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Some General Information
What is an elective/externship/visiting
clerkship?
Elective is basically a clinical rotation in a
teaching hospital, outside of the jurisprudence of your own medical
institute. Many students go for electives to other hospitals, in
their clinical years. While the majority of USMLE aspirants go to
the US for electives, a few also go for electives within Pakistan.
Electives are legally not possible once you have graduated.
Externships: It is just like the electives, but
is done after graduation. Most of the US Programs require you to be
ECFMG certified before you are eligible for the externship
Observership: Here you just observe, and are not
allowed to perform any procedures. It can be called 'shadowing'.
What is the benefit?
First of all, it adds a lot to your experience. You
get to know the hospital systems other than that of your own
institute. And secondly, US clinical experience counts a lot on your
CV when you apply for a residency in the US.
Many people ask, if I don't want to go to the US,
what benefit will the elective give me? For them, electives
(especially US electives) are not of much significance, except that
it improves exposure & experience.
Electives done at Pakistani hospitals do not carry
much significance abroad.
Electives are usually not considered as long as you
are in Pakistan. You may not get any worthwhile preference over
those who have not done any elective.
Who should go for electives? What's the ideal
time?
The ideal time for clinical electives is when you
are in the final year of your medical graduation, no matter what
medical institute you are attending. Majority of the hospitals
offering electives require you to be in the final year... So, its
not so useful to apply earlier. Anyone can go for electives, but
those who want to appear for US residencies should try to get
electives in the US for at least 4-8 weeks. (see below for more
details).
The appropriate time to go for electives is the
summer vacations of final year, or immediately after the final prof.
Remember: You cannot apply for electives once the
result of your final prof is declared.
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ELECTIVES IN US MEDICAL SCHOOLS
Dr. Haseeb, MBBS
(KEMC 1980), MD, Chair Young Kemcolians Committee, KEMCAANA, USA
Note: All the following info is extracted from the presentation by Dr.
Haseeb MD, at the KEMCAANA 'MBBS AND THEN WHAT" SEMINAR.
IMPORTANCE
Unique... Direct exposure to the system
* Cannot stress enough
* Improves the profile of the IMG
* $$$ Involved... go if u can afford
* Good idea about the practice of medicine in the US
* Experience a cultural change
* Communication/confidence
* Opportunity for the Med School Faculty to evaluate
* Letter of reference
WHICH SCHOOLS
* No Good Answers
* A few goon ones:
-North Western
-Univ of Chicago
-Baylor
-Mayo Clinic
-Harvard
-Yale
-Emory
-Univ of Massachusetts
-Univ of Minnesota
WHICH ELECTIVES
* Choose 4 or 5
* Be realistic
* Field of interest, if you know
* Will be asked about your areas of interest in almost every interview
- Interviewers know if you lie
WHICH MEDICAL SCHOOL?
* Can you choose where you will work later as a resident/research fellow
-Performance
-Impression
-Opportunity: you choose your destiny
WHEN TO APPLY:
* Best time: Summer/ Dec, Jan. Dates are negotiable. Your excuse: VISA!!
* VISA
* Email to 10-15 programs
- apply to at least 5 most suitable for needs
-Do not wait
Contact Info: Electives Coordinator
Duration: Minimum of 2 months/ 3 months
Expense: $400-500 per month without meals
Health Insurance: Check with the school. Can be purchased from Pakistan
CAN YOU DO ELECTIVES AFTER FINAL PROF:
* Realistically, NO
* Possible
* Do not delay: once you have graduated (means result out), you CANNOT!
Clarification: (As
recently noted, a large number of Indian students visit this page too,
we decided to add something to clear the rule)
In Pakistani system, house job (internship) is done after
you are a graduate. ie it is not a requirement for a degree. So,
Pakistani Medical Students are not eligible for electives once the final
prof result is out. In Indian system, you do not get your degree till
you are done with internship. ie internship is a requirement of
graduation. This means Indian Students can go for electives during
internship. But they cannot go for clinical electives before internship
- as u need to be in the last year of your graduation to be eligible for
electives.
