WHAT IS MEDICINE RESIDENCE TRAINING IN THE US LIKE?
Many people ask me,
“Sister, how much does it cost to study residency in the US?”
Just by asking, I see that there are many misunderstandings about the medical residency training process in the US, so I want to use this article to help clarify a few things about it. “American Medical Residency”.
You do not need to pay tuition for American Medical residency training. On the contrary, you also get paid! According to Medscape 2020 statistics, the average salary of a resident doctor is about 64 thousand dollars/year.
The salary will be increased each year. Year 1 averages 57 thousand dollars/year, year 2 averages 60 thousand/year, year 3 averages 62 thousand/year, etc. v…
Besides, you will also enjoy benefits such as vacation, maternity leave (maternity/paternity leave), health insurance (health insurance), disability insurance (disability insurance), life insurance (life insurance), money for retirement (retirement plan), meal allowance (meal allowance).
The reason why resident doctors are paid such a salary and benefits is because a resident doctor is considered an employee and not a student.
Therefore, it is more accurate to say that residency training is “residency education”.
I. RESIDENTIAL TRAINING PROGRAM IN THE US
1. How to register for an American Medical residency?
I know there are many doctors who apply for residency several times before being accepted. Some people take 1-2 years off after graduating from medical school to do research before applying for residency.
This is an extremely beneficial thing for doctors who do not graduate from medicine in the US, because they can spend time reviewing and registering many times, until they can get in.
And schools often keep candidates’ records confidential, so for example, you applied to school A last year but didn’t get accepted, this year you apply to school B, then school B won’t know that you have a past of not being accepted.
And the number of boarding training programs in the US is very large! General Internal Medicine has more than 400 programs, family medicine has more than 700 programs, etc.
2. Is American Medical residency training mandatory?
Unlike Vietnam and other countries, residency training is only for excellent doctors who want to strive.
In the US, all doctors must undergo residency training to practice, to ensure the quality of doctors.
Therefore, if you want to be a doctor in the US, learn about the US residency training program right now.
II. STEPS TO APPLY TO AMERICAN MEDICAL REsidency
The FIRST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT YOU NEED TO HAVE A CERTIFICATE FROM THE ECFMG ORGANIZATION.
The purpose of the certificate is to let schools in the US know that you have received medical training “equivalent” to the standards of doctors trained in the US.
That way they can “have peace of mind.” mind”admits you to their program. Accepting a doctor into training is a responsibility and if the resident doctor is not successful, it will damage the reputation of that school in the future.
1. How to get this certificate?
To get a certificate from ECFMG, first of all, the medical school and the medical school year you study need to be on the list of schools that ECFMG accepts as meeting the standards required by the US. You can watch the video on how to determine it at here.
If your school is eligible, then you need to start the online certificate application. ECFMG will coordinate with your medical school to confirm that you have graduated.
Next you need to pass the exam USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK (2 exams testing basic medical KNOWLEDGE and Clinical Medicine).
To test Clinical Medicine SKILLS, there used to be the USMLE Step 2 CS exam, but now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is no longer available. Instead, you will have to pass the OET exam and register for 1 of 6 pathways (direction) to take it.
Note: No matter which pathway you choose, you will need to pass the OET —(Occupational English Test Medicine) exam. I see that in Vietnam, there is an exam held in Hue.
The 6 pathways sound quite complicated, but in short, there are only 2 pathways that can be applied to doctors graduating in Vietnam.
Pathway 1: Applicable to doctors who have an independent practice certificate in Vietnam, and have never failed Step 2 CS in the past even once. times.
Pathway 6: For doctors who do not have a license to practice in Vietnam or if they have failed Step 2 CS in the past even once.
This path requires confirmation and evaluation of at least 3 doctors in the US about your patient communication skills and clinical skills for 6 cases (maximum 2 per doctor). ca).
This assessment is scored according to the criteria—History taking, Examination skills, Communication ability and professional behavior, and Ability to reason and evaluate clinical situations.
2. What to do after receiving ECFMG certification?
At this time, you can apply for admission to residency programs in the US.
You are also allowed to register for the USMLE Step 3 exam (the final exam). Usually, doctors in the US take the first year of residency and then take Step 3, but you can make a good impression on schools if you score high on this exam. (The school will feel secure about your abilities and qualifications).
So the question is:
For medical students, when should you start preparing for your US residency application?
You should prepare as soon as possible. Prepare by combining reading/listening/watching videos of English documents during your medical studies.
Practice your ability to communicate in English with patients according to American standards, and when you enter Y5 and Y6, actively review for USMLE step 1 and step 2 CK.
In the next part, I will share more about the USMLE exam preparation materials, please comment “yes” if you want to hear more about this topic.
Dr. Christina Nguyen
~ The Phoenix Medical Academy
