Resources for Medical Students

In the past few months, I have come across several resources that I wish I knew about/I wish existed when I was a medical student. While that ship has sailed for me, I couldn't think of a better group of people to share these resources with. I hope that you are able to take advantage of some or all of them, and that they help you on your path to MD!

The IMG Roadmap by Dr. Nina Lum. You're probably wondering why I'm referring you to a resource for IMGs when you are clearly not that. Stick with me here. Part of the eternal struggle of international medical students is that we are neither here nor there i.e. we are neither American nor IMGs. Nevertheless, there must have been times when you've looked at resources geared specifically towards Americans in the American medical schools and got some information that was still applicable to you. So think of this resource that way: geared towards IMGs but with some information you can apply on your path. I love Dr. Lum's content because she is so encouraging - I learned while writing this post that she actually calls herself "The Encouraging Doc" and that's a fact. If you gain nothing else from her, you'll walk away feeling encouraged to aim for the stars despite your status as an International. You can listen to her podcast on all major podcatchers. She regularly dishes out hot tips on Instagram re. getting into competitive specialties, finances, and board exams. Check her out and you won't be sorry. And no - this is not a sponsored ad (LOL).

F1 Doctors. This is a group whose mission is to "provide a network of international medical students, dental students, residents, and attendings for mentorship and guidance as you apply to programs of your choice". They launched shortly after ISM did and they have since developed an impressive network of mentors. We are so glad that body of resources for Internationals is growing and we want you to know about, and gain from us all. Given that we at ISM provide Advisors for the on-the-fly questions as opposed to long-term mentors, we strongly encourage ISM members who are interested in getting mentors to reach out to F1 Doctors and take advantage of their large network of mentors. They also regularly provide other helpful resources for internationals on their Instagram page so be sure to check them out. Again, this is not a sponsored ad.

Match A Resident: Another IMG-directed resource that I think international med students can benefit from. They examine various residency programs based on select characteristics and determine if the program is IMG-friendly regardless of what the program states officially on their page. A program that is IMG-friendly is likely to be International-friendly so this is helpful info! They are also able to provide customized residency program lists based on your credentials and stats. This might be a particularly nice resource when choosing what programs to apply to for residency and when making a rank lists. Furthermore, they have a ton of short videos on YouTube that answers many questions both IMGs and US international med students might have so head on over!

I hope these resources are helpful and we'll be sharing more resources with you as we find them.

In Solidarity,

Tinu