You thought as America being the leader of the free world, discrimination would be gone in a high-end profession such as medicine, but you're wrong.  I have spoken to several medical students in the past year and current residents and I just had to point out something to those who are looking into which residency programs to apply to.  Just because you have good USMLE scores and the residency programs accept IMGs doesn't really give you the green light to apply.  They also look at your skin color.

How to screen residency programs:

• Do not randomly apply a residency programs from ERAS.  Go visit the residency program website and take a tour of the website.
• Visit their current residents sections, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year residents.
• First check to see if they have 1 or more IMGs among their residents.
• And then check to see if those residency programs have non-Caucasian (non-white) people in that crowd. 
• If there is not a single minority among the residency crowd, then put it as a red flag and do not waste your money applying to that program.  Chances are that if you are a minority, they may overlook you.  If you have good USMLE scores, then you may have a shot at an interview, but look at their selection of residents and judge for yourself if applying to that program is worth it.

I just gave you my two-cents.  I could be wrong but I went through many residency programs and I'm making a decision that would increase my chances of getting interviews.  Good luck to everyone.

Wring a personal statement can be a daunting task as it must be be carefully conducted and reviewed over and over again to have the right tone for residency program directors to notice it.  I didn't know how important a person statement was until I had to research about it.  Your school may also need your personal statement before writing the MSPE letter (Dean's letter).  Apparently it does carry a lot of weight because the personal statement is not based on any test scores or on any subjective perception from attending doctors or other people.

The personal statement should not be taken lightly as it could make you or break you when residency program directors read it. Some programs may give your personal statement a high priority and other programs may not, either or you want to be on the safe side and make the best out of your personal statement.

The following are some questions I gathered from researching online that could help you in writing your personal statement:

• Why are you interested in the field you've chosen?
• What are you looking for in a residency program?
• What are your professional goals in the field you've chosen?
• Why should a residency program select you?
• What accomplishments should emphasize?
• What contributions can you make to field you've chosen?
• What contributions can you make to the residency program?

Other things to consider when wriring your person statement are as follows:

• Make sure you have proper grammar on your statement as it will define professionalism.  
• Choose your diction wisely.
• Keep the length in 1 page or less, but not too less.
• Make sure it's high quality.
• Review it over and over again. Also have at least 3 people, preferably medical students or doctors, to read it to give you a feed back of what they think.

The American Medical Association (AMA) have provided recommendations for writing a personal statement. Take a look at the AMA's page, it has a sample of the personal statement.

Whenever you are getting ready for residency, keep in mind that it's going to be a lot of work.  I'm still trying to get my studying as I still need to take care of my board exams.  Also, taking the exam and getting the scores back in time is going to be an issue because it's better for the residency programs to have all of your USMLE scores in their hands by the time of the application.  Also, make sure to get your letters of recommendation (LORs) very early, do not delay on that because attending doctors take forever to write them.

So far this is what my check list looks like.

1. Get ERAS Token
2. Get NMRP Token 
3. Get AAMC ID; it's usually the same as the MCAT for those who took the test before medical school.
4. Get USMLE Transcripts
5. Get MSPE (Deans Letter from school)
6. Create a resume for residency program directors
7. Letters of recommendation
8. Write a personal statement
9. Research on states that accept SJSM graduates
10. Research residency programs
11. Call up residency programs to see if they would accept my credentials
12. Apply for ECFMG certification

Let's face it, if you are an IMG you will have challenges and it you should recognize that there will be tremendous amount of obstacles before you land on a residency spot.  The biggest obstacle will be where to get a residency. What I noticed is that some students will apply blindly to numerous residency programs without researching. You should always research to see if your school is approved in the state and you should also research to see if the residency program will accept you. Most states don't DISAPPROVE Caribbean medical schools and they have the APPROVED list of schools.  If your school is not in the DISAPPROVED list then it's good; however, some residency programs will only accept students from schools in the state's approved list.

According to the IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program web site:

Before applying, please visit the Indiana Licensing Board's web site to determine if your school is approved for licensure in Indiana. If your school is not on the "approved" list, we will not be able to consider your application.

According to the Indian Licensing Board, Ross, Saba, SGU, and AUC are the only foreign schools which are approved. And all other schools which are not in the disapproved list are taken in a case by case manner. Some schools in Indiana will not consider students if they are not in the approved list. So, students from SJSM, MUA, Xavier, AUA, AGU and other schools, don't bother applying in Indiana. Don't waste your money in applying for programs in states that your school is not approved in.

