Fellowships without Residency?

[dr dana]

Is there any fellowship program that doesn't require getting the residency in the US?

[Sabio]

Fellowship without Residency (Direct Fellowship)

Yes. IMGs can go to fellowship directly. There's no specific list of specialties that accept IMGs directly because all of them can do that if they wish.

The criteria needed:

You need to be ECFMG certified which means you pass USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS.
You need to have had some sort of residency training in your country (MD, and MBBS are usually accepted)
Some fellowship programs even require that you pass USMLE Step 3.

How to get it:

Go to the NRMP Fellowship website and look for positions that are unfilled. When you find one, start talking by (email or telephone) to the program director and see if you are eligible or not. I want to remind you that getting these unfilled position is fairly easy because these programs will be losing money and may even face closure if they don't fill their positions.

What after direct fellowship?

If you want to live or practice medicine in USA then residency is pretty much unavoidable. Because most jobs require you to be board certified and fellowship does not get you that. Therefore, you need to go retrograde into residency after you finish your fellowship in order to be board certified so that then you can practice medicine in USA.

Any advantage of direct fellowship?

One of the advantages for the direct fellowship for the IMG is that if you don't get residency then it might be easier to get fellowship so that after finishing the fellowship it might be easier for you to get the residency specially in the same hospital where you did the fellowship as the attending and the program director now know you very well and they can get you in to their residency program after finishing your fellowship (but nothing is guaranteed, this is just an assumption).
The other advantage is that some IMG folks are already practicing specialists in their countries and all they are looking for is to get further sub-specialization and then go back to their countries and in that case this route of direct fellowship is a great idea for them.

[dr dana]

Thanks a lot
Actually I didn't really get how is it possible to get the residency after fellowship ! I mean if I practiced pediatrics in my home country then sub specialized in USA I can take pediatrics residency again in USA?
and if I took 2 months elective in the US and didn't get the residency will it help me to get into fellowship?

[Sabio]

Originally Posted by dr dana

Thanks a lot
Actually I didn't really get how is it possible to get the residency after fellowship ! I mean if I practiced pediatrics in my home country then sub specialized in USA I can take pediatrics residency again in USA?
and if I took 2 months elective in the US and didn't get the residency will it help me to get into fellowship?

Yes. You can do that.
The normal route is the following:
Finish medical school in your home country --> take USMLE Steps --> Be ECFMG certified --> Get into US residency --> Take Step 3 --> Be board eligible --> Take board examination --> Be board certified --> Get a job or go into sub-specialty fellowship.
But you can also do this (Retrograde Residency):
Finish medical school and residency training in your country --> take USMLE steps --> Be ECFMG certified --> Get into fellowship --> Get into residency --> Be board certified --> Get a job in USA.

The advantage of the second route, is that if you fail to get into residency you maybe able to get into fellowship (as it's easier as I explained earlier). By the time you finished fellowship you have built good connections with the people in the hospital where you did your fellowship and these people can help you get into their residency program in the same hospital or talk to other people in other hospitals to push you into a residency program.

[good_boy_1234]

Can I do ACGME Cardiology/GI fellowships then apply for IM residency!?
I wonder why many Residency graduates don't get into fellowships even they had connections in the Residency program itself!!

Dear Sabio explain please!! So I can get the fellowships of the competitive specialities & get Residency after then!!..e.g: CT Surgery>>> General Surgery ? Nuclear Medicine>>>> Diagnostic Radiology ??!!
Spince Surgery>>>>>> Ortho or Neurosurg



Edit: I checked Freida too, every Sub Fellowship requires previous Graduate medical education (Residency)

[Sabio]

Originally Posted by good_boy_1234

Can I do ACGME Cardiology/GI fellowships then apply for IM residency!?
I wonder why many Residency graduates don't get into fellowships even they had connections in the Residency program itself!!

Dear Sabio explain please!! So I can get the fellowships of the competitive specialities & get Residency after then!!..e.g: CT Surgery>>> General Surgery ? Nuclear Medicine>>>> Diagnostic Radiology ??!!
Spince Surgery>>>>>> Ortho or Neurosurg



Edit: I checked Freida too, every Sub Fellowship require previous Graduate medical education (Residency)

A competitive residency will stay competitive residency even if you do a fellowship before. As I mentioned earlier there's no guarantee that you'll get categorical surgical residency just because you did a fellowship before it.

