First of all, I apologize for being extremely late in addressing this issue.

There has been a great deal of concern about taking steps during medical college. People have wondered about the challenges associated with taking steps during medical school and the right way to go about it. Therefore, I decided to chip in with the problems I faced in preparing for step 1 with college and the way I countered them. Before I go on to talk about how I went about in preparing for step 1, I would like to stress upon the importance of doing so before you graduate. As much as it sounds scary, it is very good idea to take the exams earlier these days since the competition for residency has increased a lot over the past few years. It has also become important now because a vast majority of places have been closing down on the International students for electives, let alone the requirement for step 1 at most places. There has been a recent change in the trend in that people are applying for the match as fresh graduates, which is a very pleasant change. The match rates will definitely go up and as people wouldn’t have to worry about steps after graduation, they can strengthen their CV (research, observerships, etc) , if they decide to pursue more competitive specialties or places.

Studying for Step 1 is a long and stressful process in general which requires plenty of motivation and dedication. But for someone who wants to take it during medical college, it can be an even more challenging experience. However, there are a few things to keep in mind before starting to prepare that would make your life a little easier and could get you the right result.

Schedule:

The ideal time to start preparing for Step 1 is right after taking 6th semester exams but you can start earlier. By the time, you would have been done with most of your basic science subjects except for special pathology. Besides, 3rd year is a little tough since it covers pharmacology and microbiology that are can be overwhelming for a majority. Although, I am not sure how the module system works but I think it doesn’t matter as long as you plan smartly. Either way, beginning of 4th year would be the best time to start.

There have been a whole lot of questions about ward rotations and if it’s possible to study with them. The fact of the matter is that it’s very possible and you don’t have to skip any rotations until the very end. Skipping one or two rotations will have no consequences at all. The logic behind this is that the US grads only spend 2 years in rotations in comparison with our 3 year rotation schedule. There is no need to freak out if you think you will have to skip a few which you would definitely have to and I skipped more than that.

As far as the daily schedule for studying is concerned, I used to come to college at around 9-9:30 or may be even later depending on the ward rotation I was on. I stayed in college until 1 or 2 PM, hung around with friends, which is necessary when you are under a lot of stress. I reached home at around 3, had lunch and slept for a while before I started studying at around 4:30-5. This way you can manage around 5-6 hours of studying everyday which is fair enough.

Books:

I won’t go on to talk about what I did but I would rather talk about what I found the most helpful. Following is the list of books I suggest.

·         Kaplan Series for all books except patho

·         Goljan Pathology (Extremely high yield)

·         High yield anatomy for limbs (Probably just the clinical anatomy part of it)

·         First Aid

·         Kaplan 100 cases of ethics

·         Kaplan Qbank

·         USMLE Rx

·         USMLE World

·         Kaplan DVDs only behavioral (do twice if possible) and genetics

I have had quite a few people asking me about special pathology. It isn’t necessary to read Robbins (Basis) for special pathology. Goljan covers everything. Even the important histology is covered. You can completely skip Robbins. I can assure that if you read Goljan properly, you will get an A in special pathology.

If you are unable to do Goljan 3rd edition due to its size, you can get away with Goljan 2nd edition. I would still suggest the 3rd edition since it is also helpful for step 2.

Strategy:

Let’s talk about the strategy for step 1. I recommend 4 reads for step 1. Of course, the first one should be comprehensive. I can’t comment on how much time each read should take because everyone has their own pace and style of studying and it can’t be generalized. But I would stress upon the fact that the first read should be comprehensive. This is your time to grasp the core concepts without worrying too much about memorizing. Of course you would need to memorize a lot of stuff but don’t stress too much on it in the beginning since multiple reads would consolidate the information. Do first aid after every read. It is extremely high yield if you have trouble memorizing and it is very helpful at the end.

The questions are the most important part of your preparation. I put USMLE Rx in the list because I thought it is a very good tool for a beginner. It gets you acquainted with the type of questions asked in USMLE. The fact that it covers information from the first aid makes it even more helpful. I suggest doing this during your first read. Don’t worry about the score and just use it as an educational tool. Kaplan Qbank is to be done during or after the second read. Again, use it as an educational tool since it covers most of Kaplan lecture notes. Third read may not accompany a qbank and this may hurt you psychologically. You may think this is your last chance to memorize as much as you can and yet you can’t assess yourself during this read. Honestly, during this read I had a headache every day. The key is to stay calm and focused. After the 3rd read, do Uworld. This is the highest yield Qbank. It is an educational tool but it can also be used to assess your performance. I can’t say exactly what a safe score is in UW but anything above 70 percent (not percentile) is good. Having said that, people with lower UW scores have scored a 99 and vice versa. I also recommend doing UW Self-Assessment which is a 4 block assessment test. It gives you an approximate 3 digit score. I suggest doing it 2 weeks before your actual exam since it may get you worried if you don’t do well on it.

NBME is also an assessment tool which is more accurate the UWSA.

In conclusion, stay motivated and focused. Delaying the exam by 1-2 weeks doesn’t make a difference in fact it may hurt you. Plan early, make a schedule and stick to it. I decided my exam date months before and I stuck to it. Alhamdulillah! Stay determined and do your best.

Good Luck!

Faizan Shaikh

Dow Medical College

Class of 2011

As I wind up my interview season which seems to be a bit successful compared to last year, I am writing my experiences in pursuit of residency. I am hopeful it will prove to be a good guide for upcoming applicants.

I applied for residency last year to more than seventy programs and got 2 interview calls, remained un-match. This year I prepared myself and spent some time trying to figure out what went wrong last year. So here is the game plan to be successful in match.  One more important thing I will mention, with each passing year and increase in number of American graduates, as well as Caribbean grades, residency is becoming tough to secure for imgs. One program director even said next year will be the last year for imgs as we don’t see any increase in residency seats but next year there will be a significant increase in graduates from American and Caribbean schools. Along side the pile up of unmatch 99ers increase each year as some of them remain unmatched. So if you are going for next years match give it the best shot.

As mentioned in previous experiences your scores are one of the most important factor and the first hurdle you need to cross in order to secure residency. As from now on program will consider filtering application with three digit scores (as for most program filter is set around 220-230). So you will be in the pile of applicants who will cross initial score filter (they can be anywhere around 500 to 2000). Some programs filter by visa status so if you are a Green card or US resident you will get additional benefit. Anyhow after you have crossed initial filter what’s next. Either of the two things can happen, you can become lucky and program coordinator reviews your application and forward it to pd or your application will remain in the pile unchecked or reviewed till all the interview slots are filled.