PREPARATION:
* Don't waste the opportunity/Visa
* US Students : Residents
-work under a house officer for at least 6-8 weeks
-participate in decision making process
-do your reading regularly
MAYO CLINIC REQUIRES USMLE STEP 1 FOR ELECTIVES
UNIV OF LOUISVILLE REQUIRES TOEFL
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
*Process:
-find a mentor
-pick up a topic
*Research Subject: Epidemiology
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UNITED STATES
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE (USCE)
Mustafa M. Hassan
MBBS (KEMU) BSc (PU);
Ahsun Riaz
MBBS (KEMU)
1)wat is USCE??
It includes observership,electives,externship...strictly
speaking these terms mean differently, however at most of the places
in america these terms are used interchangably..
2)Why is USCE required?
I do understand that it is increasing in importance, that you have
USCE while applying for your residency.
-It shows that you have been exposed to their medical system.
-It implies that you have seen American patients and have interacted
with them
-It gives you a chance to meet truly dedicated teachers and
physicians and impress them so as to get letters of recommendation
-It makes you prepared yourself to know what you will be facing once
you are a resident
3)Best time to do it??
In my view, it is the best if you are able to get USCE as a student
as this solves most visa issues and getting into a clinical elective
is much easier as most universities have well organized departments
taking care of foreign student electives.
Now, the issue of when to actually go comes into play.
-Most Universities require that you are a final year student
-Remember, you are still a student of KE from the time you take your
final professional exam to the time your result is announced
-I think that this is the best time as you have just prepared of
your final prof and are able to answer the questions the faculty may
ask you (you need to impress them)
4)where to do it??
Okay! This may be the toughest question possible.
The following are the important issues you have to keep in mind as
you apply,
a)What specialty are you planning on going into?
It will be useless to do a rotation in rheumatology if you plan to
go into ophthalmology.
b)Will you be able to meet the requirements when you apply?
Most good universities which have no tuition expenses like Cleveland
Clinic now require that you have taken the Step 1.
c)What are the important things I am looking for in a program?
I advise that if you actually decide to spend 2400 dollars, do some
work on the program you are applying to.
-Look for a good faculty with a good interest in research. The
websites have full info on the departments and you could contact
them to get an idea of the program before applying as well
-Look for Pakistani faculty as they may really help you out
-Look for departments with a good faculty: student ratio. You are
bound to get attached to at least one faculty member who is willing
to teach and give you responsibilities
-Make sure you have a place to stay before you venture on the
elective expedition
5)What you can do now?
-Start preparing your resume
-Start deciding your specialty
-Work hard during your five years of med school
- If you can take your USMLE Step1 and TOEFL, you meet the
requirement of a lot of good programs that cost less
What you need to do 8 months prior to applying?
-Decide where you are going to apply
-See what is required for application
-Visit the websites
-Start getting your immunization records in order
What you need to do 2 months prior to applying?
-Download the application
-Fill them out
-Get them signed from college, where required
-Get at least 8 college transcripts made (you will need to get the
clerks on your side for this as they can delay the process a lot)
-Get some letters of recommendation from faculty at KE
-Get insurance (travel health) for the period of your travel from
any insurance company, u can get it from Lahore for around 4000 rs.
6) Visa?
Please plan it all so as to get at least one acceptance letter for
electives 3.5 months before your planned date of departure
This will give you sufficient time (3 months) to apply for the visa
A period of three months will give the possibly needed time for
verification to the embassy
You need to answer the following questions at the time of the visa
interview
Why are you going?
For clinical electives. Make sure you have documentation as proof of
your acceptance for the clinical experience at hand.
How are you going to pay for the trip?
Bank statements with some money do the trick. A bank statement that
has some money circulating is better that one which is static.
Proof of ties with Pakistan?
Property etc.
How do I know you will come back?
Get a letter from college stating that you are student of KE and
will remain a student till you graduate upon announcement of the
result. It should also state that the college office has all your
documents and the documents will be given to you upon graduation.
7)You will be representative of KE where ever you go. Make a good
impression, not only for yourself but for the future Kemcolians who
apply.
-Work hard. Make sure you are able to continuously impress one or
two senior faculty members so as to get good letters of
recommendations from them.
-Try to get the letters from the faculty by hand. Otherwise, they
may get lost in the mail.
