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Applying for Residency- Summary for KE students

by Hammad Ehsan

THINGS YOU NEED FOR APPLYING

1.4 lors(4 things u need to highlight.honesty,hard work,professionalism n most importantly
make ur lors personal coz wat alot of u ppl wud be doing is copy paste...naqal k liyay
aqal..wat imean is mention dates in it so that it looks like professor knws u personaly...
goes widout saying ull hav to write it urself coz no professor will write it for u..write like this..
dr bhatti after completing his 12 grade with flying colours got admission in ke in 1999 n
carried on the same level of performance till his graduation in 2005..i had the opportunity
to closely observe him during his internal med rotation june-august2004)..no need for surgery
lors if ur not applying for it...

2.mspe(medical school performance eveluation) basically a fancy name for 3pages that are a part
of ur8page transcripts....one is deans letter n rest of the four pgs r actually refered to as transcripts

3.transcripts(already mentioned)

4.deans letter(mentioned)..ask riaz sab to write the one with 9-10 lines...waisay to koi faraq nhi parta..


imp note:!!!!...ur mspe n deans letter n transcripts will have a round college seal on em..same is required for
ur lors but the process is lengthy..ecfmg requires it on lors n they need to b signed in blue ink since
last yr...didn matter for us coz may b it was the first time..so beter do it for ur own satisfaction....
how to get the seal...wen u go for getting ur lor signed attach a cover letter with statement saying..
i javed akram know dr bhatti personally n writing this letter for him i had the opportunity to work wid him..
bla bla...(sattar sab has the statement)get both docs signed from professor n then go to riaz sab with an
application saying u need the college seal on ur lor..submit these three pages... ull get the seal...

ERXTRA DOCUMENTS

1.PMDC registration .y ..coz ull need it for j1 visa n goodstanding certificate(required by few states e.g
illinois)

2.up to date imunization status...ppd,varicella,mmr,rubella..y coz u may decide at sometime to do a lil
observership to enhance ur credentials n hospitals mostly require it...
 

WHEN DOES THE PROCESS START

step1..mid july u can buy the token to open ur account on eras(electronic residency service) for 40$..
how..go to ur account on ecfmg.its the last option 2wards LLQ on the front page...

step2..ull get an access no. next day thru email..go to www.aamc.org..use access no n open ur account

step3..before u start filling ur info on eras...look for eras document release form on ecfmg site..y.coz
u need to send 13 things to ecfmg to b uploaded on ur account..earliest by 10th august coz it takes
4 days2get2 usa n 15 days to b uploaded...on deans letter..4 page trabscript..3 page mspe..4 lors..
thers one more total 13...doc which is basically for those who hav done electives n US proff will write
lor for em that will directly landin eras ..that doc allows u to c that lor before it is uploaded..bottom
line u dont need it...

step 4...start filling ur eras info..u hav time till sept one...now i discuss its features one by one..
 

PROFILE

PROFILE

THIS BASICALLY involves ur contact info..keep it american meaning give US addresses n fone nos.most imp thing
here is whether ur ecfmg certified or not...change it as soon as u are...another imp thing.sometimes it is easier
to get kal from a state where ur staying..also wen u kal the prog coordinator 2get a kal ...sometimes it helps if
ur located in the same state.e.g oklahoma uni...
 

PERSONAL STATEMENT

WELL its imp so lets discuss how to write it...
u need to find a reason that inspired u to b a doc.coz they want to knw that this individual is a doctor by choice
n not because of lack of a better idea...include stories of ur experiences that made u realise u shud b a doc n also
write about ur med school experiences...2 stories are enuff...also write few lines abt ur future goals(fellowship)
ppl say that community prog dont like it if u talk abt fellowships..well everybody knows its always on the cards so
i wud say y lie abt it...
here is my personal statement..dont copy it....its just 2give u an idea how u do it...if somebody can gethold of ps
of abdur rehman..its the best ive seen so far...its fluent its natural n truly represents his thoughts n
personality..im sayig this coz i knw the guy n thts how peronal statement shud b...mine s not bad either:) anyway
u get the point...

