The IMG Roadmap Podcast

Being an “OLD IMG” is no longer a valid excuse.

If you are still sitting down wondering if you should apply this September.

This is for you!

Do it. Go ahead and apply but do apply strategy.

Today’s guest, applied 9 years after medical school graduation.

She graduated in 2009

Yet, she matched in 2019.

Failing an exam is no longer an excuse.

Being an IMG is no longer an excuse.

Being an "old IMG" is no longer an excuse either...

Listen to the full episode. 

Dr. Buck Parker, is a General & Trauma Surgeon at St. Mark’s Hospital in Salt Lake City Utah.  He is also a speaker, and a medical expert for the media.  

Dr. Parker is from Jackson Wyoming and graduated from University of Wyoming with a Bachelor of Science.  He then went on to medical school in Belize at St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine.  He spent 6 years in General Surgery training at Henry Ford Hospital in downtown Detroit, Michigan where he had extensive training in Trauma Surgery, Transplant Surgery, Cardiac Surgery, Emergency Abdominal Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Endocrine Surgery, Surgical Oncology as well as Surgical Intensive Care.  He also did a research fellowship in a joint program with Henry Ford and NASA studying diagnostic ultrasound and remote guidance in zero gravity environments. He has published several papers on these finding together with these institutions.  While in Detroit he won multiple academic awards and was awarded the “Resident Teacher of the Year” from Wayne State Medical School in 2010.

He is also a self-proclaimed “tech-nerd” and entrepreneur since 2007 when he built a million-dollar web-business using internet marketing and Google search algorithms.  Dr. Parker’s mission now is to harness his technological and medical knowledge to drive social change, while helping individuals unlock their personal greatness.

In 2015 he was a castaway and medical expert on the NBC and Bear Grylls Reality TV Series “The Island”.   This show cast 14 strangers away on deserted island for 28 days with no food, water and limited supplies.  The show is currently available on Hulu and Amazon.

In his spare time Dr. Parker is an avid skier and enjoys exploring the mountains in all seasons.  He enjoys traveling all over the world to experience different cultures.  He also loves spending time with his dog “Hanky” as well as very wild and fun Italian family including his nieces and nephews who live in Jackson Hole.  His biggest aspiration is to create a free medical school online for students in 3rd world countries.

(Oh and he likes taking goofy pictures for his Instagram).

You can check out his website by clicking here.

Today’s guest is a newly minted family medicine resident.

Yes… she only just matched in 2020!

I know what you’re thinking: 13 years after graduation!

Many will call Dr. Kenya an “old IMG” because it has been several years since she graduated, but in this episode she is showing you HOW she did this!

In this episode, you will  also learn:

This is one of my favorites yet because it is packed with pearls for every IMG who feels non-traditional and also has practical advice that every IMG needs to learn.

Check out her message to you below:

“I am a U.S. born, bilingual (English and Spanish), International Medical Graduate from the Latin American School of Medicine in Cuba. I received a B.A. in Spanish Language & Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. Growing up in a military family, my upbringing was seasoned with cultural diversity. I am married with three beautiful children. I worked to help support my family, while studying for the USMLEs. My journey has been full of adversity including the tragic death of my father but despite all the odds I matched into Family Medicine and I share my journey experience to inspire others. “

The IMG Roadmap bootcamp (IMG ROADMAP COURSE) is coming back for phase 2! This will be the last cycle of the IMG Roadmap course for 2020. Click HERE to sign up right now as doors close on July 11th 2020!

One of the perils of attending a Caribbean medical school is the push to match into primary care. Now, as a primary care physician myself, there is nothing wrong with  my specialty. But, not every IMG wants to or desires to help mankind via this phenomenal specialty of mine. Many have different goals. Yet some are advised by " medical residency mentors" to stay away from surgical subspecialties for several reasons. The main factor being that, most Caribbean schools want to match all their graduates. This simply makes them look good. I mean, who does not like a 100% match rate! It screams success. 

But the true question is; what is collective success if it does not resonate with your definition of the same? You should define that for yourself. The school you graduate from does not get to do that for you!

Dr. Hasnie was set on pursuing ENT from the very beginning. Though she attended a small Caribbean medical school in Anguilla, she ensured that her experiences in medical school were NOT in proportion to what would be expected of her. She compensated for what will be looked down on by programs and  chose to defeat a mediocre stereotype. She literally went for her specific goals! 