8)issue of cs
if u have plan to take ur usmle exams in near future, then it can be
a good idea to take part 2 of usmle step 2 (clinical skill
examination ), which is usually a 2 weeks preparation, it is maily
an exam of ur communication skill n i blv. tht after doing ur
electives u r probably at ur peak as far as ur communication skills
are concerned..incase u decide in favour of taking ur exam, make
sure to apply 6-8 months in advance.
9)expenses..
highly variable, I had to spend around 6000$, but this is just a
rough estimation...
application process
(for applying to 5 universities)
: 300-500 Dollars
ticket
(for a round trip)
: 1200-1300 Dollars
tuition costs
(there are free ones but it is hard, but not impossible, for us to
meet their requirements on time)
: 1000 to 2000 dollars
housing
(it is great if you have a relative or friend in the city as living
in big cities like new York and Chicago is EXPENSIVE)
(some universities provide their own housing but that is not cheap
as well...mayo clinic and Cleveland clinic housing is an exception
as it is not costly and awesome, as i have heard)
: 250-1000 dollars per month
traveling in the city
(all big cities have a month long transit card for unlimited
traveling)
: 100 Dollars per month
traveling to other cities
(buy your airline tickets early as they cost very less if you buy
them a month beforehand)
(greyhound buses are a good way to travel but you need a lot of
stamina for long trips)
(Amtrak trains are good as well but tiring for long trips)
food etc
(depends on you, more or less)
: 200-500 dollars a month
enjoyment
(depends on you, and you only so i will not give an estimate)
shopping:
DO NOT SHOP IF THERE IS NOT A SALE :)
there are sales on lots of occasions and the sales are AWESOME
10) things to do before traveling:
3 weeks before ur traveling date, sit with all ur family members n
make a list of all the things tht u will need when u are in
america..n whenever u remmber something ,add it immediately in ur
list , because if u forget, even the smallest of the things like a
nail cutter or shoe polish can be troublesome, so make sure u get
everything before u leave.. dont forget to take a few medicines n
these include a 5 day course of an antibiotic, antispasmodic for
abdominal pain, flagyll(metronidazole) for diarrhea, Nsaids like
ponstan or some any other pain killer...get ur phone on roaming, or
u can get a phone sim for the airport after u land(tht is cheaper
than roaming), if u r traveling in jan, feb or march, don't forget to
take ur overcoat , cap, muffler n gloves with you.. dont forget to
bring .a contact diary with you containing addresses n phone nos of
ur friends n relatives in u-s),take ur stethoscope n books with you
too...
11)things to do in u-s
whenever u leave ur room whether its at a hotel or other residential
area, don't forget to take 4 things with you, ur wallet (containing ur
room key,ur money,i.d card, bus pass etc etc), second thing is ur
cell phone, 3rd pass port (ur only source of identity in u-s----u
cannot afford to lose it so take good care of it---I used to put it
in back pocket of my pant ) 4th ur watch..
12)things to do at work place
a) dress code--if u r working in surgery or some sub specialty of
surgery, u 'll be wearing surgical kit that is provided by hospital,
if u r in medicine or its sub specialties, its dress pant ,dress
shirt, dress shoes, tie ,overall with buttons closed....for girls,
its dress pants and dress shirts, overall ,don't wear joggers, jeans, t-shirts
or shoes with heels....
b) be the first one to come n last one to leave, tht solves a lot of
ur problems, work hard, be very very polite, students n residents
call their consultant by their sir name, wat i found was instead of
tht call them sir or mam, tht worked for me, my friends also used
the same tool n it worked for them too...so u can try it:) never say
"NO" to anything or any task or assingment tht u r asked to
do, even
if u r dead tired, show ur committeemen...ask for a letter of
recommendation frm ur consultant atelast a week before u leave, so u
get it before u leave.....
c)n yes NO discussion on religion or politics....remember it is very
very important.....
d) Take thank you cards n also a few small gifts like handicrafts
form Pakistan for ur consultants n give them before u leave, after ur
electives stay in touch with the faculty members n send them
Easter, new yr cards etc so tht they remember you n this can help you
in future!!!
Visit
this page for
information on different institutes offering the electives, and the
relevant details.
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