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please check out the band, Texas
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| i am now back. im on ultimate bet.
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| i matched at North Shore - LIJ for general surgery. It was my
sixth choice, but I'm very relieved to be staying in the NY area!
I can't believe i'm going to be a doctor.
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| im so sick right now. how sick might u ask? well, lets
discuss some of my symptoms. I've had fever/chills for the past
2-3 days. I've also had nothing but diarrhea. there's no
blood in the stool, but yesterday, when after I drank some fluid, I
would squirt it out. My gut was so bad at reabsorbing the fluid
that I actually pooped on myself in my sleep. I can take pictures
to prove it, but that would be wrong. I have the shit stain on my
boxers and my sheets. Anyways, I'm also so sick I havent
wanked for 2-3 days. someone take me out of my misery.
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| match day is approaching and i've updated my rank list. i'll post
that later. anyways, i thought about something that is kinda sad
out there. In the US, AAMC kids have first crack at residency
spots. AAMC kids are basically the kids from american medical
schools. After we fill up, FMGs get a crack at it. FMGs are
foreign medical graduates. Heck, people even stratify FMG's into
truly foreign people, and americans who have gone to medical schools
oversees. At some of my interviews, I've met some FMGs at the
same interview. Since AAMC kids get first crack, we tend to get
the more desirable residencies as a whole. The FMGs will be stuck
in the bad ones. What is a bad or undesirable residency? I
think of a place like NUMC (nassau university medical center) in East
Meadow, Long Island. The residents are over-worked and the
fellowship opportunities aren't that great. Other FMG friendly
residencies include many programs in the bronx (except for Einstein) or
Brooklyn. Location is important for people too so its not that
easy for a FMG to match to manhattan.
Who are these FMGs? Some of them are St. George's kids.
Kids who had too much fun in college and couldnt get into an american
medical school. Some are people who worked overseas and wanted a
new life in America. Some are people who went to school overseas,
and want to do their residency here because of the better training to
bring back to their country.
My friend Menelik is the second type. He was a physician in
Ethiopia and has now come to the US. He just passed all his US
medical licensing exams and is also in the same match that I am
in. He has gotten only two interviews. Sad to say, its very
possible he could not match and have to scramble for a random intern
spot, what people call a "non-designated prelim spot." What that
means is that you go do your intern year, but are in total limbo the
year after. Non-designated prelims are a vital part of medical
care in the US. With more people covering, everyone gets to take
less call and therefore abide by the 80 hr workweek. Nonetheless,
these people will work the 80 hrs for 40,000 dollars with no obvious
future in sight. While many hope to jump into a track somewhere,
most end up reapplying and having to repeat their intern year.
Intern year is more or less slave labor.
I also knew a guy when I rotated thru a hospital in manhattan. He
was a physician in a foreign country. He had applied to family
practice residency for 2-3 years and finally gave up and just accepted
a prelim surgery spot. He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed
and he told me that he wasn't crazy about the 80 hr workweek. In
his country, it was a 9-5 job and 40 hour workweeks including residency
training were the standard or so. Obviously, I'm glad we have
certain safeguards against people like this, believe me, you don't want
this guy taking care of you.
nonetheless, practicing medicine in the US is no easy task.
still, there is a stigma on FMGs. I really dont have too much of
a problem with them because I've known alot of them. SUNY
Syracuse is a very FMG friendly program. It's sad that there is a
heirarchy amongst students going through the same thing.
Unfortunately, we're not all about patient care, and I'm sure ego's and
prestige drive some of us. Hence, the stigma on FMGs.
I think that the residency matching program in the US is a crazy
program, but best that we have. On whether or not residency
applicants can be attracted by higher salaries or bid on with signing
bonuses and stuff like that is a huge issue that I'm not even prepared
to touch. As I approach match day with fear and anxiety, I just
think of those people who have worked just as hard, with a future less
bright because of stigma.
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