Getting your application reviewed:

So this is the time you need to work your brains and be proactive. There are few ways you can do it.

* First if you can locate some seniors (most of them are simply awesome and helpful). They can forward you aamc id to program coordinator making it possible for program director to review it and if you matches his expectation reward an interview. Important thing is you keep a follow up with the seniors as their schedule is hectic; it may slip from their mind or they might have their own limitations.

*Second, try calling them yourself. You can call as early as mid to end of September. I maintained an excel sheet with all the programs I applied and the dates I called them with a brief note about the response.  Now the question is how you will approach the program coordinators. So I came up with some sources. You can obviously find phone numbers on ERAS itself. If you hear a human voice its good, most of the time it will go to voice mail, do leave a message some pc do listen to their voice mails. Calls are transferred to vm after 4 beeps (keep track of these as pc might pick up the phone so keep trying), sometimes it goes directly to vm. Other sources of contact numbers; websites (sometimes they try to avoid real numbers on eras due to floods of calls asking status); ACGME website (they have emails and phone numbers of pc and pd, most of the times they are different).

Early in the season coordinators are (most of the times) super friendly as the real trauma of hundreds of call daily has not started asking in a monotonous voice, “What is the status of my application?” Guys you need to be different in that situation. In majority of the programs coordinators play a significant role in selection of candidates. So you should understand your mission to get hold of interview starts the very moment when coordinator picks up the phone. Try to be nice and come up with some good queries for the program (which can be answered by pc), you can mention about your credentials (briefly about scores, electives, research publications) asking do they match the criteria they have set. Try to communicate your aamc id. That’s the most important part, if you can make the program coordinator open your application on eras, that’s what you are looking for (I received few iv calls right on spot). But your struggle is not over at this point. You need to maintain your communication call her again, with some more queries. Regarding how frequently you can call, you might call them each week to twice a week. As end of October will arrive you will find a significant change in pc’s attitude, as major bulk of applicants will start calling asking for status. That’s where you need to be smart don’t start with the same questions what every other applicant is asking. You need to develop a healthy relation with them so come up with some plan, something different which will hold you separate from other applicant. Most of the pc will note your aamc id but almost none will review your application because on average they receive 200 plus calls each day (that’s what one coordinator told me).

*Emails:

Along with calls send frequent emails. Same rule is applicable here as well, be different. You need to pay special attention to the subject of your email (“application status” is not a good subject). Try to come up with something different, I am sure you can do it but be relevant. During the end of season I even sent emails to pc and pd with subject like ‘Regarding interview invitation’: well everything is fair in love, war and residency. Its all about survival. I am sure they receive hundreds of emails daily, they will not go to each email, they will just go through the subjects (as some important emails do pop up in the pc email account, rest assure a different subject may compel pc to review your application). If your email subject is routine it will be deleted without even being reviewed. You can get hold of different email id of pc and pd as well from website and acgme website. I secured few interviews by this method.

What’s next:

If everything is going according to plan and you get your application reviewed will it guarantee an interview? Answer is in present competitive situation most likely No. You application must be strong enough with really good clinical and research experience. Each year many bright imgs remain unmatch, so you have to compete with applicants with great scores, lot of US clinical research/experience. If you already have all the stars the next important thing is how you will put it in your application. In job applications, presentation of your experiences accounts to be one of the most important ingredient. You need to spend time to put in the best possible way all of your experiences. Try to elaborate and distribute them to as many headings in your ERAS cv. I placed each of my research in separate heading though the primary investigator was same for all. This gave strength to my application.

How to improve your CV and chances of match:

So if you are still a student try to secure electives. If you are already done with step 1 then you can manage to get hold of electives at many different places. Remember try for those places which do have imgs, going to big university programs e.g mayo most of the time is not very helpful as you don’t have a real chance to match into that program. Some may argue letters from big programs matters, well if you compare it with real chance of matching in a mediocre program I will go with the second option. I will recommend for students to do at least 3 months of electives at different hospitals. During elective try to be proactive be there sharp at 6, ask residents to assign patient to you and participate in patient care. This will improve chances of getting hold of good letter of recommendation and good relationship with attending which can be used latter to acquire interviews. During your electives if your attending is active in research, ask him for opportunity and show enthusiasm to do research with him. If not search the directory get hold of doctors active in research, set appointment or just visit their office. You have to make the best use of time you spend in US. Always remember a sub-internship (elective rotation in internal medicine) is most recommended. Although it is hard to secure but if you perform well, it insure matching in the same program.

For graduates, search for externship positions (some noteworthy hospitals, St Vincent charity Cleveland, Wayne state cardiology and peds Detroit….) if unable to locate go for observership. Start sending emails to attending, asking for volunteer research and latter on ask them if you can observe with them in their clinic or floor. Try to spend time in multiple hospital rather than spending 6 months at one place (exception; if you foresee solid chances to match into the same program).

Remember to make good impression with attending you work with, try to stay in contact with them. If you have good relationship with them, they might make phone calls/ emails to program directors. This will increase your chances. If you are working closely with some fellows, try to ask them to recommend you for residency program they graduated from. It is all about developing contacts and using them. Never shy off or perceive that it is not right to ask them, you won’t lose anything if you will.

I will write more latter. For now try to digest this information.

Shahrukh Hussain

Dow Medical College

Class of 2010

These are the contacts of the program directors. Please remember not to e mail them aim lessly as these are program directors and emailing just for the heck of it leave a vvery negative impression. All this is gathered and written by MUHAMMAD SUHAIB KHAN, DOW MEDICAL COLLEGE, CLASS OF 2009.

I am writing this to share my experience of interviews, everyone may have a diff experience, but this has been mine and I hope this is helpful…

LOOK  GOOD!!…this is very important…in my experience…although most ppl wear a black suit to the interviews, I got brown just  because it looked good on me…dress safe, but try to buy the color that looks good on u…being a girl, I can add that I wore jewellery , makeup, heels and let my hair loose..im adding this because a lot of ppl told me not to do these things because they may make me look unprofessional…nonetheless, I always tried to look good and NOT unprofessional, rather than look just professional and plain….

Greet warmly, SMILE…say hello/ good morning…these are both courteous formal greetings…don’t say hi…I did that with a program director and I don’t think it was a good start! And rRELAX….!..take the interview like having a CONVERSATION….

