Quick pause!

Want to stay inspired with content tailored specifically to IMG’s looking to create their medical success story? Sign up for the⁠ IMG Roadmap Newsletter⁠ so you never miss a beat!

*****

What happens when your journey does not go according to plan?

When you graduate medical school, start working, begin studying for the USMLE, fail Step 1 more than once, and watch your peers move on with life while you feel stuck?

In this episode of the IMG Roadmap Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Davion Bartholomew, a U.S. citizen IMG from Trinidad and Tobago who shares the real story behind her journey to a family medicine pre-match offer.

This is not a story of overnight success.

It is a story of:

• repeated setbacks

• rebuilding after failure

• learning the true reason she was failing

• changing her mindset

• applying broadly

• using every connection available

• and trusting the process even when it felt impossible

If you are an IMG who has ever failed an exam, questioned your future, or felt behind in life, this episode is for you.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• What it’s like to graduate medical school in Trinidad and Tobago and work while trying to pursue U.S. residency

• Why she initially chose not to get coaching—and why she later changed her mind

• How failing Step 1 twice affected her mentally and emotionally

• The hidden root cause of her exam failure

• Why mindset was the biggest shift in her journey

• How she changed her study strategy and passed

• How she applied to 111 programs

• How she landed 9 interviews

• How one “accidental” in-person interview became a pre-match offer

• What pre-match really means

• Why family medicine was still her number-one choice

• What she would say to any IMG struggling after failure

Key Takeaways

1. Failure is not the end of the road

Even after multiple attempts, it is still possible to match.

2. You must identify the real reason you failed

For Dr. Davion, it wasn't a lack of knowledge. It was endurance.

3. Mindset matters more than people realize

Changing her internal dialogue changed how she studied, how she showed up, and how she moved forward.

4. Broad application strategy matters

She applied to 111 programs, mostly family medicine, and used every connection she had.

5. Pre-match can still happen—even when your application isn’t “perfect”

She matched despite Step 1 attempts and being five years out from graduation.

About Dr. Davion Bartholomew

Dr. Davion Bartholomew is a U.S. citizen IMG from Trinidad and Tobago who graduated medical school from the University of the West Indies in 2020. She is currently working as a house officer in Emergency Medicine and has now secured a pre-match offer in Family Medicine in Pennsylvania.

Connect with Dr. Davion

Instagram: @davi_bartholomew

Mentioned in This Episode

• IMG Roadmap Planner drninalum.com/calendar

• IMG Roadmap Waitlist drninalum.com/waitlist

  
  

  
  

  ******

  Interested in writing your own medical success story? We've got you covered. Here's how you can join the IMG Roadmap Community Today:

  - for IMG-related questions: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

  - for course-related questions: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

  *****

  Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for supportive content and download our targeted ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠planner from our website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

  Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and consider joining our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to kick start your IMG journey.

  As always you can click on the following links to listen to more episodes of our podcasts on⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Apple podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Youtube Music⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠.