Why Your Medical School Success Might Be Limiting Your US Career

"What got you here won't get you there." – Marshall Goldsmith

I'll never forget meeting Dr. Hasan at a medical conference. He was frustrated, confused, and questioning everything about his career transition to the US. "I don't unders...

The Mentor's Dilemma:

Why Generic Advice Fails IMGs

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." – African Proverb

Dr. Soliman, a respected program director, was frustrated. In one afternoon, he had given career advice to five different IMGs, and he realized he h...

Why Your First 'No' is Actually Your First Step Forward

Reframing Rejection in the IMG Journey

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

 – Thomas Edison

The email arrived on a Tuesday morning. "Thank you for your interest in our research program. Unfortunately, we are u...

Why IMGs Should Think Like Chess Masters, Not Lottery Players

“In Chess, as it is played by masters, chance is practically eliminated"

– Emanuel Lasker

I was recently watching a documentary about chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, and something struck me about how he approached each game. While h...

The surprising similarity between successful Entrepreneurs and IMG physician in dealing with failure

“If you don’t have big dreams and goals,

you’ll end up working for someone that does.”- Unknown

I just finished watching the Netflix series “Super Pumped” last night which tells the story of Ub...

The necessity and surprising benefits of Discomfort on our way to achieving career goals

“The only thing that is stopping you from where you are to where you want to go is your comfort zone.” – Dhaval Gaudier

I was recently reading a book called “ The comfort crisis” by Michael Ester which disc...

How the words “ Networking” and “ Connections” are poorly understood by most IMGs,

yet essential to getting into good programs in the US

It isn’t just what you know, it’s who you know.
It isn’t just what you do, it’s what others are willing to do for you.

Your network is your net worth!”  --...

The risks and benefits of doing residency in your home country before coming to the US for medical training

“Every decision brings with it some good, some bad, some lessons, and some luck.
The only thing that’s for sure is that indecision steals many years from many people who wind up wishing the...

How being an old medical graduate can help you get into competitive specialties?

Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.

Coco Chanel

One word I always hear from applicants with a shameful tone is “ But I’m an old graduate” and you can almost hear the sorrow and...

How IMGs waste so much time and money doing the wrong things and thinking the wrong way.

“There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality;

and then there are those who turn one into the other.”

- Douglas H. Everett

I was an IMG once applying for ophthalmo...