Why people do not get residency after fellowship? the same answer, there's no guarantee, they just accepted you in fellowship to fill their unfilled gap but they don't have that problem in residency, all their residency positions are filled easily.

FRAIDA website! As I told you, the issue of getting into fellowship is kinda unofficial between you and the program director and not through the NRMP match.

GI Fellowship then IM Residency! GI and cardio fellowships are very competitive and usually there are no unfilled position so you can't do it.

[meka]

Do we need to complete pur residency and THEN apply for the fellowship or can we do it midway?

[usmlepossible]

iF YOU DO 4 YEARS OF FELLOWSHIP IN A HOSPITAL or, 1year fellowship + 3 year faculty staff in the same hospital, then you become board eligible. It's for radiology, don't know about other streams

[ahoo]

Hi
I am new in this forum......I am a radiologist(IMG) and i want to apply for fellowship in USA but they wanted me to pass USMLE...I dont know Where I should start ......can i start by step 2 then go to step 1
What do u recommend?

[StepTaker]

Originally Posted by ahoo

Hi
I am new in this forum......I am a radiologist(IMG) and i want to apply for fellowship in USA but they wanted me to pass USMLE...I dont know Where I should start ......can i start by step 2 then go to step 1
What do u recommend?

You can start with any step you like;
Here are some useful links:

• IMGs: The most appropriate sequence of taking USMLE Steps?
• Threads Tagged with Step 1 Starters
• Threads Tagged with Step 2 CK Starters

[ahoo]

Originally Posted by StepTaker

You can start with any step you like;
Here are some useful links:

• IMGs: The most appropriate sequence of taking USMLE Steps?
• Threads Tagged with Step 1 Starters
• Threads Tagged with Step 2 CK Starters

Thank you....

[ahoo]

Originally Posted by ahoo

Thank you....

If i can get ECFMG certification then how shouold i apply for fellowship or residency ? formal matching or ....?
would u please tell me what should i do step by step ?
i requested information from one of universities but the answer confused me more....here is their answer:
In order to be eligible for our fellowship, one must meet the following requirements.
Graduates of international medical schools must possess a valid ECFMG certificate, pass USMLE III, and complete two years of ACGME residency. They must be licensed by the first day of their fourth year of residency. IMGs seeking ACGME training at levels prior to their 4th year must provide a valid Postgraduate Training Authorization Letter from the Medical Board of California. Please see www.medbd.ca.gov for more information. IMGs must hold a valid ECFMG certificate to qualify for the Authorization Training Letter and a CA MD License.

[alanine40]

With the least competition and if I want to make IM residency afterwards
and that's really my goal

[spring]

hi
is the fellowship in patho easy or difficult for IMG to get?
if anyone know regarding this ,pls reply..
thanks

[el_sid]

how much duration does it take to be a board certified specialist after fellowship(3 years)---> Residency(??Years). Do we also get a shorter residency or we have to complete the usual 4 year residency?

[hope490]

can i do fellowship without residency?i have just basic medical education .i mean MBBS.with no residency training.plz reply

[tintin25]

Hi all,
I am IMG and have done my Derm residency in India. I wish to join a fellowship in lasers/cosmetology without doing a derm residency here (which I know is next to impossible to get for IMG's). Is it possible?
I plan to go back to India after the fellowship. Can anyone give me advice how to go about it. I have not given my USMLE but plan to give it if it is a requirement for a good fellowship.
Please help

[drkay]

Hi all. I am planning to enter fellowship in craniofacial surgery. My question is can i get a state licence if I accumilate 2-3 years of accredited fellowship training? or it has to be only residency. please reply ASAP as I am at a point of choosing accredited vs non accredited. thank you.

[dr.e.m]

hi,
my question is about post doctoral fellowship,
is this the same as 'fellowship' you said?because i ve heared some people enter postdoctoral fellowship(in radiology)without doing residenty before that.
and i also need to know if they can work as radiologist in USA by doing that?
thanks

[alanine40]

Originally Posted by dr.e.m

hi,
my question is about post doctoral fellowship,
is this the same as 'fellowship' you said?because i ve heared some people enter postdoctoral fellowship(in radiology)without doing residenty before that.
and i also need to know if they can work as radiologist in USA by doing that?
thanks

U have to match in residency and also finish it
So u can be an independent doctor in usa
Direct fellowship will help u in two ways
U can return to ur country after having good experience and certificate
U can apply for residency specially in the same hospotial and with connectioms

[harman.arora8]

hey i m doing md medicine in india. i m done wth step1 nd i m v keen to do fellowship in US, so i just wanted to ask hw can i improve my cv to get into fellowship. wat r additional factors apart from scores nd links tht count to get u into fellowship in US wthout residecy.

