Saturday 22 October 2011

Fellowships without residency training

Opportunities are present
Sometimes, there are opportunities that are available which catapult your dreams on fast track to being a physician in USA. I personally know of two friends who ended up pursuing their dream of being a physician in USA by a lesser known route. Fellowships! and too without the hassles of a residency. 

Now this is not to say that you can get by with out USMLE and ECFMG, because you cant. If you want to get into these fellowships which are very competitive, you still need stellar USMLE Scores and a very impressive resume. 
Fig 1. Alternate pathway to a US clinical post

Applicable to specific fields.
Both of my friends were MD radiology trained back home and obtained fellowship opportunities in US. While browsing for such information I came upon a very useful site by RSNA (Radiological Society of North America). The site has links to multiple fellowship programs and also informational links to residency programs in radiology. you can find it here

Other specialities that offer similar way to by pass residency training are
1. Orthopedics
2. Pediatrics
3. Oncology

I know FMG MDs who have trained in those specialities and getting fellowship (on J1 of course) in these fields. Read about J1 waiver opportunities and programs here --> J1 waiver explained

Something to consider for folks who want to take a break or pursue post grad education in home country.


Interestingly, there is a new fellowship trend thats very popular these days and its fellowship in Urgent care medicine. read more about it here --> Urgent care fellowships in US

13 comments:

  1. Hi

    Could u please advise any link to get info on obtaining Fellowship in Gynaecology without doing residency in USA. I am consultant in Obs & Gynae but my family is relocating to USA. I do have valid ECFMG certification. Thx KG

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i did look to see if there are any published opportunities for doing a Ob/Gyn fellowship without a residency in US. unfortunately all accredited fellowships by ACOG need at least a year of training in US or Canada. Some programs mention that they will accept training outside of US as long as ACOG establishes equivalency in training.

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  2. is this getting fellowships by passing residency in USA is valid for DNB/MD anesthesia also?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. for anesthesia, i have not come across and bypass. there may be some institutions which could offer non accredited fellowships but these positions are not advertised as such. you have to call the programs and find out.

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  3. Can i get a decent fellowship post MD medicine?? Also i've heard that until you do a residency program in USA you will get to work only in peripheries or small centres.. is it true??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am not sure I completely understand the first half of you question but I will attempt to answer. If you have done MD medicine outside US then there are not very many ACGME accredited fellowships that you can do. If you do an unaccredited fellowship then the places where you may be employed are extremely limited so in a sense you are right in saying - working in small peripheral centers.

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  4. Hi
    I have completed one year of Neuroanesthesia fellowship in US but have not done a residency yet. I do have a valid ECFMG certificate. Is it possible to practice in US without doing a residency?
    Any advise would be welcome.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Depends on the conditions of your visa. Most employers, state licensing authorities and primary-secondary payors require an independent practitioner to satisfy minimum requirements. I would recommend checking with the institution, state and licensing boards.

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  5. Hi!
    I just wanted to ask whether after completing such a fellowship, would one be eligible to write the board exams? (specifically for orthopedics, as ABOS doesn't mention any such thing on their website). Because as far as I have heard, board certification is pretty much necessary to get the patients to trust a doctor.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! Thanks for writing. I have compiled the answer to your question (Q4) with few other questions here http://www.mleresidencytips.com/2014/05/question-and-answer-session-1.html

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  6. Hi
    I have a question about ophthalmology.I have compeleted ophthalmology residency outside of usa.now I have applied for international fellowship.Is it possible to work in usa after fellowship without residency?I am us citizen

    ReplyDelete
  7. hi
    my question is if I have the chance to do any residency program in any state with Puerto Rico medical licence only.?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey could you please tell me about more about the route for
    oncology? Do you know anyone who's done it? And is it
    Rad onc or Med onc?
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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