ENGAGE  your interviewer!!…this is very important…these means both you and the interviewer are involved…now this depends upon the interviewer as well, sometimes the questions are so direct that all u can do is answer, but sometimes, the interviewer is just trying to get to know u…..getting the interviewer to talk is a very good idea…rem, ppl always like talking about THEMSELVES and their programs so ask questions and engage ur interviewer…if he/she is enjoying telling u something, let them tell u…I had an interview when the  interviewer spent about an hour explaining a new policy to me….

THINK before u speak….sometimes, we cant get the point across because we donnt word it rite…so take a second to think thru…so that wen u speak…u are not thinking thru what u r saying while u are saying it.….!!

The interview is about SELLING urself…now know that its good to have research, USCE under ur belt but I didn’t have any of those things…but there are still many ways u can prove urself a good candidate…Tell them about your diverse experience….we have a very rich experience to share…so tell them about it.. we deal with poor patients, linguistic barriers, drug addicts, homeless, suicide survivors, cultural barriers, literacy issues wen we see patients…write down figures, tell them what percent of ppl in our country speak the national language, what our healthcare spending is, what our healthcare concerns are in Pakistan, what our doc: patient ratio is, tell them what the figures are for US so they see the whole picture….ull be surprised how interested they can get!…i had all these figures in a printout and one of my interviewers requested to take a look himself and really liked tht I had researched so well!!

RESEARCH the program, they may have a philosophy that u can bring up in the interview that shows ur interest!

One more thing!..BE CHARMING!..be charming!..and be charming!!…this is really important..i always told the interviewer how nicely decorated their office was, if they had picked a certain painting themselves, how impressive the program directors msg on the website was..!!

Ok, remember…this is what I learnt in my interviews…PRESENTATION and SELLING matters the most once uve made it to the interview and u can do these things very smartly too!…SHOW them that ur confident, friendly, eager to learn and have a rich experience to share!….whatever anyone elses CV may lookS like doesn’t matter!!..in the interview they are assessing YOU, not the CV…they have already done that..they want to know if ul will FIT IN WITH THEM…not whether ure qualified or not…u r !..thats the reason u are interviewing there in the first place….finally, smile Aot and be natural….hope all this helps!

Maliha Azmi

Dow Medical College

Class of 2009

If you have got it, flaunt it, and if you think you don’t, still flaunt it. If you have been invited for an interview, it means you have got something in you. You have surpassed thousands of those applicants who were not invited. The point of the interview is basically just for you to get to know the program and for them to figure out if they can work with you or not. They just want to know if you are a nice person, hardworking, friendly enough and motivated. They already know what you have done and how intelligent you are from your CV. So if you think that you are not good enough and there may be more competitive candidates than you, it very well may be true but you all are on the same page at that point in time and it’s all about the interview now. Don’t get intimidated by other applicants and always feel good about yourself.

I would like to focus my discussion on the pre-interview dinner, the interview itself, and post-interview communication.

Pre-Interview Dinner:

This is an informal event that usually takes place the night before the interview. A lot of myths are associated with this events and I would like to clear things up a little. It is not necessary to attend the dinner at most places. It has no effect on your selection unless you act like an idiot that day. These events are just for you to get a feel for the program and have a nice time. Of course there is free food on offer so I never missed a dinner for that purpose. The dress code for most places is generally business casual. I think it would be safe to wear a dress shirt and dress pants at the dinner.  I wore a tie at one of the places and one of the residents asked me why I was all dressed up so I took it off. I would recommend not wearing jeans, although, you could wear a nice sweater if it’s cold. I don’t know how to describe what girls wore but usually dress pants with a shirt, sweater etc. Again, I am not entirely sure what they wore. I am sure one of the earlier articles does a good job describing it.

Ask questions and get involved in the conversation. You don’t have to but it’s rude to be the quiet one. Try to laugh when appropriate. That’s the least you can do. At the end of my interview trail, I had lost interest in talking during the dinners so I chipped in a little but asked a few questions just so I seem involved. Don’t talk stupid though. It’s better to stay quiet and laugh or smile than talking stupid and be laughed at.

At quite a few dinners, the residents would pick you up from the hotel. But if they don’t, then the hotel might have some shuttle service that would be able to take you for free. If that’s not available, then you might contact the coordinator and ask her if one of the residents could pick you up for the dinner. Last resort would obviously be a cab. Generally, the dinners aren’t too far from where the hotel or the hospital is.

For those of you who are specific about halal food, there are a lot of options. Vegetarian is one option but you can always find sea food at most places. Just make sure to ask the waiter if there is any alcoholic beverage or meat included in anything. You can have the excluded from your food for the most part. People here are very open about dietary restrictions and you shouldn’t be uncomfortable talking about it. It’s your right to eat what you want. There may be alcohol sometimes in dessert as well, so make sure you ask the waiter before ordering anything. Always thank the waiter since it is a nice gesture.

Interview Day (The Real Deal):

The interview day is a formal and the most important day as far as the recruitment is concerned. It is also one of the most important days in your career. It is stressful since you want everything to be perfect that day and try extra hard for it but you should relax and be yourself. It is tough considering the amount of stress you must be in but I found myself performing better in the latter part of my interview season when I was more relaxed and actually looked forward to the actual interviews. Try to get enough sleep the night before. Reach 10-15 minutes ahead of time and be sure of where you have to reach. Ask the residents at the dinner about the directions and everything. You can also ask the residents what to expect the next day. Reaching earlier is helpful since it gives you some time to find the exact place in the hospital where you are supposed to reach.

The interview day usually starts by a presentation either by the program director, coordinator, or one of the chief residents. Pay attention during the presentation as it may answer a lot of your questions and you don’t want to ask those questions during the interview again. If you have additional questions or if you didn’t understand anything fully, you may ask after the presentation or during the interview. Don’t be shy to take notes as it is impossible to remember important things about the program when you are about to make your ROL. It may even show that you are interested in their program if you take notes.

The thought of the actual interview might get you shaking but relax and stay confident. Most interviews are just focus on getting to know you as a person. It is just a formal conversation and most of the times interviewers would talk for the most part. Don’t interrupt when he/she is talking but keep nodding and respond just to show that you are interested. Talk about the weather and the city when appropriate, generally at the start of your conversation. Always stay positive and don’t whine about anything. Even if you had trouble finding a place or getting to the place, just don’t say it. Be enthusiastic but not overenthusiastic. You don’t want to show them that you are desperate. They want you as much as you want them.

After you enter the room, smile, shake the interviewers hand and say “Hello” or “Good morning”. Although some interviewers might say “Hi”, but you should never say “Hi”. It doesn’t matter if your hands are cold or if you don’t shake firmly. They won’t reject you on that basis but try to shake hands properly.  Everyone knows about the sympathetic nervous system and it is normal for you to be nervous but just don’t show it. If your interviewer asks you how you are, answer him and ask him back. Sit when you are asked to sit or if he has sat down and thank him. Make good eye contact and don’t look through the window or look at the clock. If you look them in the eye and talk with confidence, you made a good impression.

