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When to go for Elecitves?

  • In your final year(internship year) for countries like India where internship year is considered as last year of medical school
  • Immediately after final year exams before declaration of result and your date of graduation in countries like Pakistan where internship/house job year is not considered as last year of medical school.
  • If you can go for electives anytime before that, obviously it would be good but it would not be better than above two as you cannot afford to spend 8-12 weeks of electives during your medical school before the above mentioned two times. Number of weeks of vacations are usually 6-8; Spending money on ticket for an electives of only 4 weeks earlier is not advisable when you can go for electives of 12 weeks or more in the above mentioned time periods.
  • If you can afford, obviously I would strongly recommend going for short term electives earlier (strart it early so that you can have as much electives as possible) but if you can afford to go only for once, dont go earlier as you may not be able to spend more no of weeks for electives and if you do....you may have to leave your medical school for about 12 weeks which is not advisable.
  • If you plan to go for electives in earlier years, let me tell you most of the universities require you to be in final year to apply for clinical electives. However you can do research electives whenever you want, in most of the universities, right from first year to final year.

charishma (not verified)

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 15:04

I am doing my internship in india now. the end date is may 5th. so can i apply for electives during the month of may? i'm looking to apply for univ of toronto for may.
i hav already applied for john hopkins in jan-feb, harvad and yale in feb- march. looking to apply for weil cornell, uinv of wisconsin, northwestrn for april.

shiva (not verified)

Fri, 11/13/2009 - 20:38

hi umar...

            i m doing internship tis year in india.... i lik 2 go for electives in march... In northwestern univ they offered me only emergency medicine.......but i want 2 do electives in int.medicine..... should i go for another univ??? or is tat ok for electives??  

Rohit (not verified)

Fri, 11/20/2009 - 06:16

Hi umar,

         i'm rohit and currently in the final year(4th year) of my medical school in india... i had been searching for information regarding electives and USCE for over 4-5 months now and just finding your site is like blessing in disguise for me..Seriously, you have done a fabulous job in making this site so easily understandable for people searching for electives in US,especially indians.. I've gone through your site and now i pretty much the timing and the universities to apply in,thanx a lot for that..

    I would be very grateful to you ,if you can state how is it working in such hospitals for a month,especially when it's all new for us...how are the doctors there??  i would want to know this because even though i'm a student of final year, i find myself not upto the mark in clinical experience coz of the casual approach of my college to clinicals( as there is more stress on theory)..will i have a hard time during my electives?? 

   Thanx once again.. :)

Hi rohit,

Thanks for your kind words... keep one thing in mind,,, everything in US is just like any other country in the world and at the same time, everything in US is totally different from any other country in the world... you can always pinpoint similarities or differences... but everything is NEW for you every first time....

The only one thing which is univrsal in the whole world is hard work... so even in US, if you work hard, you can succeed very easily...... they dont judge you on the basis of how much you know but on the basis of how much you want to know...... it is your desire of knowledge that matters the most.... you would find some very friendly docs and some somewhat... but what everyone expects from you and appreciates... is hard work... though intelligence and knowledge has its share but there are USMLEs to prove them..... in electives, the thing that matters the most is your committment towards your primary goal of gaining knowledge...

hamdan (not verified)

Sun, 12/20/2009 - 13:39

yar I am from KMC pesh, its a fabulous site like all the information packed on one site. Grest work Omar bhai

   Yar I am in 3rd year now and am interested in research electives in the summer. I have been trying for JHU but all I am getting is an elective in molecular biology and genetics, that is remotely related with what I am interested in ie internal medicine. Should i go for it?

  1. Can u tell me any other good university that would be offering research elective ?

   2. Can I go for clinical elective in the summer of 4th year like so far I know most of the universities want you to be in your final year.? thnx

Hi Hamdan

Thanks for your kind words.... I pray for your safety in peshawar...

I would recommend you going for JHUSOM.... sounds a reasonable opportunity... as u r in 3rd year....

1. Uni of Minnesota, JHUSOM, NIH, Harvard, Yale etc...

2. I am not sure about that but you can go for research elective whenever you want.....

Ishaan Gupta (not verified)

Sun, 01/10/2010 - 09:01

hi everyone.