Another issue you need to consider is when will you get your medical license. Residents usually sit for USMLE Step 3 after the intern year of residency and get their license. However certain criteria have been changed and now some states require residents to complete their entire residency in order for the state to issue their medical license if their school is not from the approved list.

According to the Georgia Medical Board:

Graduates attending schools not listed in the Medical Schools Recognized by the Medical Board of California must complete three (3) years of post graduate training in a program accredited by the ACGME.

Basically post graduate training is residency and you have to finish your residency in order to get your license.

According to the Alaska Medical Board web site, it doesn't have much restrictions except just passing your boards and be a legal US resident.  The following is from the board's medical statues & regulations:

Sec. 08.64.225. Foreign medical graduates.
(a) Applicants who are graduates of medical colleges not accredited by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Council on Medical Education of the American
Medical Association shall
  (1) meet the requirements of AS 08.64.200(a)(3) and (4) and 08.64.255;
  (2) have successfully completed
     (A) three years of postgraduate training as evidenced by a certificate of completion of the first year of
postgraduate training from the facility where the applicant completed the first year of internship or residency and a certificate of successful completion of two additional years of postgraduate training at a recognized hospital; or
     (B) other requirements establishing proof of competency and professional qualifications as the board considers necessary to ensure the continued protection of the public adopted at the discretion of the board by regulation; and
  (3) have passed examinations as specified by the board in regulations.
(b) Requirements establishing proof of competency under (a)(2)(B) of this section may include
  (1) current licensure in another state and an active medical practice in that state for at least three years; or
  (2) current board certification in a practice specialty by the American Board of Medical Specialties.
(c) In this section, “recognized hospital” means a hospital that has been approved for internship or residency training by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Be smart and research before applying for residencies so you will save your self time and money and increase your chances of getting a residency.

Getting a letter of recommendation (LOR) can be challenging.  Doctors at teaching hospitals have so much going on and your LOR is one of the last things on their list. They may write you a general letter of recommendation which may not benefit you. A personalized LOR from your attending doctors can go a long way. Also, make sure your attending doctor uploads the LOR and not yourself. If you waive the right to see your LOR then there is more value to it; if you upload it then your LOR's weight is not as good. If you get a chance to sit down with the doctor, you should tell your attending doctor to write you a letter with key points.

I spoke to a doctor about it and when a LOR is written, there are some points to keep in mind:

• Your letter should have your AAMC number somewhere; right after your name is a good spot.
• Make sure there is emphasis on what rotation you did and how long you conducted the rotation.
• Also make sure your attending doctor writes a theme of "teamwork" in your letter body, because teamwork is highly important to residency programs. You will be working as a team in residency so that should be written somewhere in the letter.

The following is an example of an LOR:

To whom it concerns/program director,

I worked with [First Name] [Last Name] (AAMC#)...

Body of the letter...

Sincerely,

[Space for Doctor's to Sign]


Doctor's Name
Doctor's Title in the Hospital

Here are AAMC's guidelines for a letter of recommendation.  I gave few pointers on what you should have in your letter, but the AAMC guidelines will give you the details about it.

I know this may be confusing to some but it’s very simple once you fully understand the difference. A hospital that has a residency for a certain program will have a green book status for that particular rotation. And if there are other rotations then it will fall as a blue book.

For example, for Jackson Park Hospital, it has a family medicine residency program; therefore, the family medicine rotation for medical students counts as a green book rotation. However, the internal medicine rotation at Jackson Park Hospital counts as a blue book because the hospital does not have an internal medicine residency program there. Other core rotations count in the same category such as Psychiatry, OB/GYN, Pediatrics, and Surgery.

If you want to go for Internal Medicine residency then you may want to do your Internal Medicine clerkship at Mercy Hospital instead of Jackson Park Hospital. Some residency programs prefer their applicants to do all their core rotations with a green book status; however it’s not universal so don’t worry about it. The reason I say this is that a lot of FMGs get residency programs in IM but they have no US clinical clerkship experiences. With SJSM you have 80 weeks of US clinical clerkships so that’s why you shouldn’t worry about it.  The same goes with other non SJSM Caribbean students, they have 72 weeks of US clinical clerships.

It's 10/10/10 and Bonaire is now officially a municipal of the Kingdom of Netherlands.  I don't know what to expect now in Bonaire as it will be now a direct part of Holland.  I went to a party couple of days ago and I saw a lot more Dutch people than I ever seen before.  I guess they could be residents from Europe moving in to Bonaire.  On one of Bonaire's tourism website, they said Dutch television will now be broadcasting Bonaire TV and Bonaire's scenery.  Aruba is independent now as it will no longer be part of Netherlands.

