Free List of Hospitals Offering USCE - Observerships, Clerkships, Electives, Externships, Mini-Residency and direct research / clinical fellowships
USCE (US Clinical Experience) is a great value addition to International Medical Graduates seeking Residency in the United States!
This gotta take the cake for most obsessive-sounding degree of caution & fear about having students/docs over for observerships..lol..read on
Like the website says:
"Opportunities for, and sanctioned activities of, observers are very limited! Per UCSD policy, all opportunities for Visiting Observers must be for no more than 5 days. Most visiting observerships with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery are approved for no more than one or two days"
Visiting Clinical Observers:
- Have no access to patient information, records, photos, videos, etc. - Have no access to Hospital record or database systems. - Patient consent is required from patient for Observer to be present during visit
All inquiries for Visiting Observerships should be sent to Elizabeth Wei at ewei@ucsd.edu
Though the website mentions that the applicants need to fulfil US citizenship or Green card status, that's because they won't be sponsoring visas..hence if you can have your visitors visa or other status that allows you to be in the US (like F1 students can have summers off and yet stay in the US ), then it may not be a problem.
"Observership program - Medical students and doctors come from such diverse locations as Mexico, Germany and Guatemala to participate in the international observership program. These professionals and students spend approximately one month observing the techniques and processes of specialty clinics and inpatient units throughout the hospital"
Texas Children's Hosp. is the teaching wing for Baylor, so for contacting somebody about the above possible observerships, you will need to peruse Baylor's pediatrics department website
Recently, Maricopa Medical Center lost a legal battle regarding abortion training for its Ob-Gyn residents, to Dr.Christopher Carey, who insisted that it was unfair that abortion training be made compulsory for trainee residents who did not believe in abortion being ethical...fair enough!
Anyways, as usual, I am losing focus again..lol. The purpose of this post was to alert Radiology hopefuls about formal Observership program at Maricopa Medical Center in the State of Arizona. Details mentioned on the website include:
"All our rotations start on the first Monday of each month and are 4-weeks long. The hospital allows a maximum of 2 rotations per academic year.
Maricopa Medical Center provides three free meals per day from the hospital cafeteria, during your rotation. [Cool ;-)]
Free parking is available on-site. [Awesome!]
Rotators have access to the hospital medical library during their rotation. [Of course]. Two lectures are provided daily. One is at 7:30am and the other is at 12:00pm. Rotators are welcome to attend the 7:30am lectures and expected to attend the noon conferences. Most lectures take place in the Radiology Resident Conference Room.
Call and weekend coverage is not part of the rotation or observership. [Sigh of Relief !!]
Rotators and observers can present cases during noon lectures if schedule permit [Hmm..you should ! ] " Click Here for further information and Download Application Form
Observerships at Detroit Medical Center (DMC), Michigan
Probably amongst the largest residency programs in the USA, DMC along with Wayne State University have many hundreds of residents training in various specialties at any given time.
"Rotations are 4 weeks (1 month) in duration. Due to the number of observership requests GME receives annually, a limit of two one-month rotations per person has been set. "
How to Apply ?
"Complete the Observer application and send to GME with the following: A copy of your valid ECFMG Certificate, CV, USMLE score report, and Medical School Diploma (as well as translation if not in English) to:
Attention Observership Application Office of Graduate Medical Education 9C – University Health Center WSU/DMC Residency Training Programs 4201 St. Antoine Detroit, Michigan 48201"
Download their Observership Policies & Application Form Here
A good residency program for most specialties, this is what's mentioned on St. Luke's GME website:
"St. Luke’s-Roosevelt welcomes individuals interested in doing Observerships, with the understanding that Observers will be here on a voluntary basis, have no direct patient-care contact and not be eligible for academic credit from St. Luke’s-Roosevelt for the experience.
Individuals interested in setting up an Observership, must first contact the Department directly to determine whether they will be able to accommodate them for the period being requested. Upon obtaining Department approval and scheduling the period of the Observership, please consult the documentation listed below:"
Here's what a PDF document sitting on the Univ Wash. web server says :-)
"Clinical observational activities must be independently arranged by the student seeking this type of experience. The Medical Director’s Office does not coordinate communications or other arrangements for students seeking observational activities."
Doing the ground work of finding and persuading a faculty for an observership is left to you, The document does have a link to the departmental faculty listing. Once your luck shines on this, you gotta fill up an application form which inlcludes immunization status info
Observerships, Research Scholarships for Chinese IMGs
CAHON, which stands for Chinese American Hematologists and Oncologists Network, is a fairly new organization started in 2005 and offers the following funded scholarship positions for MDs from China:
Following positions are offerered:
Scholar for Translational Research: Lab-based Basic Science Research - Candidates must have M.D. and/or Ph.D. or equivalent degree(s) with laboratory research experience
Scholar for Clinical Research: Clinical Research - Candidates must have an M.D. or equivalent degree with interests in clinical research
Scholar for Clinical Excellence: Clinical Observership + Clinical Research - Candidates must have an M.D. or equivalent degree with interests in patient care
These competitive scholarships are open to all faculty members at an academic or medical institution in China who have shown keen interests and great potential in either cancer research or cancer patient care.
Visa Process arranged between the scholars and their research preceptors. Am guessing these are going to be J1 research scholar positions. These should be very useful for Chinese IMGs thinking Pathology, Surgery, Internal Medicine residency and of-course fellowships in Hemo-Oncology.
Thanks to a gracious reader who left me a comment to share with you all... TIPS SW stands for Texas Indo American Physician Society South West, which is one of the five chapters of the Texas Indo-American Physicians Society (TIPS), which is turn is affiliated to the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), about which I already covered on a previous post about IMG Physician organizations in USA.
Though this program is titled as an 'externship' it really is an observership in the way it works - implying no patient contact or hands-on experience....but if they officially allow you to call it an extership, that's what you can write up on your CAF ;-)
Lets go over the Details:
Duration: - Total 6 weeks, two rotations of 3 weeks each
Location: Non-Residency hospitals in San Antonio, TX
Specialty: - IM, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Family medicine
Criteria: Minimum 2-digit score of 78 on both USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK
Application: - Click here to Apply online - Click here to download paper-format application
Fees: None mentioned, probably no fees, but you gotta take care of your own accomodation, travel, food, etc. etc.
Hmmm..2 IMGs per 6 weeks, which is about 17-18 IMGs per year....hurry !
Describing an Observership on Residency Applications
Each time you experience something fantastic in life all by yourselff - to others it is only as good as you can describe it to them ..be it a great movie you saw, or an awesome car you drove or maybe that amazing good-looker that just walked by your seat ;-)
I did answer the question about how to describe an observership on the CAF on the forum and then I thought I might as well put it up here as well ..so, here's a sample of some things to add:
- Followed residents and attending closely on history taking, physical exam and assessment/plan in inpatients and clinics - Participated in case presentations on morning rounds and contributed to management discussions - Diligently attended didactics, noon-conferences and weekly grand-rounds - Assembled and authored a case report with a resident on a patient with Wegener's granulomatosis - Achieved good diagnostic and management expertise in common cases like COPD, CAD, CHF, ARF, GI bleeding and CVA [dont use acronyms like I did here ;-)] - Gained practical expertise in the use of Cerner Electronic Medical Record systems, Epocrates drug lookup, etc. - Developed excellent professional rapport with patients, nurses, residents and attendings
Plus you can add stuff about any poster presentation, help on research work etc. too
No bluffing ....but think back and creatively expand on what you accomplished during the time, you often will find more if you look back ;-) As for those who still doing observerships or about to start theirs, use this post as pointers to what you could be doing during your rotation...
Search keywords to this post: - "sample description for observerships on CAF" - "how do i describe my observership experience on residency CAF application"
If my intent on this blog is to throw light on USCE possibilities and avenues for ya'll to follow-through, then I must back that with a disclaimer that in case it does not work out - "Like I said - This is a good possibility" ;-)
I might have mentioned this already, but you gotta understand that most observerships that IMGs are not formal departmental programs. Additionally, even though a website or a program coordinator emails you saying that we do not do observerships, if you make contact with a physician faculty on whatever pretext and then he /she does agrees on letting you observe , then the 'observership' will occur even if the department does not formally encourage it.
Anyways, when I see a Univ. Florida webpage declaring a formal procedure for visitors interesting in shadowing physicians (observing, that is), I would think it's a pretty good chance that you might.
The webpage itself was last updated in 2005, but its worth digging more into. Here's what it says:
"For any visitor who wishes to shadow a physician/clinical staff member and observe patient care at the University of Florida Health Science Center and/or Shands HealthCare at UF, the following must be done PRIOR TO THE VISIT:"
This is a second successive post on Opthalmology observerships and I should be useful to at least some prospective Ophthal-residency seeking IMGs. Maybe these observerships might have some value even to candidates seeking prelim surgery positions too. Here's a another one at the Doheny Eye-Institute in Los Angeles, California, affiliated to the prestigious University of Southern California (USC).
At Doheny Eye Institute, IMGs (i.e. International Medical Graduates or Foreign physicians) are responsible for their own visitors visa during the maximum of 2-weeks of retinal department observership. 2-weeks seems short but look at the bright side - this hospital was ranked 8th in the 2007 US News Ranking for Opthalmology and besides we are talking Los Angeles here = 2 weeks is gonna be blissfully cheaper than 4 weeks or 6 months..hehe
Note: Besides IMGs seeking US residency positions, Observerships at prestigious places in the US can be valuable resume additions even to IMGs aiming for Australia, New Zealand, etc.
J1 Research / Observership @ Univ. California, Irvine
Yet another possible good opportunity for IMGs, not only for a clinical observership but also getting to do pulmonary medicine research alongside.
Of course, logically speaking, this experience would be especially useful for candidates planning on pulmonary medicine / critical care fellowships later on, but since thats a sub-specialty of internal medicine, candidates with interests in Internal Medicine should find it useful too.
Specific Notes:
1. If a visa is needed, Only J1 visas are accepted for the purpose at UCI - Note that a J1 visa for a visiting research associate / fellow / observers is not automatically subject to a 2-year home stay rule [212(e)] - read more on this on my post about types of J1 visas .
2. You can get your own short-term Health Insurance - if not, the brochure gives contact information for help on that issue.
3. Since this is not a post-graduate training position, the California letter (or PTAL) should not be necessary.
4. This is NOT a J1 RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP - rather it is an unpaid and voluntary research - another reason why I strongly believe this J1 will not be subject to the 2-year home residency requirement.
I don't believe I actually missed this one before - but here's information about observerships for IMGs at the IMG-friendly Wayne State University at Detroit, MI
Duration: 2 Observerships of 1-Month Each Allowed Per Person Specialties: Multiple Visa: Visitors Visa Allowed - other visa statuses (LIke an F1 during the summer) may qualify too Application:Click Here for Application Information Eligibility: MUST BE ECFMG Certified
[ Note: Needing ECFMG Certification for an Observership is not usually the case, that usually applies for IMG externships.]
Medical College of Georgia is one of the top-100 grant fund receivers from the NIH. This post is to alert IMGs interested in Ear Nose Throat (E.N.T) Surgery to a possible observership at the Thyroid/Parathyroid Center at the Medical College of Georgia.
Like I often mention, having a US Observership is better than having no US Clinical Experience at all - lemme add that having a related US Clinical Experience is better than having no US Clinical Experience at all - and thus, an ENT Observership might be of value even to the General Surgery or other surgical specialty IMG candidate.
As the Observership section on the website says:
"If you are interested in observing one of our physicians in surgery or in the patient office, please email your Curriculum Vitae and your preferred visitation dates to donnab@mcg.edu. MCG Health System requires at least 30 days notice for approval of observerships."
These are clinical experiences that the University of Iowa refers to as 'traineeships' - both observerships and hands-on externships for physicians with IOWA licenses, but for IMGs, they seem to be limited to observerships.
These are conducted as CME - Continued Medical Education activities and charged as thus.
This is what their instruction document says about Non-US Physicians seeking 'traineeships'
"If you are NOT a U.S. licensed physician who would like to apply for a traineeship, please contact the Carver College of Medicine’s CME Division at 319/335-8597 for assistance. "
So that is what you should do and then get back here to leave a comment your findings ;-)
And this is what the Iowa Medical Board says about US Clinical Experiences in Iowa for unlicensed IMGs:
"State law does not allow a physician who is not licensed in Iowa to provide hands-on care except in certain circumstances. The Board cautions physicians not to provide clinical experience with patients for graduates of international or domestic medical schools when the graduate is not licensed in Iowa as a physician. While the Iowa-licensed physician may offer such a graduate the opportunity to observe, the observer may not provide direct patient care, regardless of the level of supervision."
The usefulness of Observerships has been often questioned by some IMGs - can't blame them, since so many programs mention on their websites that they need hands-on clinical experience or a PGY1 internship and that an observership or clinical research does not satisfy that requirement.
BUT
while it's true that there are residency program directors that do not consider Observerships as clinical experience, there are also many other residency programs that do look upon observership experience as relevant, important and some, even necessary. Since we are in the era of Evidence-based this and Evidence-based that, here is some :
"We prefer applicants who have had observerships in the U.S. or who have not been away from clinical medicine for more than 3 years (or who have graduated from Medical School within the last 3 years)"
"U.S. experience in an observership role is more desirable than no U.S. experience at all."
And more which I swear I recollect seeing, but not have the patience and time to fish that out from the World Wide Web.
So, here's some things I gotta say:
1. If you had the luxury of deciding between a hands-on clinical experience opportunity and an observership, certainly select the former - hands-on experience is any day better than a mere observership, but if you have nothing else worked out, then do look for observerships - they are always better than no US experience of any kind.
2. Policies change as program directors change, which usually change every 3-4 years. Hence observerships may become important for some programs for a given year and might lose importance at others.
3. If you missed the US clinical electives boat during medical school, An Observership is at times an easier way to get a big university name on your resume than an externship, since externships are e usually available at high patient load low-budget community hospitals. ( Again, select an externship above an observership, if you had a choice)
4. An Observership still give you a US LOR !
5. Even if a program did not consider Observerships as US clinical experience - it would still look at an IMG with an Observership as more competitive than one with no U.S. Experience of any kind.
6. If the place of the Observership also has a residency program, that gives you a very good chance at getting invited for an interview at that program - you can always request the sponsoring physician to personally recommend you to the program director over email / phone.