Before I started my interview trail, I just prepared answers to a few commonly asked questions. It’s impossible to predict what the interviewer will ask you and it’s impossible to prepare for all the questions. Most of the questions were not that difficult to answer and if you know yourself well enough you can answer easily. The questions I prepared for were:

Tell me about yourself:

This is the easiest question to answer. You don’t have to tell them about your strengths or qualities, rather, just talk about where you are from, where you grew up and did schooling, where you went to medical school, and talk about your med school and your clinical exposure. Also tell them if you did any electives or worked on a research project. Also talk about some of your hobbies or if there is something interesting about you, be ready to talk about it. They answer shouldn’t be more than 2-3 mins.

Why did you choose medicine?

Most of us chose medicine because our parents forced us, but this is not something they want to hear. This is where I talked about my personal statement. I had my reason of joining medicine which I used to talk about when they asked me this question.

Why did you choose Internal Medicine as a specialty?

This is something that was more commonly asked than the previous question. This is where you should talk about the clinical exposure you get at Civil. Talk about a few qualities that you think makes you well suited for internal medicine as a specialty. I also used to mention my interest in a fellowship and that internal medicine prepares me for that and if you feel you should say it then go ahead. Talk highly about our college. You are not in ONE of the best colleges of Pakistan but in the BEST college of Pakistan and don’t hesitate to say that. The strongest point about our Medical College is the faculty and the clinical exposure. Brag about it as much as you can. Although, it is alright to say that our college is not financially strong, but never say any bad things about our college. If you can’t sell your own medical college then how would you sell their program if they decide to take you?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

This question is just to see what track you have decided for yourself. You can either be a primary care, hospitalist, or subspecialist. If you have well set goals for yourself, don’t hesitate to mention all of them. They like motivated people and it would be nice if you say that you have decided what you want to do. Community programs wouldn’t like it all that much if you say you want to do a fellowship. However, if it is a strong community program or program that offers fellowships, there is no harm mentioning a subspecialty. At some university programs I was asked if I wanted to pursue a career in academic medicine or private practice. Please do apply to university programs even if it’s friendly to other colleges of Pakistan. Programs know Dow very well and they would be happy to take us. It’s just that we don’t apply to places where we have no seniors. We need more people in academic centers and if you are good you will be called.

Why our program or how did you find out about us?

If you know someone there you can tell them about that person. Make sure that person has a good reputation there tough. You can also mention good things about the program and also the city.

Strengths and weaknesses:

I was asked at a few programs about my strengths and weaknesses. So do prepare a good answer for this. You should back a few of your strengths by well-versed experiences. You should generally talk about your personal strengths but you may talk about your academic strengths as well. This answer can also be used for the question “why should we choose you?”

You should mention at least one weakness. Everybody has a weakness and you shouldn’t be hesitant in talking about it. But make sure you let them know that you are working on it or that you have improved on it somewhat.

After the interviewer is done talking to you, it’s your turn to ask questions after he allows you. Prepare a few questions. You can ask the same questions to multiple interviewers but try to ask something different. After you are done asking questions, take their business card and thank them. If they say it was a pleasure meeting you, don’t say “same to you”. You should say “likewise”.

Post-Interview Communication:

Post-interview communication is very important. It gives you a chance to thank them and show your interest in their program. It also gives you an idea what they thought about you. Never mention where you will rank their program, but tell them that you will rank them very high or will give there program a strong consideration if you really liked there program.

Email all your interviewers, coordinator, and the chief residents if they met you. If PD didn’t interview you, you should still email him and mention your interest in the program. I never emailed any of the other residents since I didn’t have enough time but do thank them on the interview day itself. When you email the interviewers, try to mention something that stood out in your conversation so that the remember you.

I never sent any handwritten thank you letters or cards. Which way of communication is better is still controversial. I chose email since it is more accessible and even email can be personalized. At the end of the season, I chose to email the programs which I liked the most and showed my interest. You could email all the programs if you want. I tried to personalize every email.

In conclusion, the interview process is very tiring and stressful yet an exciting process. These days won’t come back once you start your residency, so enjoy as much as you can. Be confident and feel good about yourself and you will perform well. Good luck!

Faizan Shaikh

Step 1 (267)
step 2 (260)

Dow Medical College

Class of 2011

How to play the Game

I am writing this article to clear some misunderstandings regarding how to go about the Match.

I am Zulfiqar Arif, graduate of D.M.C. (batch of 2008) and I have accepted a pre-match from Abington Memorial Hospital, PA, in Internal Medicine (Categorical) for the year 2012.

The first and foremost  piece of advice I can give to any candidate who will be entering the 2013 match is that it’s not the number of interviews you’re offered; you only need one good one to match. The second advice for those candidates like me who did not end up with a double 99 is that scores are only one part of the application. While it is indeed true that the theoretical chances of securing interviews and being matched in the program are higher with a double 99; one can make up for the deficiency in scores by other means, which I will be discussing further in detail.

Anyone who has been in the match and has given interviews, knows for a fact that it is indeed a humbling experience when one is giving interviews alongside candidates who have better scores and stellar CV’s but as a rule of thumb NEVER let this fact get you down. Having secured the interview is an achievement in itself that clearly translates into the fact that the program is interested in YOU and wants to assess how confident and interested you are in their program.

One of my dearest friends has always said that matching is like playing a game but one with the highest possible stakes involved. Thus, like any other game, one has to chalk out a strategy, and this is how I went about mine;

Planning and Having a Contingency plan.

“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get”

This famous quote actually sums up how things happen when one embarks on the long process of matching. Everyone wants to score as high as they can, and secure the highest three digit score, but the reality is not everyone gets there. Let me assure anyone who doesn’t end up with 99s to not lose hope; everything works out in the end if one is smart about it.

I have always been amongst the high achievers of my batch but my step 1 performance was under par. One can rationalize all they want to but that’s how the score came out. I only got a “92” in step1 which was one of the lowest points in my life, and truth be told, I went into social isolation with the daunting misconception that I would be unable to match. It was only because of strong family support and great advice from Muhammad Ali Khan and Isra’a Khan that I got back up; hit the books hard and with an awesome study buddy was able to get a 99 in CK. So “always have a good support group around you and study in pairs”. It’s always healthy competition that truly motivates one to try harder and score higher.