KEEP ALL UR RESULTS THAT WIL BE COMING AFTER SEPT ONE ON MANUAL....LIKE USMLE 3 RESULT...play it safe...if they
knw u failed .ur in trouble..otherwise u hav a chance....
 

my ps

My association with the medical profession dates back to my birth.Both my parents are doctors,and they opened their walk-in clinic,adjacent to our house,immediately after my birth.They also named their clinic after my name,hence I was introduced to this lifestyle very early in my life.Growing up and watching my parents discuss medicine at dinner table always fascinated me regarding the opportunities in this career.I realized that treating patients could be a great source of emotional satisfaction.It has an inherent component of diversity associated with it as almost every patient has unique characteristics and symptoms.I also became aware of the fact that this profession requires commitment,however,in the later stages one is also financially rewarded for this hard work.My father has also been very careful to highlight that medicine is a noble profession;anybody can earn money but the real wealth lies in helping the poor and needy.I still remember my parents arranging free medical camps in different villages and I really used to enjoy just being there and assisting them by noting the blood pressure readings and fetching medicines for them.I felt proud when someone called me "little doctor".This all inspired me to work hard to gain admission to a medical school,and I was not the only one to enter medical school from my family.My elder and younger brothers are also medical students,whereas my fourth and youngest brother is currently in pre-medical school.Unlike my elder brother,I opted to go to a medical school in a city different than in which my parents were living.The reasoning for this was twofold.First this medical school was more prestigious,had a history spanning more than 146 years,and was considered the best in my country.The second was that I also wanted to experience life on my own,having lived with my parents for more than eighteen years in the same city.I never regretted my decision on either account and enjoyed each bit of my medical education.I gained more in terms my medical education since it not only exposed me to vast ocean of knowledge but also helped in my personal grooming.I learned how to interact with my colleagues and most importantly how to communicate with my patients.Earlier I used to be uncomfortable in situations like breaking bad news and asking personal questions from especially females.During my degree I learned that it is our responsibility to help people through difficult situations and saw various professors doing this firsthand amid my trips to the hospital associated with the medical college.One specific incident that I remember was when I was in 3rd year and I saw a 2nd year resident explaining the cause of the disease to his patient,his tone of was very rude and when the patient asked a question he hurried onto the next patient instead of responding.I could see the disappointment in his eyes.I went up to the patient,took his file,and explained to him his diagnosis and clarified his confusions.I felt his questions were mostly anxiety-related and my talking to him helped him relieve it.
Apart from my educational activities,the medical school was also a time of self-discovery and personal exploration.I was elected as class representative of a batch of 250 students.Although the margin of my victory was narrow but I fulfilled the role for three consecutive years.This period was very significant because I was required to interact with different segments of my batch,coordinate different activities,and present their point of view to the college authorities.At occasions I found that it was consuming too much of my precious time,which could have been spent studying,however I realized that it refined my inter-personal communication skills.
My philosophy regarding a physician is the following,I think of a physician as an investigator looking for missing clues,trying to discover hidden facts,jotting down any available information,and finally presenting a diagnosis based on this process.I have always been intrigued by this process and believe that to arrive a nd believe that to arrive at a proper diagnosis good team work is required.Different entities such as the consultants,residents and the laboratory staff have to work in tandem to provide a better experience to the patients.Every person involved in the process has to be an expert in his or her area of specialization and that is why I am more interesred in internal medicine.In terms of domain,I would love to devote my life to pulmonology n critical care because I find it incredibly challenging and fulfilling requiring immediate decisions to be made and procedures to be performed in acute settings.It is my utmost desire to apply in a residency program that not only fosters team atmosphere,offers quality education,builds sound conceptual foundation but also provides research opportunities.
 

