Post by Admin on May 9, 2014 3:22:08 GMT -5
Electives in the US
Salamo alaikom everyone
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Magdi Zordok and I am an intern in the University of Zagazig.
Elhamdulella I just got back from the US 2 days ago and I thought that I have to pay back to this group just as a thank you gesture for how I got help from here.
I started working on my paperwork to travel to the US the first day in my 6th year med school.
Then came the revolution and everything came to a pause but elhamdulella I resumed my work back early March 2011.
So what did I do.
I started going through the lists of universities to which I can go, the thing is I was enrolled in Zagazig University and my options were limited as not everyone accepts people from our University. I knew people who went to Texas Heart Institute in Houston and I thought I would start from there. So I contacted their coordinator Mrs Sara James ( I don’t know if she’s still the one there) and I told her about myself and that I was very interested in applying for an elective at their institute. She agreed and gave me a list of their requirements which were pretty straight forwards (To name some she asked for an application to be signed by the dean, malpractice to be obtained upon acceptance, proof of good English which could be results of TOEFL or results of ESL from the IGCSE (I don’t know if there’s anything else that could be used in this part), and the biggest part was the vaccination paperwork). I am not a big fan of forging paperwork so I did everything legitimately and I actually got all the vaccines which were need which to be honest was time consuming. Most programs ask for a BASIC list of vaccines which are the HBV, MMR, Varicella, Tuberculin, & DT. The HBV regimen used here in Vaccera was 0,1,2,12 which means that u should at least have taken two doses before you send your paperwork.
To cut the story short, I sent over my paperwork but came an issue. In my application I wrote that my graduation date was 2012 and not 2013 as per graduating from my internship. So Mrs James replied back with a no since I will have been graduated by the time I get there which was supposed to be March 2012. I tries to explain that during internship I still count as a med student but then they said that there were no longer any opening spots.
So what to learn from this is that when you want to apply somewhere your graduation date is the date you finish you INTERNHSIP (emteyaz) and not 6th year. And one small detail worth mentioning, DON’T send your paperwork via fedex directly use the Egyptian postal service and ask to send papers via the Net Courier service which will send your stuff via fedex and for less than half the price.
The next day I called a good friend of mine who told me to apply to Emory in Atlanta Georgia. So I did. I was very interested in doing Cardiothoracic surgery. So I emailed the head of the department’s secretary who was a very nice lady and I asked her if I can apply and elhamdullela she said I can. I needed a sponsor so I asked if Dr Guyton can be my sponsor and elhamdullela again he agreed. Then I had to email the dean’s secretary to send me over the requirements. Again it was pretty straight forwards (They however asked for $180 while THI was for free, but they didn’t need malpractice insurance which THI needed). I got everything ready and sent the papers over and elhamdullela I received my acceptance in Ramadan. The next day I called the US embassy in cairo and set up an interview date which was 2 months later.
The interview date came and to be honest I was petrified but it went smoothly elhamdulela, they asked me what I was going for and how long you intend to stay for ( by the way it really helps if you have a scheduling permit for the cs ).
After I got the Visa I booked the airline ticket to get a good date and deal ( I chose Egyptair from Cairo to New York and got a connection flight to Atlanta).
I had trouble finding a place to stay. Normally when b ezn ella you are accepted you will be receiving a list of housing by the university you applied to. If not try to search over craig’s list or ask anyone who has been to where you want to go. You will need to know how far the house is from the Hospital and how accessible it is by public transport. You will also need to know if they have a washing machine and a dryer, and how the sleeping arrangements and bathrooms will be, it may sound weird but trust me IT COUNTS.
I got my accommodation through the list of housing given to me by Emory and I was lucky to find an Egyptian guy who was also in Emory doing research.
Then came the big part which was getting out of Egypt!!! You will need to go to sh2oon el ateba2 and ask to travel. I made a request and submitted it to modeer el mostashfayat. Then I had to get the request signed by the big guy Ra2ees el Gam3a for some reason. Then after all that you will have to head to hay2et el tanzeem wel edara to get tasree7 el safar. All this is easier said than done, so try to have a good deal of time spared for this as it is VERY time consuming, but eventually inshaala it works out.
I then traveled to the US and started the rotation. Remember you are there to get the letter of recommendation (LOR), so you will need to work like you never had before. I met with a Japanese fellow there who told me that we IMGs have to work even better than the americans to prove ourselves and be visible. You will have to be the first ones in and last ones out. That means sometimes waking up 4:30- 5:00 am and going back home when all your patient’s work is done. DON’T ask to leave, wait until you are excused and asked to go home. You will also have to read about your patient’s cases so that you know what you are talking about in rounds. I met with a lot of Syrians there and they all came to the US after they at least had their step 1 and to be honest it really helps. Try to be very active and try to get involved in the decision making for your cases. I know this sounds hard but they give you credit when they know you are trying your best. They are not expecting anything from us as med students but they expect to see that you are keen to learn. Go home and go online and read about the management of your cases, it is easier to do that there as most of the Universities grant you access to sites as pubmed and up to date which are amazing resources. Try to go on weekends at least one of the two days.
I am very sorry if this was very brief but I am Jet lagged and this is what came at the top of my head. Please feel to ask me any more questions you want. I wish you all the best and please pray for me.
p.s. Even though I went to and loved Emory they changed their policy now and they only allow step 1 scores of 220 and above and an application fee of $500 and tuition fee $3000, if you are capable of paying that Emory is your choice.
