I'm Done! Need some advice

Physicians & OPM Alumni general-discussion-3
1

Hey all,


Hope that things are going well for you. Just letting you know that I am done and am now a medical intern…1 month in. Hectic does not even do the experience justice. But I try to keep my head above the water, learning as I go along and trying not to make major mistakes.


Trust me…medical school did not give me a hint of what I am going through now.


I am thinking now about doing my USMLE’s. Geriatrics is what I want to do and it is not offered here in Jamaica. My questions are these:

  1. How different is the path doing it through Family Medicine vs. Internal Medicine. Have not made up my mind on which I will follow, and also which is easier to match in, and

  2. Any advice on starting the Step 1 preps during the internship time.


    I know that as a foreign medical grad, I am not as high on the priority listing, but if there are any tidbits that you could pass on to facilitate the process I would be grateful.


    Take care and all the best.


    Hilary
2

Hilary, both family medicine and internal medicine are pretty easy to match into. If geriatrics is where you want to end up eventually, you can do either one - there is a CAQ (certificate of advanced qualification) for geriatricians through the American Academy of Family Physicians. I don’t know what ACP (American College of Physicians, the IM professional organization) offers, but I bet they have something similar.


Congratulations on graduating!


Mary

3

Thanks for the quick response Mary. Guess the decision about the next step will be made all in good time. Have a great weekend.

4

Hilary,


CONGRATS on graduation! That is awesome! Man, how time flies. On your question, I have limited info of value to give to you, as my path has been radically different from what you seek. I do know that, as Mary pointed out, matching into a US-based IM or FP program should not be difficult for an IMG.


Most of all, I just wanted to offer my sincerest congratulations & wish you the best of luck & success! I know you are & will be busy for the next year, but please try to remember your buds here at OPM. Seriously, now that you have successfully navigated pre-med & med school, you are a very valuable assett to those who seek to follow in your footsteps. We’d all appreciate it if you occasionally took a few minutes to keep us in the loop of your life and field a few questions.



5

Thanks. I most definitely will be keeping in touch. As the time passes and the experiences grow, I will surely share.


Have a great week.