CV

here is my cv to give u an idea how to write it..once u fill all the columns...computer itself generates the cv for
u....once again keep it original keep it personal.
HAMMAD AHSAN BHATTI
AAMC ID: 12585127

Present Mailing Address
814 C Cherry Lane
East Lansing, MI 48823
Preferred Phone: 5172147367
Alternate Phone: 5173558178
Mobile Phone: 5172147937
hammadehsan_81@hotmail.com
Permanent Mailing Address
house no 338 street 97
G-9/4
Islamabad, 44000 , PAK



Medical Education
King Edward Medical College , Pakistan
12/1999 - 8/2004
MBBS, 7/2005


Education
Undergraduate - ISLAMABAD MODEL COLLEGE FOR BOYS F-8/4.ISLAMABAD., ISLAMABAD
BIOLOGY,PHYSICS,CHEMISTRY
3/1995 - 3/1999
UNK, 11/2001



School Awards & Membership in Honorary/Professional Societies
*3rd position in anatomy in 1st professional 2002
*First division in all professional examinations
*First division in Medicine,Surgery,Gynaecology&Obstetrics,
Ophthamology and ENT
*2nd position Punjab Uinversity Volley ball tournament 2004
*College Colour in volley ball 2004
*Team member class volley ball team that remained college champion for three years(2002-2004)
*Class representative for three consecutive years 2003-2005
*Winner of college Theme Day twice 2002,2004
*Member Pakistan Medical and Dental Council
*Member Kemcolian Dramatics Society
*Member Student Patient welfare Society(SPWS)


Certification/Licensure
Board Certification PMDC Liscence No 46723-P 07/24/2005

Examinations
USMLE Step 2 CS (Clinical Skills) 8/2006
USMLE Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge) 5/2006
USMLE Step 1 11/2005

Work Experience
12/2005 - 5/2006 Average Hours/Week: 78
Mayo Hospital Lahore Pakistan
House Surgeon
I worked in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department Mayo Hospital Lahore(dec-may) for six months.As a house surgeon I had in-patient as well as out patient duties in addition i had one month compulsory burn unit duty in which we dealt with emergency burn and trauma cases including 8th of oct earthquake victims.My responsibilities included preliminary patient assessments,and preparing them for surgery and taking part in clinico -pa conferences where I was encouraged to present cases.During my rotation i had the opportunity to assisst in many interesting reconsrtuctive surgical procedures including nerve grafts,flap ratations and facial reconstructions in addition to the routine procedures like rhinoplasties,hair transplant and face lifts infact i was given a chance to perform a basal cell carcinoma resection involving left side of face under general anaesthesia in recognitiion of my hard work and dedication.



Volunteer Experience
12/1999 - 4/2005
Student Patient Welfare Society(SPWF)
Volunteer Worker
This society is run by medical students of King Edward Medical College with the sole purpose of helping the non-affording poor patients.It organizes charity walks,funfairs,fund-raising concerts and members also visit different organizations and donors to raise the money for the under-priviliged.


2/1994 - 4/1994
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust Cancer Hospital
Volunteer worker
I took active participation in raising money for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust which is one-of-a-kind cancer hospital well equipped with state of the art technology to diagnose and treat cancer.



Research Experience
7/2003 - 9/2003
King Edward Medical College
Reserch Student, Prof.Dr Maaz.(community medicine)
I conducted a research under the supervision of Prof.dr.Maaz as a class project to study the PREVENTIVE ROLE OF SOYABEAN OIL IN CORONARY HEART DISEASE.It was a population based case control study conducted in G-9 sector of islamabad from 1st july till 10th september.It included adults between ages 20 and 40.70 subjects were taken out of which 37 were patients among whom 26 were those not using soyabean oil.Out of 33 not suffering from coronary heart disease 19 used soyabean.On applying CHI square test p-value was<0.05 and odds ratio calculated to be 0.32 hence stastically proving the preventive role of soyabean oil on coronary heart disease.

Publications/Presentations/Poster Sessions
Med Pharma/Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Infective Endocarditis, Hammad Ahsan Bhatti, Publication Date: 4/2005


Hobbies & Interests
I like to indulge myself in sports in leisure time.I am very fond of volley ball,basketball,cricket and badminton in addition i collect coins.Whenever i get the opportunity i love to spend time with my family and my freinds.


