PakMediNet Discussion Forum : Medical Education outside Pakistan : Post Doctorate Research in US
Post Doctorate Research in UScan anyone tell me the situation of Post doctorate research in US.How one can enter in it
Posted by: medcruiserPosts: 25 :: 06-04-2008 :: | Reply to this Message
Re: Post Doctorate Research in US
International medical graduates IMGs are looking for research positions these days. Following is very useful advice, this is a very popular misconception in Pakistan that with some research experience you can definitely find a place in a good residency program. First of all, no program will offer a "paid" research position to a fresh foreign medical graduate without any research experience. Most of the programs with some contacts may offer a voluntary (without pay) J1 position. If you get a J1 research and get a spot in a residency program, ECFMG will not allow the conversion of J1 research to J1 for residency. You will have to first get a waiver of 2 yr home country rule and then find a residency position. Even if you manage to convert from research to clinical J1, you will be subject to two 2 year home rule requirements. Applicants who have not taken USMLE yet and want to prepare for it while doing research don’t understand that research is a full time job and it is extremely difficult to manage two things and achieve good scores to get into a residency program. This applicant wants to commit for two years which is a positive but it is my experience and also of my colleagues in academic research that these kind of applicants are most unreliable and would not honor their commitment to the program. If you wont fulfil commitment then it would be bad if some one wants to come after you because why someone PI is going to spend lot of effort on you and then a day or so you leave from the commitment. As soon as they find a position in "any" residency program they will run away, which I believe is in best interest for the candidate but leaves the research program in jeopardy. Not all mentors of research programs have enough leverage to help their fellow find a spot in any residency program. Therefore, it is absolutely mandatory for the person who wishes to take this route to find a position in a well reputed lab and with a well recognized Principal Investigator (PI). It is also very important to find a clinical research position because the time you spend in basic research is the time you are away from clinics and this will serve as a red flag on the residency application. Please don’t come to US without passing your USMLE exams. Even if you are having difficulty passing your exams at home don’t be discouraged, you will find it much easier to pass this exam and score high with a family support system around you. Unless you have substantial funding, please don’t take a voluntary research position. Don’t think that you will be able to do odd jobs to support yourself. You will be miserable. Try to get some research experience in Pakistan, especially try to learn some basic techniques like PCR, Cell culture, Flow cytometry, if you are interested in basic research. Get yourself familiar with data acquisition and statistical analyses software, if you want to pursue clinical research. Identify academic researchers who are either program directors or chairman/chief of their departments/sections. Learn about their research and find similarities/ interests with your research experience and highlight these points in your cover letter to them. Last but not the least; please be truthful about your ambitions. Your mentor will only be able to help you if he/she trusts you. Almost every one you ask for a recommendation letter will write one for you but trust me; the addressee will recognize a difference between a true supporting letter and a generic one.
Last but not the least is my sincere suggestion to you to get admission in some Clinical investigator program in some good university since F1 is the most favorable visa which can be converted to any other visa status and even if you are done with course you can join residency on your OPT. Another thing is knowing clinical research helps you to some extent in getting position in a community program since you can be helpful in some way to the program. With basic science research; you might be the favorable candidate in a university program or some research pathway track residency which is really very hard to get in; provided u have to spend couple of years in research with some good publications before applying for residency. So first determine what you need to do, try hard for it and leave the rest on Allah.
Good Luck....
Posted by: yusmanPosts: 21 :: 09-04-2008 :: | Reply to this Message