1st of all kudos to all of those who are working and postin on this site.

gr8 work.

i m an intern( tht wud be the final yr in US) in india startd on jan 1 this yr.

1.  i was planning to give step1 in aug sept oct. window, but stil havnt filled the form, was plannin to apply in nxt 15 days or so. but since i wish to do electives also so if i give my step 1 in sept( most probably)  then i am left with 3 months oct nov dec which is the same time the amgs wud apply, stiffer competetion. also i wud want 7-8 mths to prep for step1 and do there is no chance i am going for electives durin the prep peroid. i just wished if u cud pls suggest me that should i delay my step 1 to after my internship. or i shd continue with step1 this sept. extend my internship(i dont know for how long i can do that) send in applications for electives for the last trimester of 2010 and 1st trimester of 2011 and then give my step 2 cs alongwith the elective.

2.  i wanna do electives in internal medicine, and as all of you must have noticed that nearly all the univ. require u 2 complete the clinical training in that speciality b4 you go for elective there. but i have my medicine postin at the end that wud be december. and after that i wont be an intrn but a graduate and wud be eligible only of observership.

ya i can try to talk to my college people and request them, but suppose that is not done( not very co-operative ppl)
 

a. is there any way i can sort this problem

b. we have our clinical postings starting from second year and i have completed 26 wks(as the minimum required by medical council of india) of that posting till now, not includin the 4 wk in dec this yr. so wud this clinical postings, which have ward, opd on different days of a week fulfill clinical training pre-requisite.

good day

Ishaan

hi ishan

thanks a lot for your kind words.

1. Keep one thing in mind step 1 is way more superior than your electives, internship or your step 2 CS.

2. As you are an intern, you must have completed your medicine ward rotations in 3rd, 4th and final year... all these rotations count as clinical training in medicine... so you dont need to complete your medicine postring before starting electives... not even I did or any of my friends....

pawan sagar (not verified)

Tue, 02/02/2010 - 15:51

hi everyone,

am still in third year so i got still got lot of time but i wanted to clarify some stuff.

1. which one is better, clerkship or electives?? am asking cos all ma seniors are just talkin abt clerkship but when i visited this site i came to know abt electives.

2. is it better that i write step 1 here or in u.s ( via kaplan n stuff )

3. finally, which should come first? step 1 exam or these electives and clerkships??

 hi

1. http://umartariq.com/index.php?q=node/128

2. i dont think it matters... u can use kaplan coaching in US but at the end it is upto u to score...

3. are you asking on timeline or priority list? in priority obviously step 1 score and if timeline, then either can come first... you would have more options for electives if u give step 1 first but keep in mind its score is much more important than electives...

STG (not verified)

Sat, 02/06/2010 - 21:08

I have just started my final year in India and want to apply for elective in psych next yr in my internship

1.How much time does it take for an average student to prepare for toefl?I hav to read up my final yr subjects as well as i didnt read up previously.iIs is really that imp??

2.how many months should i do it for considering it is the only thing i want to do.

3.i hav no senior help and also couldnt find threads from ur website bt any experiences in psych elective.

4.Do we have to send the tuition fee for paid elective during our application procedure and if yes,what happens when they reject it like in harvard,etc??

5.we just had a 15 days posting in psychiatry till now and will have only 15 during internship before which i plan to go.Does this goes against their standards of 4 weeks??

 

 1. it took me 1-2 day... varies from person to person... some spend weeks to months... but I dont think u really need to PREPARE for teofl...

2. varies from person to person

3. u apply for psych electives just like any other electives.

4. varies from university to university... u have to send application fees first and then tuition fees if accepted...

5. It should... 

viraat harsh (not verified)

Fri, 03/05/2010 - 15:02

sir i want to go for a surgical branch for residency (preferably neurosurgery). I know thats difficult to get in to. And i am trying to get electives in a surgical branch for the same reason. do a good number a foreign med school students get electives in the US. I have TOEFL 114, no usmle steps taken, nor do i come froma university which is recoznised by any US uni as an affiliate. I am the first person going for an elective from my school. please comment.

thanx

viraat

Visitor prashanth (not verified)

Tue, 03/09/2010 - 09:50

 i m prashanth from chennai , just going to begin my house surgeon ... best time to apply for electives ... i wanna do int medicine electives by december or so .. but i am finding it very difficult to make myself the final list of 5 to 6 ??? colleges i m going to apply ... how many colleges with zero application fee should i send and how many with apllication fee like 50 to 300$ .... can u please tell me how u went about or some known friend ... i dont have toefl ... so i cant apply for mount sinai ...like thAT IWANT TO EXCLUDE ... i have step 1 score of 97 ... please help me ..

i saw ur website also .and aamc.org . , athen tsdocs .org .. but stilll not able to do it ... wjat is a typical list of colleges that ppl are applying to ... is it : 
harvard , yale , mount sinai , nw , baylor , etc ... do alll apply for the top colleges 

 

what about  TOEFL   .. are all those ppl who speak of having done or gained an elective  done toefl?

if so ,,, which book or cd is the best .  ,   barrons     kaplan    toefl ibt cd 

sahil (not verified)

Tue, 03/30/2010 - 12:53

Salamz Umar bhai, i am an indian national and have graduated from a russian medical university in yr 2008. Currently i am doing my compulsary rotatory internship in delhi and wud b finishing it by  june end this yr .. i wanted to know wether i am eligible for electivesin the us and if theres still time for me to apply for the same.

will really appreciate ur help

Thanks

If u have graduated and got ur degree then u cant do electives... if u haven't graduated, didn't get ur degree and still in final year(internship year)... u can apply for electives... visit the following link...


hey sahil hello. i ges i can reply to your query. YES you are eligible but i think u have very less time before you complete your internshp. i dont think its easy for you to apply with respect to the tiem limitations you have.  i dont want to discourage you. in case you do apply you will hav to extend your internship. its gona be a bit hectic, wud need lots of planning. give toefel n fulfil all the req. so get the bags pakin and strt the process if you really are interested as the application process is already on. if you need ny help. mail me at mutantaid@yahoo.com.  best of luck

z. anjum (not verified)

Mon, 04/19/2010 - 04:25


Dear Umar bhai,

  I am a US citizen and a 4th year medical student in Lahore Medical and dental college. I want to go for electives in radiology this summer. Please guide me in this regard.

Apply for radiology electives at various universities mentioned in the list of universities in this website... I personally believe research electives in radiology are better than clinical electives but that is only for radiology...

Shubhra (not verified)

Mon, 04/26/2010 - 19:45

Hi Umar,

 Thanks for all your wonderful information and diligent guidance.

My situation is; I have completed my internship in India and am supposed to be awarded the degree in a convocation on 8th May. I have been approved for an elective in nephrology @ UIC, Chicago and am free to choose suitable dates for myself. I have done 2 electives before in Peds Infectious Diseases @ SUNY and Radiology @ UIC Peoria. I plan to take up Peds ( more probably ) or Internal Medicine for Residency.

Also, I had applied for and have been admitted for a 1.5 year Masters in Biomechaincs @ Stanford, the session for which starts this September. I have only started studying some BRS books about a week back for Step1. I have a few questions here:-

  1. Can I start the elective after 8 May? Can I take it up if it starts before 8 May but continues beyond it?
  2. How will taking up this Masters program @ Stanford affect my residency? Is it likely to have a positive/ negative effect on my chances of getting into a good program?
  3. Assuming I'm taking the Masters, would it be better to do at least Step1 in the time I have before September? Or would it be better to do it later? ( MS is supposed to be intensive and i might not find time to clear all steps in btw)
  4. Assuming I'v to take one of the 2 steps in Sept, would it make more sense to take up the elective and do Step1/ 2CK along with it? Or would it be better to shut my room n do self study n give step 1 in this limited time?

 Please feel free to ask for more information if you think you need some to answer any of these. They are questions very important to my career and I'd appreciate if you could please throw some light on the pros and cons of these options.

Awaiting your reply..

 Best Regards



Hi Shubra

Thanks a lot for your kind words.

1. a) I dont think so...

b) I m not sure but as far as I know... you can...

2. Masters in? If something related to medicine like MPH, then it would certainly help. Masters in Biomechanics would certainly help in related medical specialties.