Language Fluency (Other than English)
Punjabi is my mother tongue spoken in punjab and also I am very fluent in Urdu which is our national language.


Other Awards/Accomplishments
*First position in SSC(10th grade)in my college 1997
*Winner of Federal Board Merit Scholarship 1997-1998
*Chosen Head Boy 1998
*Second position in HSSC(12th grade)in my college 1999
*Winner of Federal Board Merit Scholarship 1999-2004
*Participated in Quiz competitions all over pakistan including representing my college on radio and television
*Participated in 5th Biennial International Heart Conference 2005
*Participated in ACLS course held in Shifa Hospital Islamabad and passed it 2005
 
KEEP ALL UR RESULTS THAT WIL BE COMING AFTER SEPT ONE ON MANUAL....LIKE USMLE 3 RESULT...play it safe...if they
knw u failed .ur in trouble..otherwise u hav a chance....

MATCH REGISTRATION

it is missed very easily....29 nov is the last date..after that u pay 90 instead of 40 $...DONT MISS IT...ppl
like to wait for the pre-match n hence they miss it...
 

ENTERING USA

if ur not considering taking step3 then try to cover march not because of post match coz that is rubbish(yet2hear
abt somevbody getting it)but bcoz of visa issues esp if ur going for h1..coz it helps if u contact ur prog n gt all
ur docs in order(contravt h1 papers) by going there in person widout relying on the mail..wil save u lot of time..
n u need that for ur clearance..for those who want to take step3...hey cover tat in ur first enrty wen u go for cs.
how...plan ur cs so that u get ur result in one month(possible) so ull b able to apply for step3 in 15 days once u
get ur crertificate n 15 days after that ull hav ur permit ot take the exam...ull get kals on basis of step3 from
mostly community prog ....that too only if u have ur RESULT by 15 of oct..so take it somewhere in mid sept..no
later than that..otherwise the only purpose it wud serve will b h1 visa..last date for that is 31st march
uni prog like u to hav usce..not step3..

e.g go to us on 10th of may.. take ur csa on 19 may..result will come by june 15..ullb able to take ur step3 by
july 15...buy eras token..send ur doc(13 doc italked abt earlier) n come bk n then go bk end of oct...im assuming
u hav 5yr multiple...
those with single entry shud take csa before 14 july..result will come on 16 august..meanwhile u apply for match...
ull b able to apply for step3 on august30...remain in us for 6months n take ur interviews...im assumming u hav both
scores above 95....
if not its better not to take step 3...also go for back up ..apply in paeds..neuro..family...j1 is not a gud visa
but if u dont match step3exam is gud enuff reason to apply for the visiting visa...
 

BEST TIME TO INTERVIEW

MID NOV TO MID DEC...cluster ur interviews..e.g take NY interviews in mid nov ..chicago interviews in end nov..so
on...doesnt always happen this way..but do try..
 

SURVIVING IN USA

I THINK 3000$ r enuff if ur on ur own otherwise if ur staying with somebody in usa..may b 1800$ or less...hence
proved..find a mamu in us...its easy even ur distant relations r very keen to allow u2 stay wid em for reaons i
shud not go into...


CADRS

will come in handy...u need to take em along/...
1.credit card in ur name..will b a sort of id...otherwise take ur fathers...once ur in us go to chase bank or
bank of america n open ur account wid em..u need proof of residence to open an account no need of ssn...ppl
hav used their csa result for that purpose..it has ur name n address(us)on it...ask for a debit card..ull
get it in 15days...benefit...well u wont hav to pay any transaction charges wenever u buy anything n also greyhound
has few hot seats for trips around ny n chicago like ny to boston whch will b half price if card holder
is travelling..

2.nicop card..means ur nadra card in english..they charge 900 rupees for it...benefit..u cant carry ur passport
allthe time..also ppl at amtrak require photo id n accept nicop as one....

