Graduates of foreign medical schools (FMGs) who want to practice medicine in the United States are required to complete internship and residency requirements after passing the USMLE, United States Medical Licensing Examination. Internships, externships, and residencies at hospitals and medical centers are limited in number, and competition for such placements is significant.
How to Improve Your Chances for the National Registry Matching Program
1) Be certain that your medical school meets the requirements of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)
This one seems evident, but it is worth mentioning.
2) Focus on your resume
After having several FMGs complete our EMT Basic program, we began to ask ourselves why a doctor trained in another country would be interested in becoming an EMT in the United States. When we asked our students, we received several answers, but answer number one was the need to improve their resumes.
Showing work experience in the United States in the pre-hospital medical field demonstrates to those who are evaluating your resume that you are motivated, that you have strong verbal communication skills in English, and that you can succeed as a part of a team.
3) Prepare for your match interview
Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) will be interviewed when they apply for medical residencies, and both the educational experience of becoming a licensed EMT and the work experience that follows, gives you daily opportunities to practice your skills discussing your background, your aspirations, and areas of specialization with co-workers and employers. This can be valuable preparation for sitting for a match interview.
Working as an emergency medical specialist in pre-hospital rotations demonstrates the ability to rapidly assess and manage patient situations, communicate with patients in distress, and the experience shows leadership potential. All of these could become topics of conversation as you sit for your match interview.
4) Relentlessly build your network
The more medical professionals you know in the United States the more likely you are to get a match for a residency. If you take a job outside of medicine while you wait for your residency, you may not have the opportunity to network with other medical professionals. By taking a job in EMS, you may find multiple and routine opportunities to make valuable relationships that may open new doors to your future.
5) Be careful to translate medical terminology
Practicing medicine is all about precision and clarity in communication. Many FMGs make the mistake of falling back to their training and using terms that aren’t commonly used in the United States. Find any way you can to discuss medicine in contexts that force you to re-orient your language skills to use the terms that are most accepted or most commonly used in the United States. Taking a job in Emergency Medical Services while you wait on a residency can help you sound like an “insider” when it comes time to sit for a match interview.
Axon Education – Texas EMS School can assist you in becoming certified a EMS professionals. The EMT Basic program is designed to last 18 months, but as an FMG you may be able complete the program in a much shorter time period. The curriculum is adaptive, which means that if you already know the material, you will do well on the pre-test, and avoid extra homework or additional assignments. While the coursework is online, you will need to complete 24 hours of clinical experience in a hospital, and 48 hours field experience on an ambulance which will get you back inside the medical world.
Stay sharp and up-to-date in medicine while you wait for the perfect residency by becoming a licensed EMT.
Contact Texas EMS School Today
Call us today to discuss it, or give us your number and we will call you.