ACR's Radiology Observerships for Iraqi Radiologists
Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Abdul Hadi Al Khalili, the former chair of the department of neurosurgery at the University of Baghdad, who had to escape the unfortunate & merciless killings in Iraq- the American College of Radiologists will host at least 6 Iraqi Radiologists each year for up to 4 weeks of Observerships at various participating Radiology Programs across the US.
The Radiology Programs Initially participating are:
- University of Michigan Medical School, MI - Henry Ford Hospital, MI - University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, PA - Thomas Jefferson University, PA - Massachusetts General Hospital, MA - University of California at San Diego, CA
Plastic Surgery Observership: Children's Hosp. Boston
So how many of ya'll are aiming for Plastic Surgery residency/fellowships in the United States ? Even if you were not planning the US and were interested in pursuing plastic surgery in other countries, an observership in the United States would certainly hold a lot of juice - and that too in a place like the ultra-prestigious Childrens Hospital of Boston which was Ranked 2nd In the United States by 2007 US News report for pediatrics.
Details for the plastic surgery observership:
Visa: IMGs need to do their own visas - so a visitors visa would work - in fact any visa would work as long as you don't violate the visa status. IMGs on F1/OPT visas elsewhere could do this during their summer break - hence apply during the Winter (spring) semester
Duration: More than a Month Permitted (Limited to observing three physcians total)
Application Procedure: There are two parts - Online part and the Paper part - BOTH need to be completed. Click here to goto Application Instructions
Fees: Not Mentioned, possibly no fees, but the scary living costs in Boston sound like high-fees themselves :-D
The website also says:
"In addition to shadowing day to day practices, observers may also be invited to watch surgical procedures. Observers may also have the opportunity to attend different conferences; as well as utilize all of the resources found in Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Libraries."
I don't like the flavor of the 'may also be' part in the statement above - after all isn't WATCHING SURGICAL PROCEDURES the highlight of a surgery Observership ? ;-) Of course, you should clarify this with them before hand...after all, you don't wanna only observe how the surgeons walk, talk and wend coffees off the machines ...hehe
As Drexel Medicine's Physician Refresher Course website says:
"An innovative program for physicians wishing to return to active clinical practice, change their sub specialty, or prepare for admission to US graduate medical education training programs.This program may help meet the current physician shortage needs."
Hmm...Option 1 is what Most IMGs would be interested in. Drexel University is a prestigious place to be and have on your resume - except that the fees are pretty steep.
Whoa ! It's absurd that only one letter 'r' separates the words "Fee" and "Free" - They need to be totally different-looking words that bear NO resemblance to one another ..he he..and besides someone who can afford to pay those is already very well off and doesn't need to be a physician income-wise ......I meant income-wise ;-)
ELECTIVES / CLERKSHIPS (3rd / 4th Year Medical Students)
University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle Duration: Maximum of 12 Consecutive Weeks Visa: Will Sponsor Student Visas Only (F1) - Visitors Visa Not Accepted Fees: Need to pay for two credits per week Application Information
OBSERVERSHIPS
University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals Specialty: Family Medicine This is what their Website says: "We do not offer observerships at the University of Washington Family Medicine Residency program. Our department is, however, affiliated with WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region residencies and we encourage you to contact our network office for further inquiry (206.685.1856)" ....I say you should make the contact then :-)
Hmmm..either an innovative IMG trying to grab attention of physicians - or more likely an old / new clinical experience organization trying to recruit physicians - $2000 to be paid to the physician for one observing IMG - steep price, eh ! If that's what the USCE firm pays the physician, the IMG will obviously need to pay much more to the firm ....hmmm...middle men ALWAYS shoot up prices...
If the above method worked worked successfully for IMGs (for externships rather than cheaper to find observerships)...there will be no middlemen - Like Denzel Washington going directly to Vietnam to get drugs cheap in "American Gangster" ;-)
The American Medical Association House of Delegates (AMA-HOD) meets each year around June to discuss new policies and proposals. Year 2007 saw a proposal introduced by the International Medical Graduates sections on the AMA about designing a formal observership program. While the proposal listed as Resolution 308 was surely not rejected, it has been referred for consideration pending resolving legal issues by individual states
Currently not many program directors are aware that a thing like 'observership' can even be done, while others are too scared of the legal implications - hence a formal model plan that comes from AMA will be most beneficial opening up many opportunities.
Hmmm...Around 10,836$ had been requested to find out about "collect information on observership programs, develop a model program, and disseminate information about the model program" - They could have just given that to me, you know - and I could have simply allowed them to call this blog an official part of AMA ;-) Lol
Exploring "AHEC" centers for US Clinical Experiences
AHEC stands for Area Health Education Center and as the National AHEC website says , the AHEC program was "developed by Congress in 1971 to recruit, train and retain a health professions workforce committed to underserved populations" with 120 medical schools and 600 nursing and allied health schools working together to provide health care experiences to medical students in every state.
Click here to check out an interactive US Map that gives a listing of AHEC centers offering clinical rotations all over the United States - clicking on an individual state gives you the contact person, email and phone numbers of the AHEC centers.