3.int drivers license..y coz u can rent a car n drive on it for 3 months..ppl even drive for more than that coz
only ur passport has the info wen u entered us..n hopefully wontb carrying it...

4.yMCA card..benefit...hostel room costs 25$ at the max while hotel costs 80$ in routine...n ymca has more than
10000 hostels in us. n they charge not more than 10$..google it n save money...


ACCOMODATION


As i said if u hav contacts(relatives) in us.nothing like it..otherwise ymca card wil come in handy...
lastly
google all the hoStels in that area...
 

TRAVELING

if u hav clustered interviews in big n famous cities then amtrak 280 dollar one month will suit u..
even thoguh 15 nov-15dec is their peak season n they sell the pass for 380+$ still u can hav the
same pass for 280$..how..just say to the clerk i need 280 $ pass..if it does nt work come again tmrw dif
timing..diff clerk...ull get the pass..trust me...

if u hav interviews in less famous cities where amtrak does not go...odyessa ,cincinnati etc with dates wide apart
.go for 600 $ 2 month greyhound pass...its worth it..

sometimes air travel is cheaper than bus or train..go to priceline.com..or kayak.com...esp btw ny n chicago..
u can buy the ticket for as little as 59$

for intercity travel go to google write public transport chicago
esp for ny go to hopstop..enter the zipcode of the areas where u r n where u wana go n it will tell how to change
subways...

WHAT TO EAT

halal zabihah r the 2 terms ull hear more frequently in us..well if u care for both of em then i my opinion  burger king fish meal is better than mc donalds..if ur really hungry go to subway n ask for vege patty not vege
delite....it always helps if u stay in groups...
 

PROGRAMS

depends on ur
1.scores(step3 will inc ur chances in communi prog)
2.usce (its ur pass to get a uni program)
3.img freindly or not(international medical graduate)
4.wat kid of usce u hav..research n electives r beter than observership
5.what kind of visa do they offer.h1 is far far beter than j1


imp note...!!!!location matters too..coz if u go for match (i.e wait till march means no pre-match) certain
states require u to get state license first before u apply for visa n it is a hectic process filled with extensive
documentation e.g missouri license takes almost one month n im not sure but think u cannot apply before feb...
illinois also takes one month n if ur degre is more than 2 yr old than u hav to take an online course..appear before the board for
an interview before u get the license n then th visa process starts...bottom line..u dont hav that kind of time if
u wana get ur visa stamped frm pakistan...if u want to convert it frm us or hav canada as an option then
story is diff....newyork on the other hand requires no license at all so u go straight to visa process...
keep this point in mind...


it always helps if u knw somebody in the prog...u can drop names during ur interview infact they wil ask u em selves coz then its kind of a
gaurantee ...provided that senior has a gud impression....ur chances inc ..also coz they think i wiil b easier for u to gel in...

imp note....its always a very gud idea to write to programs in which ur interested by taking their addrsses frm freida n ask em
abt their requirements..e.g my name is dr bhatti my scores are 96 92 csa passed n im certified since aug 2006..i did observership in etc...
im highly interested in ur prog but i hav following concerns...wat type of visa do u offer.wat is ur cut off in terms of usmle scores.
.wat is the ratio of img in ur prog...etc...

 

HOW TO explore A PROGRAM

GO TO GOOGLE..WRITE FREIDA..THE FIRST LINK IS AMA FREIDA..OPEN IT...in the middle of page is written
residency/fellowship..clik it...now choose location by state e.g clik new york ..it will ask u
to choose speciality...clik int med for example n scroll down the page to clik search plus..it will show
all the int med prog in new york...o to each prog page n see their specification..u can get the emai address
write to em..u can go to their web page...
 