• The contingency plan was giving my step3 (90) immediately after I cleared my CS. Applying with the step3 result in hand helped me secure interviews from programs  that offer pre-matches.

Electives/ Observerships:

I was fortunate enough to have had two months of US clinical experience, in Northwestern and Drexel University. This was one of the most important aspects of my application, since programs tend to prefer candidates who have had some clinical experience on US soil over those who don’t. The more clinical experience one has, the better the chance to apply to programs which have minimal requirements of applicants who have gained experience on US soil.

Secondly, the LORs one secures after the electives are of paramount importance; not just for securing the interview, but also a major chunk of the interview is based on the LORS and your experience in the US health care system. Making important connections there and maintaining a good rapport will definitely help in securing a call, but that’s not always the case. Very often people don’t end up getting calls from places where they did electives, but the LORs and the experience go a long way.

• So my advice to future candidates who are thinking about residency in the US is to start planning in advance where and when they should go for clinical electives.

If one has graduated, the next best option is doing an observership. While compared to a clinical elective, it does not amount to much, but something is better than nothing.

Publications and Research

Having good quality publications and some research background strengthens ones application. It’s also a very good topic to touch upon in the interview. It shows that the candidate has a keen interest in posters/publications and because nearly every program encourages the residents to have a certain number of publications during their residency.

• Try to get case reports and/or articles published in recognized journals.

The Program List:

Every applicant is different and the program list should be catered according to ones scores, the USCE and MOST importantly the applicant’s visa status.

One should always apply smartly, because I have personally seen candidates with scores of high 99-97 ending up with just 2-3 calls which obviously decrease the chances of matching. On the flip side, applicants with modest scores have managed to secure 11-12 calls.

The list on pakmeds is honestly the most balanced and successful list thus far. It is catered to DOW/SMC grads and is very IMG friendly.

One should always look for programs that have IMGs currently part of it and observe the trend pattern each year. (e.g.: Staten Island IM is very IMG friendly but for Middle-Easterners).

People who do not have high scores and whose priority is matching in the US should apply to multiple disciplines. This increases their chances of getting more calls.

• Apply Smartly

Securing the interview:

Once the application is submitted, the acceptance calls and rejection phase starts. If one has any contacts (residents/attendings) inform them before applying, take their advice and keep reminding them if they can recommend you for an interview.

Some programs start sending out invites early, while others wait and start interviewing later. This is where good communication between fellow applicants comes in handy. So if a fellow applicant has secured a call and you haven’t, then make a phone call and e-mail to the program coordinator in order to find out your application status.

On getting the interview call, plan the interview trail smartly. It is always wise to keep the interviews of programs that offer pre-matches early on in the season.

• Showing strong interest in the program is vitally important in every phone call/email.

Personal statement:

Having a good personal statement is of critical importance. A major chunk of the IV is based on the personal statement. A personal statement should be eye-catching and should not be more than one page.

It does not have to be a literary masterpiece with exquisite use of vocabulary. It should be simple and should reflect ones strengths and cover up for any deficiencies in the application. Only write what you can defend.

• An impactful, true, authentic personal statement is necessary

The Interview:

This is the most important aspect of the match and will be discussed in depth in a separate article

• Be yourself, and DO NOT put on a fake accent!!

Pairing up and networking:

Pairing up and networking is essential for applicants and one should freely cross communicate with fellow applicants, and discuss issues such as lodging, IV details, calls, and rejections.

In the end I would like to emphasize the importance of being confident, and not letting the situation get to you. Be strong, persevere and most importantly pray that everything falls into place.

If I can pre-match with scores of 92-99-90, zero publications, zero research experience and only two months of clinical experience, InshAllah everyone can. BEST OF LUCK!

Zulfiqar Arif

Batch of 2008(DMC)

“wa ta-izzu man tashaai wa ta-zillu man tashaa”

“You exalt whoever You will and You abase whoever You will”

Hi Everyone

Apologies for being quite late for this article but still I think something is better than nothing. I hope u all find it useful, all the best to all of u for this very important part of your foundation programme 2012 application form.

First of all the answer to every1s question that how to answer these questions is something you all know but most people dun give much importance to 1 single key document which not only in fp but also for ur speciality applications is very very imp and that is PERSON SPECIFICATION FP 2012

You can find it here under the key documents section

http://www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/index.asp?page=home/keydocs#recruitment

If u read the specification with concentration you will see that there are 3 boxes and the last one says demonstrated by: and every column which says demonstrated by APPLICATION/PRE EMPLOYMENT means that you can demonstrate this essential criteria by ur application answers

Also if u check the 2^nd heading says essential criteria which in other words telling u that this is wat we r looking for in ur application answers

An example from the specification for you guys to make it luk easier :

Clinical Knowledge & Skills   : Demonstrated by :

 The applicant must be familiar with and be able to demonstrate an understanding of the major principles of the GMC’s Good Medical Practice (2006) including:

• Good clinical care

• Maintaining good medical practice

• Teaching and training, appraising and assessing

• Relationships with patients, and can apply this understanding

• Working with colleagues, and can apply this understanding

• Probity

• Health

The applicant must demonstrate an understanding of the outcomes to be achieved in the Foundation Programme as set out in The New Doctor (2009).

So here you go u got many clues to answer ur question from just this 1 point in the specification

It is very very important for all of you to read GMC Good medical practice guidelines

Very very important, I can write a whole book on just to emphasise how important these guidelines are Link is here

http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice.asp

Trust me I answered all my questions just by reading this guideline. I did not search for anything on internet or refered to any books..because that comes under PLAGIARISM and your answer will get 0 marks if you copy any answer from google or from any book. If that happens you will be asked to provide evidence of your answers.so one good thing is to write something for which you have an evidence.

EXAMPLES OF MY APPLICATION ANSWERS:

For example my application 1^st question was to tell about multidisciplinary approach to a case. Now we all have seen many cases in which we involve diff teams..particularly in UK u have to liase with every1 like pharmacist, radiologist and u do it quite oftenly here…but obviously I had to give example from Pakistan. So what I did I gave an example from a peads ward case and I had a LOR from the HOD stating that I have done my placement here so I used it as an evidence ( though they did not ask for any evidence they only ask if they think your application is a victim of plagiarism ) but its always useful to have something to cover you up….jus to be on safe side.