Note that these are generally meant for US Medical school students since they are funded by tax-payers money. However I know an IMG who called up a center in Missouri and not only got a 4 week rotation, they also also arranged for his stay for a mere 75$ for the month, and that was because they did not have enough of their own medical students to rotate at that period. Anyways it would not hurt to try and talk / email politely saying you are an IMG and are looking for an experience with them since you are keen on practicing there after a residency. Though these are hands-on experiences (externships /clerkships), IMGs would most likely be allowed to only observe.
I would suggest a better idea would be to Google individual state AHECs to get mroe information. So for someone - so since we were on the Missouri page, this would be googling for "Missouri AHEC Clinical" and I get this page.
Having said that I would still prefer an experience at a teaching university rather than a non-teaching hospital - but remember the golden rule - some USCE is better than a none at all :-)
Maine Dartmouth Family Practice Residency: Residency Website Note: This info is based on circumstantial evidence - an IMG resident profile on the website says the resident did an observership at the program before the residency ! (yeah ain't I cheeky :-p )
There are three entities that must come together to make an Observership happen:
1.You, of course
2. The Physician that you will be observing: The physician that you end up 'observing' is also referred to as the 'sponsor', preceptor or the mentor. The term 'sponsor' in the context of an observership often finds some IMGs scratching their heads wondering if that 'sponsors' involves some visa or money matters - Well, No, that does not. The term in this context means: "a person who vouches or is responsible for a person or thing" [yeah , I scrubbed that off dictionary.com ;-) ] 3. The administrative office that will take care of the paperwork and other stuff depending on the hospitals / programs / institution policies. Paperwork involves getting your immunization / medical records, visa issues and HIPAA issues (shall deal with HIPAA soon)
Now, looking at the way various IMGs have historically got observerships, I tend to classify observership arrangements in three categories:
Informal, Semi-formal and Formal
[Lol...I am almost making this sound like a science in itself ;-) ]
1. Informal:
In a majority of places trying for observerships is an informal affair, it is upto you to make contact with a potential physician 'sponsor' via email or phone or in person to make a request. If you are lucky to write to the right person at the right time and right place, you will find a doc who is willing and get the stone rolling with the administrative office. Hmmm..so the more efforts and more places you contact, the better your chances will be. And if you got contacts in the form of residents, physician relatives, your 'chances' almost become a 'certainty' ;-)
2. Semi-Formal:
In this scenario, the department will allow observerships but will typically want you to first make contact with their physicians themselves - i.e. you gotta find a willing physician 'sponsor' yourself, and then the administration does the rest of the paperwork for you. Thus, they have an observership program in place, just that there are no formal applications accepted.
3. Formal:
This category, unfortunately the most uncommon, where the office will formally accept potential applications and then forward them to their staff physicians to make the selections on a rolling basis. The observerships mentioned on this blog with a link to application forms belong to this category, some are free while some need you to pay a fee.
Oklahoma State Medical Association (OSMA) Specialties: Various - Family medicine, Internal Medicine, Anesthesiology etc. Application: To Apply, You must procure an Application Form from OSMA - call 405-843-9571 OR 800-522-9452 and inquire about the application forms. Usually, they will email the forms to you. I secured the forms from a pal - Download sample OSMA externship form Here. Use this downloaded form only as reference, You should communicated with them directly for the form - also try emailing Linda at mcdonald@osmaonline.org, for the forms, as long as she is working for the OSMA ;-) Click here for OSMA Externship Program Website Link Duration: "The Extern will be allowed to have four (3 week) rotations with a sponsor in different specialties. Upon completion of the Externship rotations (twelve weeks), the IMG Council of the OSMA (upon receipt of letters from sponsor physicians) will give a letter and certificate of completion to the Extern indicating the number of weeks as well as physicians and their medical specialties" Cost: This Externship Is Free, but IMGs must take care of their own living expenses
Notes:
1. The OSMA Externship program closes from time to time, depending on the applicant volume, but reopens again - so keep a look out on their website Here for the notices. 2. They call it an 'externship', but works like an observership, since IMGs are not allowed any patient contact. Well, if the certificate from the OSMA says 'externship', I would not be wrong to call it an 'externship' when I fill in the ERAS application form for residency applications, would I ? ;-) 3. This one is from a State Medical Association, which means, its prestigious !
OBSERVERSHIPS
United Regional Health Care Center, Wichita Falls Specialty: Family Practice Cost: 300$ per Month (This information awaits being verified) Contacts Page
Merit Care Hospital, Fargo Heard about this from a friend - so you will need to contact docs on their website Click Here for Searching Faculty List by Specialty (Select Specialty and Click on Search) , next click on the doc's name and that will lead you to the phone number Lotsa IMG docs !