3. depends upon you... it is better to get it done now if u r free... rest depends upon u...

4. Again it varies from person to person and depends upon u... I wud suggest studying during electives and then only study afterwards...

Dr. S (not verified)

Wed, 05/05/2010 - 19:36

Umar Bhai

  I am a great follower of this site. This is my only source of information on clerkships as I dont have much senior guidance.

I got my toefl score as 110/120 with speaking -26. I want to do electives in psychiatry as this is the only field I wish to pick up.

    1. I am in my earlier half of my final year. We just had a 15 days posting in psychiatry till now and will have only 15 during internship before which i plan to go.Does this goes against their standards of 4 weeks??

2. How many months I should go for?

3. I would be highly obliged if u can share some experiences regarding psych electives. I am planning to apply in northwestern university and NIH.




Thanks a lot for your kind words... Congrats on your great TOEFL score...

1. Didn't you go to Psychiatry in 3rd, 4th year??? If not, then I am afraid it is against their standard of 4 weeks...

2. Minimum 12 weeks... maximum 24 weeks...

3. I am sorry I don't know anyone who went for Psychiatry electives... if anyone who has done a psychiatry electives, reads this please share your experience....

Rusheeth (not verified)

Sat, 05/08/2010 - 11:05


Hello umar bhai,

I am an indian, studying in china. I am doing my internship now. Bhai i have a small query, Last year i did a clinical elective in the university of louisville. I went there on a J1 visa.They have issued me a visa for 5 years,though my program was for just 1 month.Now my problem is I am planning to apply for another 3 rotations in the comming jan, but in an other university.so, can i apply for other universities on the same visa(cos' in the 'annotation' area of my visa its printed as "University of Louisville")  I would greatly appreciate any advise offered.Thanks a lot.

best regards,

Rusheeth.

Hi rusheet... as far as I know.. .yes you can if the other university also requires you to come on J1 visa but you have to confirm it from the university. If they require some other visa e.g B1/B2 or F1, you certainly cannot use the same visa...

utkarsh shah (not verified)

Thu, 06/10/2010 - 18:40


hi Umar,

   I am doing internship now,I am Indain.I am planning for clerkship.So what are requirements for it?Is toefl,step 1 required?I have given GRE.Kindly give reply.

Parinita Dherange (not verified)

Sun, 08/15/2010 - 07:30

Hi.. I m a student of Pravara Medical Institute of Medical Sciences(PIMS), Loni.I have taken an externship in Terna medical college and hospital. My internship ends on 28th jan-2011 and my expected graduation date is the month of May. i wanted to know: 1. Where should i get my documents (eg. Application forms) signed from.. my parent college(PIMS) or from the college where i am currently doing my internship(Terna college)? 2.Can i apply for electives in the month of February and March (i.e. after my internship and before my graduation date)? Will it be considered as Elective( As i will be doing it after my internship)? Hoping for a reply soon.. Thanks!!

I would prefer someone from India to comment on it... I would answer this according to what I think

1. your parent college i.e PIMS

2. Before your graduation.... yes!!! Electives have nothing to do with internship.... if you are still a med student and have not graduated then that's fine.

smitha (not verified)

Tue, 08/24/2010 - 04:54

dear sir,

 thanks for such an amazing website.. sir i mailed d faculty coordinator of john hopkins orthopaedic department about john hopkins not accepting international students and if i can come do a research elective.. im very interested in orthopaedics.. he was being very nice and  he replied to me saying they do only clinical but not to worry, he will work this around for someone who is interested in orthopaedics.. so m=now the thing is im in my 2nd year 5th sem. so i wont be eligible for the elective?? how should i go about it??

thanks and all the best with ur career

Ahmed Munir (not verified)