That was a side note, but as I promised I'm adding the Family Medicine residency information for West Virginia, which is one of the states SJSM offers rotations at.  Like I mentioned before I didn't copy and paste from other websites, I went through each institution website and got the contact information from there.


Charleston Area Medical Center/West Virginia University (Charleston Division) Program
WVU Charleston Div
Department of Family Med. 5th Fl
3200 MacCorkle Ave SE
Charleston, WV 25304

Elizabeth Westfall
elizabeth.westfall@camc.org
(304) 388-4620


United Hospital Center Program
United Hospital Center
#1 Hospital Plaza
PO Box 2308
Clarksburg, WV 26301

Eric J. Radcliffe, MD
Program Director
(304) 624-2224

West Virginia University Rural Program
Harpers Ferry Family Medical Center
171 Taylor St
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

David A. Baltierra, MD
Program Director
(304) 535-6343


Marshall University School of Medicine Program
Marshall University School of Medicine
Department of Family Med. Suite 1500
1600 Medical Center Dr
Huntington, WV 25701-3655

Warren Shaver, MD
Program Director

Betty Adkins
badkins@marshall.edu
(304) 691-1165

West Virginia University
Robert C. Byrd Health Science Center
Family Medicine Residency
PO Box 9100
Morgantown, WV 26506-9100

fammedresidency@rcbhsc.wvu.edu

Wheeling Hospital Program
Wheeling Hospital
Family Medicine Residency Program
40 Medical Park
Wheeling, WV 26003

Edward R. Marks, III, MD
Program Director
(304) 243-3330
wheelingfpr@wheelinghospital.org

Hey guess what? Chicken Butt! Ahh, nah I’m just kidding. I know I’m very far from my residency stage but I recently got hold of residency information for the states of West Virginia, Illinois, and Georgia. Those three states are the states where majority of the clinical clerkships for Saint James SOM are. If you were to apply for residency then you would do so through the National Resident Matching Program. However, it would not hurt to build up connections and relationships with individuals who can help you get residencies at your choices of location. Don’t get the wrong idea that you can get residencies at those three states only; no, you can practice all over US except California, Arkansas, Texas, and Florida. I haven’t started AICM yet so I won’t have any interactions with the students who are in rotations.

I did not copy and paste this list from other web sites; I actually researched and got the updated contact information from the hospitals' websites.  I will add more Family Medicine and Internal Medicine residency programs for Illinois and West Virginia.


Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital (Southwest Georgia) Program
Southwest Georgia Family Med. Program
Suite 2200
2336 Dawson Rd
Albany, GA 31707   

Becky Owens
Program Coordinator
bowens@ppmh.org
229-312-8871

Atlanta Medical Center Program
Residency Coordinator
Atlanta Medical Center's Family
Medicine Residency Program
303 Parkway Drive
Atlanta, GA 30302  

Tammy Hamm
Tammy.Hamm@tenethealth.com
(770) 968-6460

Emory University Program
Emory Family Medicine Residency Program
4555 North Shallowford Road
Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30338   

Eddie Needham, MD
Residency Program Director
(404) 727-8868   

Medical College of Georgia Program
Medical College of Georgia Hospital Clinics
Department of Family Med. HB3020
1120 15th St
Augusta, GA 30912-3500   

Julie Hixon, BS
residency@mcg.edu
(706) 721-3157

Morehouse School of Medicine Program
Morehouse School of Medicine
Bldg 100 Suite 300-A
1513 E. Cleveland Ave
East Point, GA 30344   

Folashade S. Omole, MD
fomole@msm.edu
(404) 756-1230   

Mercer University School of Medicine Program
Medical Center of Central Georgia
Department of Family Med
3780 Eisenhower Parkway
Macon, GA 31206   

Alina V. Rich, BA
FP.Residency@mccg.org
(478)-633-5560 or 1-(800)-999-5166

Floyd Medical Center Program
Floyd Medical Center
Family Med. Program Suite 201
304 Shorter Ave
Rome, GA 30165   

Randy G. Robinson, MD
Program Director
contactus@floyd.org
(706) 509-3340   

Mercer University School of Medicine (Savannah) Program
Memorial Health-University Medical Center
Savannah Family Med. Program
1107 E. 66th St
Savannah, GA 31404   

JoAnne W. Warman
warmajo1@memorialhealth.com
1-800-854-2510 or 912-350-8838