Other Hospitals that you should contact: DC General Hospital, Washington, DC Emory University Harbor Hospital, Baltimore, MD Providence Hospital, Washington, DC VA Medical Ctr., Washington, DC University of Miami, Miami, FL |
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| Mini Residency and Externships An IMG group suggests a "Mini-Residency" ... A What ? ... List of Hospitals that offer this | |
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| Few places like the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN have actual established observership programs called Visiting Physicians program, look up their website. Also Mount Sinai Hospital, Miami, FL has a paid Observership program wherein you pay around $300 per month for the Observership. Start the process by calling or e-mailing every hospital in your immediate area for any positions available. Try University hospitals, teaching affiliates (VA), community hospitals. Make sure they understand that you do it for free and that you'll pay your own insurance in case you get an Externship. Getting an Externship/Observership unfortunately involves a lot of trying at many different places. There will be a lot of rejections but you need to be persistent. Programs are very often troubled by lots of IMGs like you trying for Externships/Observerships, so it is very unlikely that you can get a position only by sending in your resume or even by calling them. You should go personally make an appointment and meet the program director. Go meet all the doctors concerned, try to add a personal touch, try to impress them, show them that you can speak good English. It is better to do Externship/Observership in the specialty you are going to apply for residency - OB/GYN or Radiology but in case you are unsuccessful, experience in Internal Medicine or Surgery will be quite useful too. About the duration, obviously the longer your experience the more valuable it will be. A minimum of 4 weeks in the specialty of your choice is recommended because the faculty who will be giving you the letters of recommendation need to know you well in order to give you favorable LoRs. If you are absolutely unable to find a clinical experience in a teaching hospital, try to obtain a voluntary research position in a hospital, where you will have a mentor who will be able to write a letter of recommendation. Most University hospitals have research programs. Write or meet the chairman and request for a research position. Conducting research at a hospital will often give you an entry into the hospital. Make yourself known to everyone, develop good contacts, try to attend clinical meetings/grand rounds and if you are lucky you might get good LoRs or they may allow you to eventually do an Observership. Unfortunately, if you are unable to get a research position too, go for volunteering at the nearest teaching hospital and develop good contacts, it may be your ticket to an Externship/Observership. Many VA hospitals have programs for volunteers. From http://go.to/usmleforums. [ Home | About Us | Advertisers | Forums | IMGI Manual | Pre-Med ]
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