My 2^nd question was to tell about a learning experience. So I gave an example of a course I attended at AKU and I found it a great learning experience… evidence = I had the aku certificate

3^rd question did not needed an evidence as it was about how would u react if one of ur colleague gets insulted by a consultant what will u do in that case. So I reffered to GMC guidelines. And gmc guidelines have a proper description in the section WORKING WITH COLLEAGUES. So I read it and formulated my answer according to it

4^th question was something about how good it is to get feedback of what you do and about assesments..and how would u asses ur juniors in future…

This is very important again.. there is a section on gmc TEACHING and Learning. And once again I found it very useful and now after completing 1 year of foundation training I know how imp this question is..we have to do a lot of teaching in wards and we get formally assessed here by consultants for our teaching. So I used my attachment experience here where I was assessed and I was given a feedback of my electives so I kept it as an evidence and wrote about the importance of getting assesd and ways of how can I asses my juniors.. here they were most probably referring to E-PORTFOLIO I dun know how many of you are aware of it but the e-portfolio is the key part of your training all your assesments and logs go into the online portfolio and 1 portfolio which starts from ur fy1 will be used till u become a consultant ( INSHALLAH) . so please read a bit about E-portfolio from the applicants handbook 2012

My last question was about patient needs and preference and how imp is this to involve patients in ur decision..so here comes another part of the gmc guideline. Patient centered care, patient priorities, management and decision making.

In short you have to read gmc guidelines and also the new doctor handbook. The gmc guidelines are one of the most important document to read.

I think most of you are very confused about the 1^st question; which is always about your publications or reasearches or something academic you have achieved.. well dun worr 50% applicants get a 0 in it. I got a 0 in it even after having 1 research publication in a peer reviewed journal..so im not sure what their criteria is. But its always worth putting something if you have any publications or national presentations or something academic which meets their criteria. If you don’t have anything then don’t worry…just concentrate on the other 5 questions and trust me if you answer well you can get the highest marks

Please keep this in mind you answers should have 200 words please no more than that and no less than that you will get penalised, please please check your grammar there should be no spelling mistakes it gives a very very rong impression and make the assessors feel that you did not give a damn about your application answers. Please get it proof read from some one. Your teacher or mentor or any1 u feel would be a great help in terms of grammar and spellings

Now few general tips for all questions

Try and interpret things in your own words…I found using a thesaurus very useful as it gives you different words with the same meaning so that what u r writing sounds interesting…And u ll have to stick to the 200 words limit…Maybe in your first attempt u wont get 200 words in your first attempt…Write out your answer and then edit it… Also u have to write something that relates to each part of the Question , all the questions will have 3 or more than 3 parts for example Give an example of some case (1^st part) what did u do what were ur actions (2^nd part ) what did u learn (3^rd part) what will u do differently in future (4^th part) try to break every question into parts and then formulate an answer…Otherwise u ll miss out on some points

Now decide how you are going to present your evidence. One way to give structure to the incidents you describe is by using the STAR acronym:

 S ituation Brief description of the situation

 T ask What you were trying to achieve

 A ctions What you did, how you did it, why you did it that way

 R esults/ Reflection What the result was, what you learnt and how you will apply to FY training

The majority of your answer should be taken up with the actions‟ and results/reflections section; everything else should be kept to a minimum.  Write very briefly about situation and task, many people emphasise more on the situation but its your actions which counts the most. For example if they ask you to describe a case and your role in it don’t start like WHEN I WAS IN MY FINAL YEAR MBBS OR WHEN I WAS A FINAL YEAR STUDENT , use simpler ways like During my medical training, During my electives. Then if you have to describe a difficult scenario don’t beat about the bush like I WAS IN THE MEDICAL WARD AND I WAS DOING THIS AND THEN THIS HAPPENED, again describe it simply as a medical student I came across an emergency or a difficult case of a breathless child. And after describing it in 2 lines just get to the actual point of what YOU did. Always use I, instead of WE, until and unless if it’s an example of teamwork, they want to see what YOU have done or what YOU will do differently in future as a trainee fy1 .

Remember to use your answers to illustrate your ability to ANALYSE, REFLECT, LEARN and make your experiences RELEVANT to foundation training.

Also few of the questions might be about confidentiality and ethics so here is a A-Z list of guidance and you can look upto individual guidance according to the question asked. Link is here

http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice.asp

Review your answers: have you answered the questions appropriately, with relevant evidence? Are your answers clear and easy to read? Do you provide evidence of going „above and beyond‟ what might be expected of any trainee doctor? Imagine that you are part of the selection panel reading your answers. Are you impressed with what you read?

Please stick to guidelines,person specification, your own ideas and thinking, good grammar and English.

I want to help as much as I can as I know this is one of the crucial part of the application form, I wish and pray to see as many of u here working as a fy1 doctor, I have always encouraged you guys for foundation training, you will feel how good it is to work here once you get into the training INSHALLAH. Please feel free to ask whatever you want , I am happy to help. I get quite a lot of emails but I am unable to answer all of them but I m trying my best to answer as many as I can. I can not promise but still I would like to offer help regarding your answers, if u feel u want to pass it on to me to have a look don’t hesitate and send it to doc_hina26@hotmail.com

Once again I do not promise to answer to every1s email but I will try my best, hope you all will understand. I wish all of you all the very very best. Please let me know about the results of your applications and feel free to share your experiences here so others will get some benefit too.

Best Wishes

Hina

OHIO STATE LICENSE AND H1 VISA

I am writing this to share my experience of all the paper work after the match. As soon as you match you should immediately get in touch with the coordinator and ask for all the relevant paper work. Do not shy away from calling and repeatedly contacting him/her. Don’t be rude but be persistent as they have lots of work to do and some times your work can slip off their mind. So a gentle reminder can be helpful to both.

Remember that every state has a different requirement for their state license. In Ohio there were no tricky requirements as such but request the coordinator to send you the forms as soon as possible and send it to the board or the program (which ever way your coordinator asks) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Your H1 visa process will not start until you have a state license. In Ohio I had to make sure that there were NO UNEXPLAINED gaps. Even if I was sitting and studying at home I mentioned the time period and wrote Preparing for Step 3. If you have a US account then life is very simple. Ohio State Licensing board charged $75 which was sent from me by a check. They also required me to send an ECFMG status report which was done easily by me from www.ecfmg.org/cvs who charged $25.  To verify that the Ohio state board has issued you a verification letter, go to the Board’s website at http://med.ohio.gov/

Till my state license work was going on I received my contract. The GME department handles the contract. If you are having trouble filling the form then contact your coordinator or better still the GME office. Complete the requirement and send it ASAP. I was sent about 13 forms. The documents I had to send back to them with the filled forms were notarized copies of my ECFMG certificate and my MBBS degree which can be easily done by any oath commissioner (loads of them sitting under trees in front of the court, passport office, Hassan square). The Ohio state board has no problems with getting my photo copies notarized from Pakistan but some other states do have an issue with this and you cannot get it notarized from here.