Fri, 08/27/2010 - 16:17

Assalamoalaikum,

You are really doing an admirable job bhai, especially seeing how prompt your replies are despite your busy schedule. I am in the final year of my medical education in Pakistan, about to appear for my final prof exams in a month's time. I had applied for an elective in the US after the prof (in the december bloc - Nov 22 to Dec 17) and thankfully I landed one in Emory- Gastroenterology successfully. However, the only problem is my prof is taking place a little earlier than I had anticipated and now I am genuinely apprehensive that my result might come out right before or during the elective, changing my status as a medical student.(The expected date of result given to me right now is end of November). Under the circumstances would it still be advisable for me to go ahead and spend all that money on the elective and is there any way that this fact might stand out during my residency application and then be counted against me. I am also looking to appear in CS while I am there and in case you advise me to go, would you recommend i give the expected month of graduation as December or November in the IWA application? Please, urgent guidance is required because I need to pay my fee to secure the elective.

nishant gupta (not verified)

Sun, 11/14/2010 - 15:30

hi umar sir..

i ve completed my mbbs in 2009 dec and my internship gets over by the month of January 2010. i am a usmle aspirant but due to some reasons i was not able to apply for the electives and my college doesn't allow me to extend my internship beyond January so i wont be able to go for the electives in this hard run for usmle.. sir is there a way out that i get a residency without doing electives ...like would the courses like MPH in U.S. be of some help...??

or do i have any other option ??

You can certainly get residency without electives and MPH, with good USMLE scores. MPH is certainly a helpful addition to your CV for residency application but you can also get a residency spot without it or anything else; with good USMLE scores.

saumya (not verified)

Sun, 11/28/2010 - 20:32

Hello Umar Bhai and everyone else,

I need your guidance in this matter.Presently I am doing my Internship in India which will end by april' 10. I had applied for electives in weill corell and harvard but got no response from either of them. I have not given my step 1 yet. about to give in mid December. Do I still have any chance of getting an elective considering only 4/5 months left for my internship to get over? if there is still any possibility where should I apply with such minimum time in hand? please help...really need it

Sure you can apply... And you can always extend your internship if you didnt get electives in time i.e. before April 2011

Getting good electives requires hard work and luck, both... So what Umar Bhai said, is absolutely right... You need to apply at as many places as you can... Ofcourse you have to keep their eligibility criteria in mind(eg. Step 1 requirement, TOEFL requirement, VISA issues). If you havnt taken the TOEFL, take it asap... 

The list provided by Umar Bhai on this site is very nice... Start working on it... Best of luck

FARA (not verified)

Mon, 12/06/2010 - 04:32


I have done my MBBS and FCPS from Pakistan in OBGYN in 1999.I am also MRCOG Part 1 with full GMC (UK)registration.Now I am a US citizen and can't move to UK back or Pak due to my family circumstances.Is there any way I can get a job in USA without USMLE.I have heared that if I do one year under supervision of some doctors group I can get licence for residency in some hospital without USMLE.Is that true ,whatwould you advise in my position?

Regards

Fara

srivani (not verified)

Mon, 12/06/2010 - 18:31

hi umar... I am doing my internship nw in india.. 4 months more .. i'll be completing it by march 31st... i 'm planning to do electives in internal medicine... i din't give toefl & step 1... can u help me how to apply? I am unable to understand how to apply....can u help me regarding this?Is toefl compulsory? if so i'll give it very soon...it would be of gr8 help 

umar

Sun, 12/12/2010 - 10:42

In reply to by srivani (not verified)

Different universities have different requirements. You simply the complete application package to the university. Please visit the following link.

ahmad ali (not verified)

Thu, 12/16/2010 - 18:55


adaab,umar bhai,

u did very fabulous work realy,GOD bless u,

actly bhai,i m indian medical student, doing internship my intrshp will complete in 22nd of maech 2011.

my equery is ..i want 2 do elective in usa but i dont hav so much time as i hv only 3.5 month only for intership

1. shuld i extend my intrnship?

2. is it harmful for ur future to extend ur intrnship?

3..what is d advantage of elective with respct of mle?

plz reply..

i will b very thankful 2 u...

recuerdo (not verified)

Wed, 01/19/2011 - 10:35

salaam bhai... must say... ur site is simply amazing!! i wish i knew this b4...feels lik i hav unlocked a hidden treasure!! ur job is definitly laudible.i have appeared for my final university exams in dec n will start internship in mid feb..

m planning to give my step1 in 2012..coz in r college,interns r given a huge workload.. that they hardly find any time to study n moreover.. its impossible to get transfer into another colllege. i need to know:

1.wen should i start applying to universities?

