Medical residency training in the US: important considerations

The United States attracts medical scholars from abroad. However, the previously open-armed welcome extended to medical residents in America no longer exists for a variety of reasons. A series of barriers based on high educational standards and a rigid system of testing scientific and clinical skills and communication abilities, now tend to eliminate many applicants. Added to this is that American medical colleges now produce a near adequate number of new graduates and that foreign trained residents are often relegated to less desirable programs. These may not provide the level of training expected by the applicant. Less attractive programs are also less likely to enhance the scholar's chances of gaining an academic career and professional recognition on returning home. Applicants for residencies in the US should now be aware that only the best are likely to gain entrance to highly desired posts and to quality fellowships after completing a residency in America. All of this should be weighed against the stress and high costs that are now entailed in obtaining postgraduate medical training in America. This study endeavors to summarize what a young doctor should know about the application process for an American residency position and what he might expect from it.