While all this process is going on also make sure your other documents are in order too. I was filing for H1 so I also called my lawyer and asked him what paper work I needed so when the time comes for filing the petition he has all the paper work with him. This way no time is wasted on sending him all the documents.

The documents required for H1 were

1. Completed H1B Visa employee form
2. MBBS Diploma
3. Transcripts (which were downloaded by my coordinator from ERAS and given to the lawyer)
4. Updated CV
5. ECFMG certificate
6. Test scores (Step 1,2 and 3. Step 3 score is a must for H1. You wont get an H1 without your step 3 score. These documents were  downloaded by my coordinator from ERAS and given to the lawyer)
7. Check for  $1225
8. Visa License export review form(sent to me by the university)
9. Copy of passport with copies of all entries and exit stamps on US
10. Copy of i-94 if u r still in the US

The university is covering the lawyer charges but I am paying for the premium processing for H1 visa which costs around $1225.  My lawyer has filed Step 1 of 2 of the H-1B process, i.e. the Labor Condition Application.  This took about 7 days to be certified, then once that happened, he filed the H-1B petition (Step 2) / Form I-129 with the USCIS. You can contact your lawyer and ask him the 13 digit receipt number in which the first 3 are alphabets and next 10 are numbers eg DOW1234567890. You can follow the status of your application at www.uscis.gov where you can enter the receipt number under “CASE STATUS” and see what stage your application is at and whether it is approved or not. When it is approved your lawyer will get an approval notice and will get the form i-797 by mail. In my case it came from California Service Center so that took around 3 to 4 days to reach my lawyer. Stay in touch with your lawyer and tell him to scan it and send it to you by email the day he gets it. Take the scanned copy of the i-797 and 1-129 along with the other documents (which I will mention later) to American Express the same or next day and get the date. Ask your lawyer to send you the original i-797 but don’t wait for it to reach you as it takes 4-5 days. The American Express people will complain that they will want the original i-797 before they can grant you the date but insist on getting the date and get the date as waiting for the lawyer to post you will take another 4-5 days and time is very precious at this moment and you cannot afford to wait. I told them nowhere on the US embassy site is it written that they want the original i-797 so my lawyer has refused to send it as it is too important a document to send by post (my lawyer did actually say that) so they finally agreed to give me a date for the interview.

While you are waiting for the petitions to be processed and approved, go to US Embassy site in Islamabad (google it) and find out the requirement for H1 visas so that by the time your petition is approved you have all your documents with you.

I am copying the relevant information from the US embassy site below.

All H and L applicants must:

1. Complete the DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application. (Found online at the US embassy, Islamabad site)

2.  Go to an American Express Bank Ltd Travel Related Services office, a participating branch of American Express, or Speedex in Pakistan Pay the application fee of US$150 or Pakistani Rupee equivalent.

• Submit the following:

(1) the one-page confirmation form (with legible barcode) from the DS-160,

(2) a current photo* (within the last 6 months) measuring 2″ x 2″ with white background

*Please ensure your photo has not been retouched or altered, otherwise your photo will not be accepted.

(3) photocopy of applicant’s passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the planned date of entry to the U.S.

(4) The form I-797, notice of approval.

H1-B applicants must also submit educational documents for verification. There is no additional fee associated with this process.  Interviews will not be granted if the documents are not submitted to American Express with application forms.  H-4 applicants do not need submit educational documents.

H1-B applicants must provide:

• Original certificates for “SSC & HSSC” or “O and A Levels”
• Original degrees and transcripts for Bachelors and onward qualifications.
• 2 sets of photocopies of all above documents.
• Higher Education Commission attestation form (completed by the applicant)
• A photocopy of your ID card
• Copy of valid I-797, Notice of Action
• A copy of your CV

Equivalence of Inter Board Committee of Chairmen/IBCC (certificates and the grades awarded by the accredited Examination Board/Authority/Syndicate and institutions recognized by the Education Authority of the country of origin will be considered for equivalence) in case of O&A level.

Now if you have noticed that you have to submit your degrees, O level certificates and Equivalence certificates etc which will be verified by HEC. The HEC attestation form can be found online and is also available at American Express. DO NOT give your documents to an agent to verify your documents from HEC! Submit it to American Express who will do that for you. You will get all these documents back at the time of your interview or afterwards from American Express. Apart from this you can take your bank statement property documents and other assets to show your links to Pakistan although this is really not necessary in an H-1 visa but no harm taking these documents.

An H-1 visa interview is not really stressful as your petition has been approved before hand. They mostly asked why you chose an H-1 visa at which people usually reply that this was the one offered to them by the program. Also they ask if we plan to emigrate to the US to which I replied that I had no such plans.

All the guy’s passports go for administrative processing (called clearance by us) and usually girl’s passports don’t. The time for administrative clearance is variable ranging from days to months or even years. So after that start praying that your visa comes on time.

I expected my visa to be delayed so I did the AHA certified ACLS/BLS courses from here. You can get them from DMC, AKU and I think from CPSP too. Remember that the course must not be just any course but AHA certified. The cheapest is from DMC so ask the Professional Development Center in Dow as to when they are held so that you can take them.

After you get your visa you have to go to the Protector of Emigrants office the details of which are written on Isra Khan’s article uploaded on www.pakmeds.com under Post Visa Paperwork.

Hope this information will be useful for those people applying for their H1 visas.

FARAZ KHAN LUNI (DMC, Batch of 2008)

If you are amongst the few people who plan on doing their residency in Canada, here are a few things you need to keep in mind:

• Majority, if not all, Canadian Residency programs, will require you to be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident
• A great CV will get you far, an AWESOME CV will get your farther
• You will have to clear the MCCEE (Medical Council of Canada Evaluation Exam) to apply, and the MCCQE1(Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part 1) once you match
• You will apply for a residency through CaRMS (Canadian Resident Matching Service)

You’re not a Canadian, eh?

I hate to tell you this, but if you’re not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident your chances of getting into a residency program are close to 0.1%. That’s simply because almost all programs have that as an eligibility criteria to apply for a position. So if you are none of the above, and still intend on specializing in North America, the US is your best bet.

How to make your CV go from great to AWESOME!

Okay so you’re a Canadian (or will be one soon), what now?

Lao Tzu once said “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. So let’s take this one step at a time.