2.how does toefl improve my chances to get a place for my electives? is it some eligibility criteria for few universities? 

3.how strongly wud u recommend writing toefl for electives or usmle?

Ahmed (not verified)

Sat, 01/22/2011 - 15:48


i need help! i was accepted for an infectious disease elective at NIH for July! but now due to some schedule change i have some important final yr ward in july nd theyve moved the summer holidays from july to august! can anyone plz advise me on what to do now? can i ask Vicki Malick to delay my elective nd reschedule it for august?? plz help me Umar Bhai nd others :(

Priyanka (not verified)

Mon, 01/24/2011 - 18:52

Hi....I'm going to complete my internship this year in April 2011. I have already done 2 clinical electives last year but I also want to apply for a research elective/opportunity at JHUSOM and the other universities after I graduate. Just wanted to know whether I'm eligible for these research electives after I graduate if I can get a positive reply from the sponsors that I email for this opportunity....

medstudent (not verified)

Wed, 02/09/2011 - 15:30

Dear Umar bhai,

thanks for all the good advices on your website :)

I got my TOEFL score :104/120

reading:26

listening:26 

speaking:27

writing:25

do you think my score will allow me to apply to good electives?

another question, in my university we are allowed to take 2 months of elective so I dunno whether to go to a university hospital or to NIH, I wanna do internal medicine so what do u think is better for a future residency to go for internal medicine elective at NIH or at a university hospital in the states?

are there good chances that if I go to NIH I might get opportunities for a future research program in internal medicine?

I also want to ask if you know any universities where the rotation is supervised by more than one doctor in order to get more than one recommendation letter a month?!

thanks a lot for your help! I look forward to your reply !

salam

naresh (not verified)

Fri, 05/06/2011 - 12:42

salam umar bahi,thanks for making future of us,umar bhai this is naresh,i m a final year(5th year

) medical student in pakistan,my classes started from april 25th 2011 for final year, i want to do electives in US,so can i apply for electives now,my college give vacations in june,july and dec,so what should i do,can i apply after final year or can i do elective exact after my final year exams,when should i apply what should i do.help me plz,

  

sue (not verified)

Sat, 05/14/2011 - 13:50

i am doin my internship..... is it feasible to do clinical elective and giv step2cs around d same time coz tht will save my travel expense......

mehreen (not verified)

Sun, 06/12/2011 - 16:11

assalam-u-alaikum,

I want to know that can i apply for electives after graduation....i mean after final year??

haris (not verified)

Wed, 06/22/2011 - 18:38

slamz! umer bhai.im a student of 3rd year mbbs in pakistan.i hav some relatives in england so if i do the electives in england than it would be conveneient to me as compared to US.i hav found an institute UCOL (university college of london) who is offering elective in 4th year.should i apply there?would it help me in getting residency in US after passing steps?i can also afford another elective in final year in US.so what is your suggesion about it??can u help me in finding med schools for electives in uk?plz reply soon...

Visitor (not verified)

Fri, 09/09/2011 - 10:28

hi umar...

i am from india and i have not done usmle.

i have heard that until the results of final year mbbs are out,u cannot go for clerkships.

1.i want to know whether i can go for clerkships after my final year exams get over and before the declaration of my results?i want to do clerkship in surgery.

2.will i be eligible for electives also then?

3.what all are the documents that are needed while applying for a clerkship/electives?

4.what is the procedure for taking toefl?

5.i want to do superspecialities in the US after i finish my pg in india.even then recommendations would be necessary,rite?and having a clerkship or elective experience would be a plus point,what do you say?

Visitor (not verified)

Thu, 09/20/2012 - 07:46

 I AM PRESENTLY DOING MY INTERNSHIP....CN I APPLY NOW FOR JAN-FEB SLOT OF CLERKSHIP ?? MY INTERNSHIP ENDS ON 26FEB ....I HAVENT GIVEN ANY STEPS ....CN I CLEAR STEP 1 N 2 WITH CLERKSHIP BEFORE I APPLY FOR SEPTEMBER 2013 ? PLZ HELP

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