The dream of a lifetime for some foreign medical doctors is to get into residency. And Residents Medical, the Los Angeles based residency guidance organization that has been doing this for over 22 years, is for some of these doctors the best way to get into residency.
“We put candidates into the program. They don’t go through ERAS to get in. They get in by working with a program and proving their worth,” says Greg Heffernan, Vice President of Student Services. “We have nearly 20 of our candidates starting residency this week, and the majority of them got in because they were liked by the Program Director and they showed their gifts.
“If they had applied online or through ERAS maybe a few of them might have gotten interviews, but the majority would not have had the chance to rank. This way not only do they rank, they start residency because they have excelled in their interview, their clinical skills and their research,” he says.
Residents Medical has developed their unique and effective strategy after years of counseling graduate medical doctors from around the world. “We have helped doctors from India, China, Poland, the Middle East, Europe, just about everywhere there are doctors,” says Alec Linarte, Candidate Education Manager. “At the end of the day, if these doctors need a helping hand to get into residency we are one of the few options. It’s a very tough market,” he says.
Statistics indicate the upcoming 2016 match may be much more challenging than last year’s 2015 match. Not only did nearly 4000 Foreign Medical Students in the application programs not get any interviews, but over 800 US medical students did not get into residency. Linarte expects that number to rise and the number of US medical students entering the application pool, to rise. It means FMGs will need a clear strategy to compete with the current market.
“Many programs require good clinical experience and we offer hands-on externships in multiple specialties all over the US,” says Heffernan, adding that requests for good clinical rotations is rising among the FMGs and IMGs.
“We’re also growing in our USMLE division because word is out that we have one of the highest standards for instructors teaching USMLEs. All our tutors must score 250 or higher on their step scores. We also have co-authors of USMLE First Aide as part of our staff. No other guidance company can claim that,” he says.
The ability to do paid research in ACGME residency programs, working under Program Directors and Associate Program Directors is still one of Resident Medical’s key services. And interview prep, which is guided by actual Program Directors, is in high demand as residency interview season fast approaches. “If you need to be more than just a submission online for residency then you need to call us,” says Heffernan. “It makes all the difference in the world.”
Contact Residents Medical at (310) 444-9700 in Los Angeles. Website www.residentsmedical.com
Tom Shelley