1st year –

• Join PWA or any other organization as a volunteer and utilize your free time helping others
• Learn about research methodology and SPSS by attending seminars organized by PMA and other organizations

2nd & 3rd year –

• Learn to utilize your research methodology & SPSS knowledge by working on a research project. I won’t go into the details of it, but if you need a guideline, visitwww.pakmeds.com and check out topics posted under the research category
• In your break, apply for a research elective at AKU

4th year –

• In your break, apply for electives in Canada

5th year –

• In your break, apply for electives in Canada
• Study for the MCCEE

Right after 5th year –

• Give the MCCEE

Suppose you’re the program director at University of Toronto, and are hiring an Internal Medicine resident.  You receive 1000 IMG applications and you narrow it down to the ones who fulfill your basic requirements, leaving you with 100 candidates. You want to narrow it down further to the top 25 candidates, to call for an interview. So who gets to be one of those lucky 25? What matters most? What sets two candidates apart?

To put it simply –

1. MCCEE score
2. Canadian Clinical Experience (CCE)/Research Experience + LORs > US Clinical Experience (USCE)/Research Experience + LORs > Canadian/American Observership > Pakistani Clinical Experience/Research Experience + LORs > No experience

I’ll come back to the MCCEE in a bit, but generally speaking, after your MCCEE score, what matters most is your experience & LORs. Now, your experience can be either clinical or research related. Having one is great, having both is awesome.

How do you go about getting experience in Canada? The same way you go about it in the US. Electives! Unlike the US, there aren’t over 150 medical schools in Canada; in contrast, there are only 17 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medical_schools_in_Canada ). Keep in mind that of these 17, only a couple offer electives to international medical students, and to make your life easier, here is a list of the ones I know for sure:

1. University of Toronto – By far the simplest application process I’ve ever come acrosshttps://admin.med.utoronto.ca/utme/international/index.cfm
2. McMaster University – It has 2 seats allocated for Dow Medical College students per yearhttp://fhs.mcmaster.ca/mdprog/international_schools.html
3. University of Western Ontario -http://www.schulich.uwo.ca/medicine/undergraduate/index.php?page=VSEInternationalApp

If you would like to find out about other Canadian medical schools that offer electives to international students, go to google.com, type the following “(university name) elective international student” and you’ll find the appropriate link.

As I mentioned above, a student with USCE is also at an advantage. So if for some reason you don’t have CCE but have USCE, don’t sweat it. You’re still ahead of the game.

Now suppose you are unable to get an elective in Canada or the US for some reason, what do you do then? The next line of action is doing an observership. Again, the procedure is the same as that for the US. Email as many doctors as you can, and your persistence will pay off. How do you get a hold of their email addresses? Here are some links to get you started:

1. University of Toronto - http://www.deptmedicine.utoronto.ca/page78.aspx
2. McMaster University –  http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/medicine/faculty_intro.htm
3. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario -  http://www.cpso.on.ca/docsearch/

There might be a few of you who can’t go for electives or for observerships, and in that case, the best thing would be to do an elective in Pakistan, preferably a research elective that will result in a publication in an indexed journal.

The Dreaded E Word

You’ve probably heard a lot of people say that the Canadian licensing exams are the toughest ones in the world. They’re probably not lying. However, that in no way means that you don’t have what it takes to score well. Remember, there will always be people to demotivate you, but as long as you believe in yourself, there isn’t any exam you can’t pass.

The MCCEE is a 4 hour exam, consisting of 175 MCQs (150 scored, 25 non-scored) on the topics of Child Health, Maternal Health, Adult Health, Mental Health, and Population Health and Ethics. It is offered up to five times per year in January, March, May, September and November, during two- to three-week testing windows, in over 80 countries. It is compulsory for all applicants, and is the most important exam you will write to get into a Canadian residency program.

Where should you study from?

1. USMLE Step 2CK
2. Toronto Notes (http://www.torontonotes.ca/index.php) – can be purchased at azam sons/winco
3. CanadaQBanka (www.canadaqbank.com)
4. MCCEE Practice Exams (https://www.mcc.ca/SelfAdministered/Login.aspx)

How long should you study?

The time you spend studying can greatly vary from person to person. Ideally it should take you no more than 3-4 months if you study 6-8 hours a day. But the best thing to do would be to start studying each subject with your final year course.

How is the exam scored?

Visit http://www.mcc.ca/en/exams/ee/scoring.shtml

When should you give the exam?

If you start studying in final year, you can easily appear in the March session. However if you’ve started studying later, May would be the ideal time to give the exam.

How do you apply for the exam?

Visit http://www.mcc.ca/en/exams/ee/scheduling.shtml

The MCCQE1 is a one day computer-based exam. It consists of 196 MCQs (3 ½ hours allotted) and a clinical decision making component that which consists of short-menu and short-answer write-in questions (4 hours allotted). It assesses knowledge, clinical skills, and attitudes as outlined by the Medical Council of Canada’s Objectives. The MCCEE and the MCCQE1 are similar examinations in that both examinations test basic medical knowledge and both use multiple-choice questions. However, there are some important differences. Uniquely Canadian content is not designed to be tested on the MCCEE but is included on the MCCQE Part I. Questions dealing with Canadian legal issues in the practice of medicine are also not included on the MCCEE. The MCCQE1 is NOT required in order to apply, but the candidate will be required to pass it once they are in a residency program. But keep in mind, you are an IMG, so if you manage to pass the MCCQE1 prior to applying, it will increase your chances of getting an interview.

If you require any more information in regards to the MCCEE or the MCCQE1, visithttp://www.mcc.ca/en/exams/

Cleared the exams? Great! But it’s not over yet.

Like the US, Canada also uses an electronic system for candidates to apply for the match. It is referred to as the CaRMS (Canadian Resident Matching Service).

The easiest way to learn more about it is to visit http://www.carms.ca/eng/r1_about_intro_e.shtmland download the video. It’ll answer most of your questions.

Once you’ve seen the video, go through the following links to clear any doubts that you may still have:

1. Basic Eligibility Requirements - http://www.carms.ca/eng/r1_eligibility_e.shtml
2. Provincial Eligibility Requirements - http://www.carms.ca/eng/r1_eligibility_prov_e.shtml
3. Program Eligibility Requirements -http://www.carms.ca/eng/r1r3_program_university_e.shtml
4. Application Process - http://www.carms.ca/eng/r1_application_e.shtml
5. Timeline - http://www.carms.ca/eng/r1_1stIteration_e.shtml

I hope that helps, and if not, well, I’m no expert : – )

Best of luck!

Dr. Kinza Maxood