[val7]

Originally Posted by hope490

can i do fellowship without residency?i have just basic medical education .i mean MBBS.with no residency training.plz reply

No you can't.

[DrAGA]

hi
i want to know
how many years will take fellowship?and do we need to pay for fellowship?
i havedone residency of obgyn in my country adnd i want to get residency for obgyn here...what is the best will be for me go fellowhip den residency or residency first?

[val7]

First of all, since many people here don't seem to know what a fellowship is, I will quote wikipedia here: 'A fellowship is the period of medical training in the United States and Canada that a physician or dentist may undertake after completing a specialty training program (residency). During this time (usually more than one year), the physician is known as a fellow. Fellows are capable of acting as attending physician or consultant physician in the generalist field in which they were trained, such as internal medicine or pediatrics. After completing a fellowship in the relevant sub-specialty, the physician is permitted to practice without direct supervision by other physicians in that sub-specialty, such as cardiology or oncology.'

Originally Posted by DrAGA

how many years will take fellowship?

The length of fellowship depends on the fellowship you want to do. most of them are two or three years

Originally Posted by DrAGA

and do we need to pay for fellowship?

Of course not. You are working as a physician. You will be paid.

Originally Posted by DrAGA

i havedone residency of obgyn in my country adnd i want to get residency for obgyn here...what is the best will be for me go fellowhip den residency or residency first?

It depends. Going for residency first is better if you want to get into a competitive fellowship. If the fellowship you want to do is not too competitive and there's usually free spots after the match, plus you don't mind going to a less attractive program, then doing fellowship first is the way to go. Keep in mind though, if you want to practice in the US as a physician after, you will probably have to repeat your residency after fellowship. Personally, I think doing residency first is better if you want to stay in the US after and work as a physician, but again it depends on your own goals.

[DrAGA]

val7 thaks for details..it was helpful for me...but i have one more question..if i am going to direct fellowship then residency..its automaticly adding some years on my graduation year..does it will affect when i will apply for residency or it will help me coz i am having us-experience?
honestly why i am worring coz i am pregnant now and dont know what to do..i can apply for 2014 but at interview periods my pregnancy will close to do date...so i confused how to be?
any advice please

[val7]

Originally Posted by DrAGA

if i am going to direct fellowship then residency..its automaticly adding some years on my graduation year..does it will affect when i will apply for residency or it will help me coz i am having us-experience?

I am not sure about graduation years... I would guess this is good and it would help you to get into residency, but this is just my own personal guess. what do other people in this forum think?

Originally Posted by DrAGA

honestly why i am worring coz i am pregnant now and dont know what to do..i can apply for 2014 but at interview periods my pregnancy will close to do date...so i confused how to be?
any advice please

not sure if you are asking about being pregnant at interviews...
I know people who have been pregnant at interviews, but I have no idea if it has any effect on your ranking or anything like that, if that is what you are asking.

[DrAGA]

not sure if you are asking about being pregnant at interviews...
I know people who have been pregnant at interviews, but I have no idea if it has any effect on your ranking or anything like that, if that is what you are asking.[/QUOTE]
i am asking...what are my chances for to match if doing interview i would in 8-9 mon pregnancy?

[Phoen1x]

I believe you being pregnant will not have any adverse effects on the interview process.

The real challenge will be you attending the interviews (i.e. traveling to different states/hospitals) in your future condition and keeping your composure and successfully giving an interview is going to be difficult.

And no one can answer that question for you except yourself. So what i am basically saying is Can you handle the interview/traveling and doing whatever else needs to be done during the interview process while being pregnant. Its going to be hard but i believe anything is possible.

[DrAGA]

thanks guys fro your advice and helpful information..i know its partially up to me .i asked this coz i heard in some residency contract said no pregnancy in PGY1...so...idk but i guess i will apply for 2015 and 1 reason coz of baby

[shima]

Originally Posted by DrAGA

thanks guys fro your advice and helpful information..i know its partially up to me .i asked this coz i heard in some residency contract said no pregnancy in PGY1...so...idk but i guess i will apply for 2015 and 1 reason coz of baby

no where in north america they will tell you no pregnancy