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Match 2009 Newsletter:
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International Medical Graduates Match and Scramble Services

IMG Residency

 

Match Services

Here is what we do for the match:

  • Review your application package. That includes review and editing of the two most important documents: CV and Personal Statement.
  • Develop a plan of action. This plan includes "How to get US LORs" (and clinical experience, if necessary).
  • Guide you throughout the whole process, from putting your application together, to helping you with interview Thank You letters.
  • Submit your application to all the programs via alternative channels. You will have to submit the ERASŪ application only to the programs that have provided some positive feedback.
  • Provide you with a personalized list of programs in your specialty matching your credentials.
  • Personalized TODO newsletters with important dates and events reminders.

We helped our first scramble client in 2002 and our first match group of clients in 2003. We understand that our client's future lies in our hands and handle this responsibility very delicately. Every client is an individual with a long history starting from the school in his or her home country, coming to the US, passing USMLEs and getting to the finish line of this journey when finding a residency. We will share a secret with you: This is just the beginning. Surviving the residency is another challenge, but that is a different matter.

You have come here looking for information on how to make this coming match a success. There is a substantial amount of information on the Internet on what you should do to match successfully. However, the major problem with this is that the forums only give a description of an individual's personal experience and it probably will not be the same as yours.

Have you bought a consumer product recently? You probably went to newsgroups and found different reviews for similar products, trying to find which of these would fit your needs and budget. You possibly did a lot of research on the web just to conclude that what one person loves, another hates. The residency search works the same way. Every success story you find is what worked for one candidate. You think, "Will this work for me?" and try to generalize what you have seen and then apply it to your particular situation. It does not work this way. People tend to omit a lot of information, assuming that it's not important.

What should really help is a hand from someone who has "seen it all". We have located more than 200 residencies and counting, nevertheless no two clients are alike. We still consider every client's situation as a challenge to find the best approach to get him or her into a program. Our clients' match readiness ranges from "what is ERASŪ?" to "I'm looking for anything for the third year in a row".

You must have at least five interviews to have good chances in the match. Our goal is to provide you with as many interviews as possible (at least five). Can we guarantee that? Unfortunatly no. You can get an idea of your "competitiveness" by estimating at how many programs you qualify for at www.residencyplace.com. If you get 80+ programs in a given specialty, you should do fine.

How to get started

Please e-mail, fax, or mail the following documents to the addressed provided in the Contact Us page (info@imgresidency.com or (815) 550-2224):

  • ERASŪ Common Application Form (CAF) or CV.
  • Personal statements, one for each specialty.
  • Dean's letter, LORs or LOR writers' names, and contact information.
  • Med school transcript.
  • USMLE Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3, if available, score reports.
  • ECFMGŪ certificate, if available.
  • Your picture.

Call us if you have any questions: (210) 787-4555. Click on the Messenger button to start online chat with a representative:
Chat with IMG Residency specialist

FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the typical applicant profile?
A: Typical profile:

  • 5+ years after school.
  • USMLE scores in high 70's, about half of applicants with second attempts (we also have high 90's, but this is rather unusual).
  • No US clinical experience.
  • Looking for Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, or Psychiatry.
  • Application lacks personality. Same package is used by applicant for different specialties.

Q: How many interviews do I need to "guarantee" a match?
A: We've seen some people matching with one interview, and others having to scramble after 10. Our goal is at least 5 interviews.

Q: How many applications should I send to get 5 interviews?
A: A typical candidate should send about 150-200 well-prepared applications assuming you do it on your own. Our clients submit 30-40 applications. Average number of submitted applications per IMG in the Match 2006 was 63.

Q: You will provide me with a list of programs that I qualify for. Why would I need contacting the programs, isn't the list sufficient?
A: We have compiled the list by calling every program and inquiring about their requirements. You may choose to buy just a personalized program list. Even though it definitely has a great value, the list alone does not solve the whole problem - requirements are not written in stone. They get bended in 90% of cases for the right candidate. Let's say you have publications or research experience in the field that the program is focusing on. In this case your scores might not matter much. This is why we recommend a combination of individual program contacts and a list.

Q: What is your success rate?
A: It varies by specialty, with overall success rate above 70%. In some specialties, it is as high as 93%. We also have internal success criteria, which is how many interviews our candidates received. With a goal of 5 interviews, we succeed in 90% across all the specialties.

Q: What if I do not match?
A: We help our clients in the scramble process. Life is life and some of our clients will need to scramble. Scramble service is included free of charge.

Q: Can you help me if I just want to do everything myself?
A: We also participate and sponsor multiple IMG forums, where we always post our honest opinion on different topics. Forums we participate in: www.imgforum.com, www.imgresidency.com/community, USMLEForum.com , www.prep4usmle.com, and www.residentweb.com forums. Our philosophy is - Post only if you know the answer.
Another option that w can recommend is using the MD Site Builder, which allows you to create a web page with all of your application documents.

Q: Why should I choose you over your competition?
A: This is the most frequently asked question. You can only compare the quality of a service after you try it. You definitely cannot try all services at once (we had a client who did just that and ended up on the wrong side of the river). As soon as we discovered this, we returned his money just because the situation was so similar to two doctors treating the same patient without being aware of each other's orders. In the issue of choice, you must trust your own intuition. To help you with your decision, we will be happy to provide as many references as you wish (one of our clients asked for 10 references).

Helpful Links:
Our Forum
MatchPoint residency match organizer
IMG Residency Wiki
Our Blog
ECFMG ERAS Scramble
NRMP Match Results
AMA FREIDA online program search
AMA FREIDA statistics by specialty
ACGME accredited program search
NRMP's IMG Guide to the Match
Medical Education A forum for medical students, residents and others interested in medicine
Post Match Unfilled Programs

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