University of Kentucky, Lexington Specialties: Internal Medicine Contacts Page (Try Contacting the Program Director and even the Individual Faculty Listed - some IMGs have been getting observerships here at this program)
Inova Health System "The Office of Undergraduate Medical Education manages requests for observerships by medical students, university students, high-school students, and laypersons who have not yet earned an M.D. degree." Application & Contact Information
North Richland Hospital, North Richland,TX Specialty: Pediatrics Note: This was mentioned on the resumes of one of the residents at the Texas Tech University of Health Sciences at Amarillo - hence an externship might be a possibility to explore.
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Specialty: Family Medicine Observership Information : For IMGs currently enrolled in Post-Graduate Family Medicine Residencies in Home Countries
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Specialty: Physiatry (PM & R)
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston (University of Texas) Specialty: Pulmonary Medicine (Internal Medicine) Observership & contact Information (scroll down on the page)
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Specialty: General Surgery Click Here for Application Information - scroll down on the page
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (UT-Southwestern) Specialty: Toxicology Duration: 4-8 week rotation Applications, Contact and FAQs Note: They even offer a direct 2-year Toxicology Fellowship without need for US Residency for IMGs who have completed post-graduate training in Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Preventive Medicine, or Internal Medicine. Read More Here
East Tennessee State University (ETSU), Johnson City Specialty: Internal Medicine Apparently a friend heard that someone managed to get an externship there in 2006 - something for you fellas to dig in more about !
Bryn Mawr Hospital, PA Externship/observership + research in Cardiothoracic surg Starts: end of March 2009 Duration: 3 months to 6 months Contact: Pat Dorris (dorrispa@mlhs.org ) Attending:Robert S Boova M.D.[ System chief Cardio Thoracic surgery] Strong CT surgery experience in Bryn Mawr hospital, affiliated to Thomas Jefferson University.. Clinical research is strongly encouraged along with externship.
OBSERVERSHIPS
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh This is a possibility since the webpage of Neurology research says this: "They have also hosted international colleagues in observerships in child neurology." Read Here
Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia "Drexel Medicine Physician Refresher Course" Specialties: Multiple Click Here for Application Information Steep Fees !
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Specialty: Critical Care Medicine This Page actually has profiles of all IMGs who did observerships in Critical Care Medicine -giving us evidence that observerships are offered :-) So you might contact the department and hope to have your own pic show up later ;-)
Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia Specialties: Internal Medicine (other may be possible) Internal Medicine Website (This information is unconfirmed word-of-mouth evidence)
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia Specialties: Multiple Visa: They will determine the visa type you will be granted / eligible for (B1/ B2 / J1) Click here for Application Information
Notes: - Needs Passing USMLE Step 1 Score - Applications must reach at least 4 weeks before start date
EXTERNSHIPS
Columbus Community Hospital, Columbus Specialty: Pediatrics This could be a pot-shot, but I read this information from an IMG's resume posted online who was apparently working full time as an extern in this community hospital. This makes it worth a try - call (614) 445-5000 and ask to be transferred to the deparment of pediatrics
Huron Hospital Specialty: Internal Medicine Policy Statement: "The Internal Medicine Program offers externships, observerships to candidates meeting our minimum criteria, but it is not required to be a resident. We do not schedule externships in the months of June or July. Externships are for one month only and must be approved a minimum of three months prior to starting."
University of Cincinnati Academic Medical Center Specialty: E.N.T. (Otolaryngology) Note: According to their FAQs Link, "Application are considered on an individual basis by contacting Robert Keith, PhD, Director of Medical Education at robert.keith@uc.edu, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, PO Box 670528, Cincinnati OH 45267-0528."
OBSERVERSHIPS
Case Western Reserve University Specialty: Family Medicine (Only for candidates selected for Interview) Application Information
Cleveland Clinic Specialty: Clinical Neurophysiology + Epilepsy Observership Course Information Duration: 3 Months Notes: 1. Course if Free - But IMGs and International Medical Students must fund their own stay 2. Good for candidates interested in Neurology Residency !
Ohio State University College of Dentistry Specialty: Periodontology Application Information
Columbia University College of Physicians + Surgeons Only for students of these 23 Medical Schools around the world.
SUNY Downstate, Brooklyn Fee: $175 1st Elective : $100 per additional Elective Visas: Students are responsible for their own B1 visitors visa Duration: 12 Weeks Maximum Application Form & Instructions
Weill Cornell Medical College Specialty: Multiple Fees: 2000$ per month Application Information
EXTERNSHIPS
Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Jamaica, NY (Don't confuse this with the country Jamaica..LOL) Specialty: Psychiatry Duration: 5 Months Call: 718-291-0764 or See more Contacts Requirements: Must be ECFMG Certified, and have your own Visa / Green Card
Mount Sinai School of Medicine (Cabrini) Program Specialty: Psychiatry As their Residency Program Website Says: "We have in the past offered externships, but they are offered at the discretion of the Program Director.You may fax your resume and cover letter regarding externships to (212) 995-7031." Thus - its worth a try :-)
New York Medical College (Westchester Medical Center), Valhalla, NY Specialty:Psychiatry Duration: 8 Months ! Click Here for IMG externship selection & policies Click Here for IMG externship application form Email inquiries: wmcexternship@hotmail.com
North Short LIJ, Long Island Specialty: Psychiatry Externship for a Year Contact: Externship Coordinator at : 718-470-7992
OBSERVERSHIPS
Beth Israel Medical Center Specialty: Pain Medicine & Palliative Care Application Information
Hospital for Special Surgery Specialty: Radiology (For Current Radiologists) Fees:
New York University (NYU) Specialty: Dermatology Click Here for Description Duration: 1 Month, 6 Months or 1 Year Fees: This is a very comprehensive Observership Program and carries a hefty Tution: 1 Month: $3000 6 Months: $15,000 12 Months: $30,000 "Participants in the Program will receive a certificate from the Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine verifying their observership as an International Dermatology observer."