RATIO

avg img applies in atleast 70 programs in speciality of his choice...now the ratio is very imp..coz again
if u hav gud scores plus experience ull go for may b 40 uni n 20 gud commuity programs..but if u hav both scores
95+ widout usce.in my opinion go for 20-30 uni n 50 communi programs..if both scores in 90 but below 95 or even one above 95...
go for 10-15 uni n atleast 55 communi..if any score below 90..then u shud hav some experience like externship/observership
before applying n go all out for communi...except if u can get a research experience then u hav a real chance at uni prog..
these r purely my own opinions n i dont mean to discourage anybody....
 

BACK UP

WENEVER U HAV A PLAN U SHUD HAVA BACKUP PALN:)BEFORE i discuss it let me just go over a small detail that shud be kept in mind
wen u go for a speciality e.g int med..the first 10 prog u apply will cost u 6$/program means u will spend 60$..next 10 will
be 8$/program so it will be 80$(by now u hav spent 140 $)..ok the rate of next 10 programs in the same speciality is 14$/program
so u will give 140 $..in other words in applying frm 1 till 30 u hav spent 280$..now the rate will be fixed irrespective of the fact
in how many prog u apply..it is 25$/program..so if u apply in 20 more programs ..it will be 20 times 25=500$ (total 280+500=780 for applying in 50 prog)
and so forth

now comes the imp point .ur back up..after applying in int med suppose u decide to apply in family for back up ..now again ull go to the
starting point.. first 10 prog 6$/program,next ten 8$/prog n so forth...meaning by giving only 60$ dollars u can apply in another
ten prog of diff specaility...instead of going by the rate of 25$/prog for additional programs...hope i hav made it clear enuff..
 

recommended backups

1.i wud strongly recommend paeds as a back up esp to those who hav scores in 80 coz it is less competetive n if u hav both score in 90...
u even hav a chance to pre match in a paeds communi prog..

2.transitional med is a gud back up..6 month surgery..6 month int med..so that next time u apply u hav real gud usce ..enhances ur chances for
int med n surgery wherever u wana go...its a very in thing n unfortunately very little heard about...

3.family med in my opinion is tuff coz ur dispersed all over the place ..ull b dealing wid gynae/obs.paeds.n int med plus u hav surgey rotation..n if ur prog is opposed i.e
in the same hospital there is department of paeds n gynae n internal med..then u get less pt load n less practise n so forth ..but it is gud for
gals coz they can i think specialze in gynae obs..also coz u do surgeries some family guys can later onlimit themselves to even plastic surgery
procedures n mint money..bottom line...initially very hectic but later on provides a zillion options n opprtunities to earn big..e.g u can also go into
pain managemen n also addiction which is the next big thing in us where the money would b....
4.neurology..very gud field but problem is then u hav to find a one yr preliminary int med prog somewhere...pre lim(one yr) int med is a bit diff to find
unlike pre lim surgery...coz if u do thatthen ur options inc maqnifold u can go ito anaesthesia,derma, radiology.neuroetc...but again ppl hav done it over
the yrs so if u want it..go for it...

BUT THEREs A CTACH

you ll hav to write a separate personal statement giving reasons y u chose paeds or family med wen u apply in those programs..eras will give u the
option to attach the ps that u wrote for family med wen u send ur application to em n similarly u will do the same wen u r going for int med so ull
hav to switch ps n attach the appropriate one..to write a diff ps u can get help frm first aid for match...
 
Reference: click here.

sarahsaeed (not verified)

Sun, 09/11/2011 - 06:20

Hi

I am an img from pakistan....applying this year  .........infact just reached in usa 2 days before...got it a bit late..........

graduation date....february 2007

 scores in 95,98,passed,86

 usce  2months externship in IM

          3 months observership in IM

Home country experience in peds, medicine, surgery,.....................want to apply in internal medicine and pediatrics.......



was reading criteria from website......

it is written that applicant should be within five years of graduation from medical school...........where does i stand.....i mean how old am i m for these programs.....does they count at the time of application or at the time of starting residency....programs are not replying me emails...must be busy in match.....so i thnk i have to go with my gut instincts..........plz anybody who can give answer to my question.........reply.........shortlisting my program list

regards


            sarah


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