Journey of an IMG: Navigating the Residency Match

Early Aspirations and USMLE Journey
My name is Zehdi. I am a non-US IMG (International Medical Graduate) from the UAE. I graduated with academic honors from a humble university in a small city in the northern UAE called Ras Al Khaimah. I had planned to pursue my postgraduate studies in the US from day one. This is why I took a leap of faith in myself and achieved what 95% of my seniors and colleagues have not achieved. I decided to embark on the USMLE journey very early in my career, after only two academic years of my university studies. Clearing the USMLE Step 1 with a score of 230 at such an early stage merely boosted my confidence further and encouraged me to achieve a score of 240 in the USMLE Step 2 only two years later, as I was about to finish my clinical years of college. By the time I graduated from college, I had both the USMLE Steps in my pocket and the only thing pending on my ECFMG certification was my university degree, which was scheduled to be issued October 2022. Needless to say, I had to balance my other university responsibilities, for which I dedicated a lot of time and effort to graduate with two publications in my hand among the top three students in a batch of more than 85 students. Although I was initially hindered from obtaining USCE (US clinical experience) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was only brief until I caught up and secured four US LORs (Letters of Recommendation) by the time I applied for the internal medicine residency in the 2023 season.

Challenges and Learnings from the 2023 Match Season
Despite having a strong profile, rich in research and clinical experience, I was surprised to only see two interview invites in the 2023 season. Going through this season was highly stressful and emotionally demanding as I saw my chances of matching being very slim in such a competitive environment. When I learned that I did not match, it took me some time to recover and reconsider my options as I prepared for the next season. Reflecting upon the match results, and as I got a free profile review from the Sarthi panelists late in the season, I understood that the main reason for not matching was twofold. First, even though I met all the other requirements for ECFMG certification before the application deadline for the 2023 match season, my official Diploma was not provided to me until my graduation ceremony in October 2022, which was after the application deadline. Hence, my ECFMG Certificate got delayed and I had to apply without it, which significantly limited my interview chances due to the fact that uncertified applicants get filtered out by many programs. Second, in spite of starting to reach out to programs early before the application deadline of the 2023 match season, I was not able to persist with program outreach throughout the season as it consumed a big part of my time, especially since I had other clinical responsibilities at that time.

​

Strategies for Success: The 2024 Match Season
Going unmatched in the first cycle taught me a great deal about what a successful match strategy looks like. I started preparing for the next season by getting fresh US LORs, not only in the specialty of internal medicine, but also in family medicine. I took the advice of one of my mentors who advised me to apply to family medicine, a specialty with a myriad of opportunities with less competition than internal medicine. Having a strong profile in my hand with around six months of USCE, two publications, and two poster presentations, I started program outreach very early in the season, two months before the application deadline. Meanwhile, I commenced residency in my home country in internal medicine. Having to manage a home country residency while going through the entire US residency interview process was demanding and time-consuming. Since I had over 250 programs across both specialties to reach out to, I used an innovative approach to outreach to them all on a weekly basis throughout the 2024 match season.A Shift to

Family Medicine: Opportunities and Achievements
With match day approaching, I saw the fruits of my match strategy. I had a total of 21 virtual interviews compared to only two interviews in my first application cycle! Astonishingly, the family medicine interview count surpassed that of internal medicine, and I got invited to interview by prestigious institutions in the family medicine specialty. I was happy to learn that my perseverant efforts culminated in matching at the family medicine residency program at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Sarthi Support: A Catalyst for Match Success
Looking back at my journey, Sarthi facilitated my match mainly by three means. First, they helped me find fruitful USCE, which culminated in valuable US LoRs, not only virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in hands-on rotations afterward. Second, they refined my interview skills through their mock interviews. While I was only able to go through two mock interviews with Sarthi, these left me with a great deal of knowledge of what to expect and how to excel in a specialty interview. Third, they guided me to the proper match strategy through the free profile review that they offered me when I did not match in the first season and through the valuable Telegram group chat throughout my two match seasons. 
​

Advice for Future Residency Match Candidates
My advice to future residency match candidates, especially those with average or below-average scores like me, is to tackle whatever deficiencies they have in their profiles with a good match strategy. They should reach out to programs early in the season expressing their interest and keep doing that throughout the season. Also, applying to multiple specialties is something that they can consider if they are interested in, which, if done correctly, could double their chances of matching. My experience with family medicine as a backup specialty was great and gave me a lot of freedom and flexibility. In addition, it is of utmost importance that they persevere in their efforts and do not give up early, as many of the current leaders in their fields did not match in their initial application cycles. Finally, at the end of the season, they must be thankful when they match at a program in the US. Whereas they may not match at their preferred programs or specialties, they achieved something that more than 40% of non-US IMGs were not able to achieve in the 2024 match season, they matched at a program!
​

USMLE ‘Sarthi’ is constantly  working to emerge undoubtedly true to its name, Sarthi, Sanskrit for ‘guide’.  It is our dream to guide you in fulfilling yours. If you are in search of  right and complete guidance, we are more than happy to help!

Reach out to us at [email protected]

Happy Learning!
Team USMLESarthi ​