Reader Experience & Advice : "How I secured my Elective"

Since the past few months, I am beginning to see a surge in user contributions to USMLEtoMD.com blogs and I'm Feeling Lucky – yeah just like that Google button! ;-) Since the generous gal contributor to this great article preferred anonymity, lets call our lady Madam-X.

Note: An US Elective (also called a Clerkship) is a medical / surgical rotation option ONLY OPEN for current Medical school Students in their final clinical internship year. Students who have already graduated from medical schools cannot avail this option - they must look for Observerships / externships instead


The Following is her personal experience on how she went about applying for electives / clerkships in US Medical Schools and tips to fellow aspirants. Read on...

"How I secured my Elective in US Medical School" - an experience of a Foreign Medical Student (MBBS)

Step 1: Gathering Information

I came to know about this electives stuff through a friend, who was applying for the same. He mailed to me a list of medical schools where electives are open for international students.
They are mostly already listed on Digitaldoc’s USCE list Blog. I also searched for them via Google by typing various words like visiting students, electives, clerkships for foreign medical students and so on.

Step 2: Collecting Eligibility Criteria

I had to search all these sites and laboriously make a list of their eligibility requirements, the documents required for the application process etc.

- All the websites had a complete and proper description of the exact documents required about their precise selection and eligibility criteria and these differ from program to program. For example, some like mayo Medical School and UT southwestern will require you to pass the USMLE step 1 before the electives begin – while others do not.

- Most of them have similar eligibility requirements like you must have finished your core medical school clerkships – i.e. the ones that we do during our own medical school rotations.

- You must be in your final year i.e. you must be within the last year for graduation, which in India implies that you are an ‘intern’

Step 3: Collecting Information on Documents Required

Again, each individual program website provides a definite list but the common ones are:

- Completed specific application form for each medical school u apply to. This can be downloaded from the Internet in most cases. In that form, you fill your elective choices in descending preferences. They may ask for three or more but you may fill out more to increase your chance of getting an elective

- Resume and its supporting documents

- Medical school transcripts and hour certificate

- Letter from dean of your medical school stating that you are a student in good standing, your graduation date, and that u are allowed to do the elective, along with some other qualities of yours as well as the medical school. In my school, since I was the first one applying for electives so it was hard to convince my Dean that such electives can be done. You may have to obtain No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from your University in such cases, as I did. But if your dean is convinced then no problem will arise.

- Next you need Letters of Recommendation from the Department chair of the field you are applying for electives in

- Full immunization records and proof of immunity by showing antibody titers against Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps and Rubella. These tests are a bit costly and not available in small towns so be prepared for getting them done early.

- Proof of Health insurance in some cases.

- Some US Medical schools will also require proof of malpractice coverage too which I could not get. If you can get that then a host of schools may be open for you !

Other requirements vary from school to school.
Step 4: Application Fee

Some schools have application fees which need to be sent along with the application packet in the form of draft in US Dollars. Now, most schools have a single fee requirement for 2 electives but some will require you to send two application fees for 2 electives.

Step 5: Mailing out the Application Package

Each medical school site will provides an email correspondence contact who you can ask your queries, they are very quick and informative in their replies and reliable too, than most other people. Send the application packets to the addresses mentioned in the specific application form.

Step 6: Communicating

After about a week, it is a good idea to write an email to the person at the registrar's office (it will be mentioned on the form or the website), that u sent the application packet. Request for acknowledgment of the same and also ask about when can u expect a reply on the status of your application. Some schools reply about the status in a month or two. rest do it only one to two months before your scheduled date of arrival.

Step 7: The Hurrays, Cheers and Visas

Once you are placed for the elective in the medical school, they will ask you for further documents according to the visa they sponsor. It may be J1 or F1 and some instances the visitors visa too. J1 visa in these cases may not be free from the 2 - Year Home country residence requirement rule, so do look into that carefully before you accept.


My Two Cents:

The key to get selected is to act fast . I sent my applications 7 months before my elective start date. This way u can assure that seats are not filled out.Then send in all the documents at the very start so your application is not incomplete ans thirdly fill out choices using your brains. As US students are pref. if u fill out choices they like u have less chances, just like match u know. That’s all I had to say about the elective application process. Hope this helps. God Bless"

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Wow ! Did she say, “That’s all” – I thought this WAS ALL ! Very well written and structured. Thank you ...

I am also hoping she provides us with her with experience and tips DURING her electives, but lets not get ahead of ourselves and wait for Ma’am-X to complete the rotations first..right 

:-)



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