouldn’t it be great to be exposed to how experts handle these challenging circumstances? Physician burnout is a serious concern worldwide and electronic medical records may have a role in impacting well-being. Numerous initiatives to address burnout are being studied and implemented to improve well-being and for the first time, a survey of US physicians found a decrease in burnout, that to me is a very encouraging finding.
2. Residency training in US is regulated and standardized. ACGME is the authority that ensures high quality of residency training and oversees the programs and residents. Important policy changes such as duty hour changes for residents and monitoring feedback from residents are under the purview of ACGME. ACGME accreditation of a program ensures that an internist, for example, can competently suspect MI or CVA at the end of residency training. This means that one can train in essentially any ACGME accredited program and come out as a well-groomed physician to practice medicine or surgery.
3. ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialties) certification is recognized both nationally and internationally. After completion of residency training, the newly minted attending needs to take a certifying exam such as ABIM board certification for internal medicine. Many hospitals in US, especially teaching hospitals, require ABIM certification to ensure well qualified doctors in their staff in their efforts to maintain high standards of clinical care.
4. You become a high-income earner after graduation. Now don’t say this to your interviewer as you are not really in the medical practice to make money (you should be in business or real estate if your intention is to make money). But, it’s hard not to think about financial returns of your hard work especially in the current climate of financial uncertainty. The nature of your specialty practice, location, type of practice and a host of other factors decide your take home pay. The bottom line is that from a financial perspective, you will do very well as a US trained physician. Even during residency training, you get paid around $60k per year that allows you to take care of basic expenses (esp if you have minimal or no loan).
5. Numerous doors open for your after US residency training. While many choose to pursue fellowship or start clinical practice in a private or academic setting after residency, there are numerous exciting opportunities in research, industry, teaching, administration, leadership, MBA, MPH and even non-clinical careers such as medical writing, expert witness and many others that become available to you.
US residency training is very much admired and respected internationally and ABIM certification is even recognized in other countries such as Singapore and the Middle East. Some IMGs have personally decided to return to their home country to contribute and enhance the medical practice.
That’s all for now. Hope you like this blog. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments. Join the mailing list for the blog or my facebook groups and check out Ed4medus.com to learn more about personalized services to help you get into a US medical residency program.
Before you go: Here's your golden opportunity to have your voice heard. Write down your ONE question regarding your US residency program application, personal statement, interviews or anything that has been bothering you and keeping you up at night. You can reply at the end of this blog or post a message at my Facebook page.
The top 10 popular questions will be featured on my next blog posts at https://ed4medllc.blogspot.com/ and the winners will receive a coupon each for a FREE practice interview at Ed4medus.com ! Put those thinking caps on and hurry up!
Photo credit for image on top of blog post: http://weekender.com.sg/entertainment/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/esta-1-670x447.jpgThe following five reasons would satisfy any interviewer or friend or family questioning you and your intentions to pursue US residency training:
1. Advanced and cutting edge technology, medications and procedures available to you as a resident. Training in India, I was very proud of my diagnostic abilities such as making a diagnosis of pleural effusion even before a CXRay was obtained. But that’s being half a doctor as disease management is an equally important skill to learn to be a superb clinician. A great example is point-of-care ultrasound that is revolutionizing medical practice and has generated a huge interest in educational research.
Having access to diagnostic tests in labs and radiological studies, medications, consultation services and, most importantly, having the patients closely follow-up with you to see the effect of your recommended treatment offer unparalleled learning opportunities. I can confidently say that as a doctor in training, this is one of the most important reasons for US residency training. You could also say to your interviewer as to how you loved these aspects of residency training in US that you were exposed to during your observership or clinical rotation.
Patients love what you do as a resident and appreciate your time and effort to talk with them. This results in many of them following through on your recommendations and follow-up appointments. Access to wonderful educational resources such as Uptodate through your residency program to get the latest information and learn the practice of evidence based medicine is an amazing perk in US residency training so that you are not in the dark.
No health care system is perfect. Yes, medical care may not be beneficial at times and occasionally brings up ethical and moral dilemmas. Wouldn’t it be great to be exposed to how experts handle these challenging circumstances? Physician burnout is a serious concern worldwide and electronic medical records may have a role in impacting well-being. Numerous initiatives to address burnout are being studied and implemented to improve well-being and for the first time, a survey of US physicians found a decrease in burnout, that to me is a very encouraging finding.
2. Residency training in US is regulated and standardized. ACGME is the authority that ensures high quality of residency training and oversees the programs and residents. Important policy changes such as duty hour changes for residents and monitoring feedback from residents are under the purview of ACGME. ACGME accreditation of a program ensures that an internist, for example, can competently suspect MI or CVA at the end of residency training. This means that one can train in essentially any ACGME accredited program and come out as a well-groomed physician to practice medicine or surgery.
3. ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialties) certification is recognized both nationally and internationally. After completion of residency training, the newly minted attending needs to take a certifying exam such as ABIM board certification for internal medicine. Many hospitals in US, especially teaching hospitals, require ABIM certification to ensure well qualified doctors in their staff in their efforts to maintain high standards of clinical care.
4. You become a high-income earner after graduation. Now don’t say this to your interviewer as you are not really in the medical practice to make money (you should be in business or real estate if your intention is to make money). But, it’s hard not to think about financial returns of your hard work especially in the current climate of financial uncertainty. The nature of your specialty practice, location, type of practice and a host of other factors decide your take home pay. The bottom line is that from a financial perspective, you will do very well as a US trained physician. Even during residency training, you get paid around $60k per year that allows you to take care of basic expenses (esp if you have minimal or no loan).
5. Numerous doors open for your after US residency training. While many choose to pursue fellowship or start clinical practice in a private or academic setting after residency, there are numerous exciting opportunities in research, industry, teaching, administration, leadership, MBA, MPH and even non-clinical careers such as medical writing, expert witness and many others that become available to you.
US residency training is very much admired and respected internationally and ABIM certification is even recognized in other countries such as Singapore and the Middle East. Some IMGs have personally decided to return to their home country to contribute and enhance the medical practice.
That’s all for now. Hope you like this blog. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments. Join the mailing list for the blog or my facebook groups and check out Ed4medus.com to learn more about personalized services to help you get into a US medical residency program.
Before you go: Here's your golden opportunity to have your voice heard. Write down your ONE question regarding your US residency program application, personal statement, interviews or anything that has been bothering you and keeping you up at night. You can reply at the end of this blog or post a message at my Facebook page.
The top 10 popular questions will be featured on my next blog posts at https://ed4medllc.blogspot.com/ and the winners will receive a coupon each for a FREE practice interview at Ed4medus.com ! Put those thinking caps on and hurry up!
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