In this episode, she shares exactly how she matched into ENT and her personal roadmap, even as a graduate of a Caribbean Medical School. You can find her on instagram at this link https://www.instagram.com/kainaah_/

The IMG Roadmap bootcamp is coming back for phase 2! This will be the last cycle of the IMG Roadmap course for 2020. Click HERE to sign up right now as doors close on July 11th 2020!

Dr. Khan is a pediatric anesthesiologist from Pakistan who trained in Arkansas (Anesthesiology residency) and in Texas (pediatric anesthesiology fellowship). She is motivated, determined and focused. Her advice comes from her experience as an academician and as mentor to students, residents and fellows. In this episode you will learn about her strategies to match into anesthesia despite failing step 2 CS on first attempt. She also shares the mistakes she made and how she overcame them. As a recent blogger you can find her on instagram HERE @sabina.ali.khan.md and on her blog https://sabinaalikhan.wordpress.com/. 

Dr Christina Dowell is an ophthalmology resident. She is a native of the Island of Barbados. In this episode she shares how she got to match into a competitive specialty even as an international medical graduate. You will learn deep insight on strategies IMGs can use even when the odds are stacked against them. She sheds light on why IMGs should laser focus on their individual paths and how mentorship and sponsorship is an invaluable portion of success. Listen to this episode for more. You can follow her on instagram https://www.instagram.com/dr.bajanbeauty_fit/

There are very few female physicians who are as open as today’s guest.

Despite always wanting to be a Pathologist she was “coerced” into Internal Medicine.

Unfortunately most Caribbean medical students will be “advised” to choose a relatively “easier-to-match-into” specialty based on what I refer to as in “insecure advice”. The availability of more IM programs across the country makes for more open positions for IMGs.

Now, IM is a great specialty. I would know. I practice hospital medicine as a board certified family physician. But not everyone loves IM and not every IMG should be an internist or a family physician.

Dr. West shares her love for pathology and how an uncomfortable situation got her out from a comfortable place to seek her dream in pathology against all odds.

She started out PGY-1 in Internal Medicine after 13 interviews but only matched via the NRMP’s Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program.

After a horrific experience with a co-worker she resigned from the Internal Medicine program to pursue her true passion in Pathology.

She is the definition of courageous, bold and beautiful! This is the vivacious Dr. West!

Dr. Michelle West is a graduate of the Medical University of the Americas. She completed a Master's Degree in Public Health from Walden University, her undergraduate degree was obtained from Farmingdale State College.  She is also a mother of three beautiful children who is thriving through a recent divorce.

Dr. West can be found on instagram at @docbarbiemd. She started a website to help others manage to maintain academic success, while having a family and also enduring some personal challenges along the way. She discuss the many facets of life, as well as, hobbies and interests. 

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A force to be reckoned with!! Pull up a chair, this is about to be a TED talk.

An incoming intern physician at Baylor University in Houston TX,  founder of @doctorsmessage ; a platform that motivates young men into careers in medicine and beyond,  Dr. Nweke is a multifaceted IMG who graduated from St. George's University.

As a motivational speaker, he applied his own quote into action "It's not about what it looks like, it's about what it feels like!". 

Despite losing his dad during medical school Dr. Nweke did not give up!

As  an entertainer with agile dance moves, he continued to forge forward to create a new desire for Physiatry (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation) and now is preparing to join the workforce doing work with his hands!  

If you are wondering what PM&R, Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also known as Physiatry, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to people with physical impairments or disabilities.

In this episode, you will learn about:

- His Caribbean medical school education at St. George's University

Listen to this episode for motivation, inspiration and overall guidance.

You can find him on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/dr_onyemmeme_md/

His youtube channel can be found here. 

USMLE step 2 CS has been suspended for 12-18 months.

This means anyone who was scheduled to take it this year is no longer able to do so!

But this isn't news to you because if you have been alive in 2020, CHANGE is the new CONSTANT in all our lives.

Life has never been more uncertain as it is now with this pandemic.

When dealing with test taking anxiety, uncertainty is the last thing anyone needs to perfect their medical success story in America.

So, if there is any way to alleviate some of the questions you have, I am here to do that.

After combing through the ECFMG and USMLE websites, here is what I can say about the changes with USMLE step 2 CS which we DID NOT see coming!

In this episode I share:

- My perspective on how I think USMLE step 2 CS being postponed will affect IMGs.

Also, if you are interested in getting on the waitlist for my next LIVE IMG Roadmap Course, then click HERE RIGHT NOW AND JOIN THE WAITLIST!

Listen for more and if you are not yet subscribed to the blog, do so at www.drninalum.com and follow me on instagram @drninalum.