New York University Medical Center Specialty: Orthopedic Surgery Visa: If you need a visa, the University does do a J-1 Visa for the Observership, though it may not be compulsorily be a J1 - in that event, I would recommend going with a Visitors or F1 visa instead. Application Form and Links
St. Lukes Roosevelt Medical Center
Specialty: Multiple
Application Information - Click Here or call Graduate Medical Edu. Office at (212)523-2154
Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Brooklyn Specialties: Internal Medicine (I know IMGs have done it in Internal Medicine - other specialties may be possible)
University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey: Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Application Info + Form Specialty: Family Medicine Period: 4 Weeks
Children's Mercy Hospital & Clinics, Kansas City Specialty: Pediatrics Durations: 1 to 3 days only Application Information Notes: 1. This opportunity is open to IMGs, American medical students, and current Residents and Fellows. As mentioned on the minutes of the Aug 2007 Faculty Meeting,
"International Medical Graduate Observership Requests : CMH will only allow short term observerships (two to three days) for medical graduates. All observership requests must be approved by the GME. Please contact Kerrie Jordan or Ravi Kallur." - So call (816) 983-6487 and ask for these guys
2. This is for a very short period and i would not expect an LOR out of this - but who knows, during your mini-stay if you impress the physician and try to request a longer time....;-)
Saint Louis University Specialties: Multiple Note: I have heard of candidates land observerships by writing to faculty listed on their Individual departmental websites - Click Here for the list of their residencies and department links and then look up faculty in the department of your choice. Merely Writing to the Program director won't help - since administrative duties & headaches probably make the Program director more likely to say no - hence write to the faculty too. Agreed its based on chance - but a chance is a chance only if you take it ...
University Missouri Columbia Specialty: Pathology Click here for Faculty List : Get the name and Search their email address by plugging names here. Note: University Programs in Pathology highly value research and publications for accepting candidates for residencies - so research may help you more, but a short term observership is not bad on the resume
University of Missouri-Columbia Specialty: Nephrology (Internal Medicine) Note: Again this is based on evidence from friends - Write to Faculty (Included Program chair) listed on the Nephrology Website and take your chances :-)
University of Massachusetts Medical School Specialties: Multiple : List(only Type B & C are for Foreign Medical Students) Application Criteria
OBSERVERSHIPS
Brigham & Women's Hospital Specialty: Abdominal Imaging and Intervention (Radiology) 5-Day visiting Observership - Click here to learn more
Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School Specialty: Congenital (pediatric) Heart Surgery observership course Fees: $3000 for two weeks OR $4,500 for 4 Weeks Click Here for Application Requirements Click Here for Application Form
University of Maryland School of Medicine Specialties: Multiple :List Application Information Note:It is the policy of the University of Maryland School of Medicine to accept only fourth-year students for clinical experiences who are enrolled in accredited allopathic medical schools which are approved by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). We do, however, offer an exchange program with the University of Heidelberg and accept two students each year to study with us for six months. The students are selected by the Dean of Studies at Heidelberg
EXTERNSHIPS
Dr. Barry Mehta Specialties: Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Ob-Gyn Duration: Minimum 7-weeks tp get a Letter Of Recommendation. Schedule Cost: $4,400 for 7 weeks (Training + Staying) Call: 410-730-3961, 443-285-9563 (Mobile) Note: Interestingly, as a reader pointed out on the comments, the same Dr. Barry Mehta was found guilty of fraud and fined $250,000/- for robbing the state Medicaid program. He billed the state for clients that were never present as per this news here. However, the American Medical News also featured the Barry Mehta Externship program, Read the News article here. I was amused that they did not write about the fraud, the article was written by a student of the externship program anyways
Harbor Hospital, Baltimore Specialty: Internal medicine Contact Program Coordinator at:410-350-3565
University of Iowa College of Medicine Specialty: Multiple especially Family Medicine Clinical Shadowing Program Information Contact: Carol Alexander in Office of Statewide Clinical Education Programs at 319-335 8618
ELECTIVES / CLERKSHIPS (3rd / 4th Year Medical Students)
Northwestern University: Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago Application Forms and Information Visa: Students need to come on their own Visitor's visas Fees: $1000 per rotation (Prestigious Medical School !)
Good Samaritan Hospital Dr. Rao K Batchu Charges 1000$ to 4000$ depending on length of Observership and Externship Call: 630 963 4990
Southern Illinois University Specialties: Multiple - Internal Medicine, Pediatrics Etc. Application: Though there is no formal program as such, individual faculty could arrange them as per this policy manual which says: "It is assumed that the availability of an observership is at the discretion of individual clinical departments based on that department’s availability of resources, and the existence of these guidelines is no obligation on the part of any clinical department to provide such an experience. Foreign medical schools must be recognized by the educational commission for foreign medical graduates.Any candidate accepted by a clinical department must be approved by that department’s chair, and notification of that acceptance must be given to St. John’s Hospital and Memorial Medical Center"
Emory University Medical School of Georgia - Georgia Health Sciences University Specialties: Multiple Observerships / Rotations Policies
Emory University Specialty: Neurology Clinical Observerships In Dizziness and Balance Center To qualify for the observership you might need to take their short 4-day course on vestibular rehabilitation - see Observership Information Note: Observership open to both physicians and physiotherapists
Medical Surgical Specialists, Naples, Florida Specialties: Multiple Observership Listings and Information (If any available) - but I would anyways suggest you contact them even if they say they have no current positions Application Form [pdf]
Mount Sinai Medical Center : Mini-Residency Program (Observerships) Specialties : ( 4 weeks each - each specialty is treated like a 'course') : "ANESTHESIOLOGY , CARDIOLOGY, CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY, GASTROENTEROLOGY, GENERAL SURGERY, INFECTIOUS DISEASE, INTERNAL MEDICINE, MEMORY DISORDERS, NEONATOLOGY, ONCOLOGY /HEMATOLOGY, PATHOLOGY/LABORATORY MEDICINE, PULMONARY & SLEEP DISORDERS, RADIOLOGY " Cost: $300 Per Specialty Application Information
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami Specialty: Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PMR - Physiatry) Application Information
University South Florida, Tampa "Stephen Klasko Observership Program for International Physicians" Specialties: Infectious Disease, Anesthesiology, but more may be introduced Application Information and Application Form
Note:Though This Is mentioned as an "Observership" - the description sounds more like it is ONLY meant for current Medical Students. Remember that while Observerships could be done by both current medical students AND medical graduates - Clerkships are usually restricted only to current medical students
Providence Hospital, DC Specialty: Internal Medicine Cost: Don't have to pay anything - just work for them, they need people due to lack of enough staff (Understaffed hospitals normally offer Externships to get free-labor in high-patient load cities) Contact: Program Coordinator at : (202) 269-7747 Duration: 3 Months busy Externship for hands-on experience : Needs minimum 3 months for Requirements: ECFMG Certification | 'High' USMLE scores | 3 LORs | Copies of Medical Diploma + ECFMG Certificate | Resume Send materials by post to : Program Director (Internal Medicine Residency Program) Providence Hospital, 1150 Varnum Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017 - 2180
OBSERVERSHIPS
George Washington University Medical Center Specialties: Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Medicine and specialties, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Radiology, and Surgery Cost: $800 per week Application Info
Washington Hospital Center Specialties: Multiple As the website says: "Upon approval of the Hospital Center’s clinical department director, international physicians may participate in observerships to observe clinical activities and participate in academic discussions with Hospital Center physician colleagues." - Thus a start would to be contact faculty in various departments listed on their website
University California San Francisco Specialties: Anesthesiology + Radiology Fees: $500.oo per 4-week elective + 300$ Homeland Security Fee Application Information
UC Davis Network of Affiliated Family Practice Programs Specialties: FP, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics Application information
UCSF - Fresno Specialty: Family Medicine Note: This is what the website says: "UCSF Fresno Family & Community Medicine offers observerships on a very limited basis. Once your residency program application has been submitted via ERAS, and you have been invited for an interview, you will have the opportunity to apply for an observership. Participants are selected by the Program Director."
Well, even if you do not match there, you can still use the experience elsewhere.. Read here
UCLA IMG Program for English-Spanish speaking Hispanics and other minority IMGs Specialty: Family Medicine Application Information
University of Alabama, Huntsville Specialty: Family Medicine Click Here for Application information Duration: 30 Days Max Note:"Observerships are available from August to February for International Medical Graduates. March, April, and May are reserved for incoming matched Interns."
University of Alabama Specialty: Pediatrics Observership Information Note: "Offer Four Observership Positions each academic year from July 1 of one year to June 30 of next year"
A good residency program for most specialties, this is what's mentioned on St. Luke's GME website:
in the United States ? Even if you were not planning the US and were interested in pursuing plastic surgery in other countries, an observership in the United States would certainly hold a lot of juice - and that too in a place like the ultra-prestigious Childrens Hospital of Boston which was Ranked 2nd In the United States by 
" ;-)
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