Salamo alaikom everyone
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Magdi Zordok and I am an intern in the University of Zagazig.
Elhamdulella I just got back from the US 2 days ago and I thought that I have to pay back to this group just as a thank you gesture for how I got help from here.
I started working on my paperwork to travel to the US the first day in my 6th year med school.
Then came the revolution and everything came to a pause but elhamdulella I resumed my work back early March 2011.
So what did I do.
I started going through the lists of universities to which I can go, the thing is I was enrolled in Zagazig University and my options were limited as not everyone accepts people from our University. I knew people who went to Texas Heart Institute in Houston and I thought I would start from there. So I contacted their coordinator Mrs Sara James ( I don’t know if she’s still the one there) and I told her about myself and that I was very interested in applying for an elective at their institute. She agreed and gave me a list of their requirements which were pretty straight forwards (To name some she asked for an application to be signed by the dean, malpractice to be obtained upon acceptance, proof of good English which could be results of TOEFL or results of ESL from the IGCSE (I don’t know if there’s anything else that could be used in this part), and the biggest part was the vaccination paperwork). I am not a big fan of forging paperwork so I did everything legitimately and I actually got all the vaccines which were need which to be honest was time consuming. Most programs ask for a BASIC list of vaccines which are the HBV, MMR, Varicella, Tuberculin, & DT. The HBV regimen used here in Vaccera was 0,1,2,12 which means that u should at least have taken two doses before you send your paperwork.
To cut the story short, I sent over my paperwork but came an issue. In my application I wrote that my graduation date was 2012 and not 2013 as per graduating from my internship. So Mrs James replied back with a no since I will have been graduated by the time I get there which was supposed to be March 2012. I tries to explain that during internship I still count as a med student but then they said that there were no longer any opening spots.
So what to learn from this is that when you want to apply somewhere your graduation date is the date you finish you INTERNHSIP (emteyaz) and not 6th year. And one small detail worth mentioning, DON’T send your paperwork via fedex directly use the Egyptian postal service and ask to send papers via the Net Courier service which will send your stuff via fedex and for less than half the price.
The next day I called a good friend of mine who told me to apply to Emory in Atlanta Georgia. So I did. I was very interested in doing Cardiothoracic surgery. So I emailed the head of the department’s secretary who was a very nice lady and I asked her if I can apply and elhamdullela she said I can. I needed a sponsor so I asked if Dr Guyton can be my sponsor and elhamdullela again he agreed. Then I had to email the dean’s secretary to send me over the requirements. Again it was pretty straight forwards (They however asked for $180 while THI was for free, but they didn’t need malpractice insurance which THI needed). I got everything ready and sent the papers over and elhamdullela I received my acceptance in Ramadan. The next day I called the US embassy in cairo and set up an interview date which was 2 months later.
The interview date came and to be honest I was petrified but it went smoothly elhamdulela, they asked me what I was going for and how long you intend to stay for ( by the way it really helps if you have a scheduling permit for the cs ).
After I got the Visa I booked the airline ticket to get a good date and deal ( I chose Egyptair from Cairo to New York and got a connection flight to Atlanta).
I had trouble finding a place to stay. Normally when b ezn ella you are accepted you will be receiving a list of housing by the university you applied to. If not try to search over craig’s list or ask anyone who has been to where you want to go. You will need to know how far the house is from the Hospital and how accessible it is by public transport. You will also need to know if they have a washing machine and a dryer, and how the sleeping arrangements and bathrooms will be, it may sound weird but trust me IT COUNTS.
I got my accommodation through the list of housing given to me by Emory and I was lucky to find an Egyptian guy who was also in Emory doing research.
Then came the big part which was getting out of Egypt!!! You will need to go to sh2oon el ateba2 and ask to travel. I made a request and submitted it to modeer el mostashfayat. Then I had to get the request signed by the big guy Ra2ees el Gam3a for some reason. Then after all that you will have to head to hay2et el tanzeem wel edara to get tasree7 el safar. All this is easier said than done, so try to have a good deal of time spared for this as it is VERY time consuming, but eventually inshaala it works out.
I then traveled to the US and started the rotation. Remember you are there to get the letter of recommendation (LOR), so you will need to work like you never had before. I met with a Japanese fellow there who told me that we IMGs have to work even better than the americans to prove ourselves and be visible. You will have to be the first ones in and last ones out. That means sometimes waking up 4:30- 5:00 am and going back home when all your patient’s work is done. DON’T ask to leave, wait until you are excused and asked to go home. You will also have to read about your patient’s cases so that you know what you are talking about in rounds. I met with a lot of Syrians there and they all came to the US after they at least had their step 1 and to be honest it really helps. Try to be very active and try to get involved in the decision making for your cases. I know this sounds hard but they give you credit when they know you are trying your best. They are not expecting anything from us as med students but they expect to see that you are keen to learn. Go home and go online and read about the management of your cases, it is easier to do that there as most of the Universities grant you access to sites as pubmed and up to date which are amazing resources. Try to go on weekends at least one of the two days.
I am very sorry if this was very brief but I am Jet lagged and this is what came at the top of my head. Please feel to ask me any more questions you want. I wish you all the best and please pray for me.
p.s. Even though I went to and loved Emory they changed their policy now and they only allow step 1 scores of 220 and above and an application fee of $500 and tuition fee $3000, if you are capable of paying that Emory is your choice.
