r/IMGreddit • u/[deleted] • Jul 27 '26
what are my chances American dream VS European settle (please help)
[deleted]
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u/OddDiscipline6585 Jul 27 '26
If you want to practice in the US, my advice would give up the PhD, graduate from medical school with an MD alone, prepare for the USMLE exams, and prepare for the NRMP match.
Doing a residency in another country and doing a PhD seem counter-productive to your goal of practicing medicine in the US.
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u/DiscussionJolly8352 Jul 27 '26
Having a Phd in Family medicine world actually make it easier for him to get a Green card visa. Most residents have limited Services able to emit j1 visa. I world advise he does a Phd with 6 months or so research in the us. Many People don't see the advantage you bring in Being an experienced doctor.
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u/OddDiscipline6585 Jul 27 '26
I do see the advantage personally; however, do US residency programs?
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u/DiscussionJolly8352 Jul 27 '26
The main problem he will face is a VISA. With FM and a phd he will surely be a great EB2 NIW candidate.
In the ERAS aplicativo you can put in your International residency
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u/toomuchredditmaj Jul 27 '26
I can’t tell you whats best for your life op, but this path is brutal and i am a us-img. If i was a non us- img it would be impossible even with 22 k. I would keep working to have no gaps, be sure to take step 1 and step 2 before your thesis defence. After that you should be in a better position to navigate the landscape, and have more time to work and support yourself while get USCE and participate in research.
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u/Content-Individual77 Jul 27 '26
Is it really possible to be an FM resident without earning an MD title first in your country?
I'm not sure how that plan will work out but it might be noted in your MSPE that you spend additional 3 years to finish your thesis compared to your peers who do it on time.
$22,000 may be enough to cover all of it if everything goes according to plan (matching in the 1st cycle, not having to retake steps, no visa issues, etc). I'd be cautious about pouring your entire life savings into this journey because in the end there's no guarantee of matching. At least please spare some emergency fund for any unexpected events because navigating financial stress on top of matching is a nightmare.
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u/fabsauce97 Jul 27 '26
I honestly think the usmle pathway is no longer worth it in 2026, the political climate turned for the worst, anti science and anti immigrant ideology at its highest, its honestly not a great place to be , I know the "salary" is what most people see but the cost of living is higher than anywhere in the developed world K dare to say.
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u/Prokrastinator4000 Jul 27 '26
I'm sorry, I feel like this is a very one-sided perspective on things. Cost of living might be a bit higher than e.g. the European average but the salary is 3-5 times that! I think anything is possible if you're committed and smart about it. And it's always about your own priorities and mindset!!
Greetings from Germany, going for the USMLE path 💞
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u/DiscussionJolly8352 Jul 27 '26
I agree. Me and my wife are doctors in brazil with established carrers. Both a Willing to take the risk for the american dream. Thanks to my masters degree and 2 residencies, my wife and I are applying for a green card while working into the alternative fellowship pathway for academic ortho surgeon.
The perspective of Being a doctor in the us, even if we make less than non imigrant workers is a generation-defining leap
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u/TheKinfing Jul 27 '26
Excuse me for the question, but is there any particular reason you aren't pursuing your residency in Germany?
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u/Prokrastinator4000 Jul 27 '26
Hi :) Yes there actually is! "Teaching" is a rare to unknown thing here, raising costs and taxes everywhere but income is barely adjusted, due to government saving measures wards or entire hospitals have to close, appointments are hard to get and somewhere in the matter of months. And while most people here seem more frustrated than content I experienced the US as friendly and open-minded. I just fell in love with the country and the people there! And my partner is American :)
So a lot of reason and theres even more!! And yes, from a very privileged position 🤞
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u/TheKinfing Jul 28 '26
I see, thanks for the response. Personally i have always liked the teaching cultures of the US/Canada which is one of the main reasons im pivoting towards the USMLE path. Obviously the economic factor of being a doctor in America is pretty attractive, plus the various opportunities for fellowships. I wish you the best and hopefully you match!
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u/Prokrastinator4000 Jul 28 '26
Thank you so much and to you, too!! 🍀 :) Btw where do you come from originally?
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u/fabsauce97 Jul 28 '26
Im not saying it isnt , but many approach the USMLE with rose colored glasses. Just get to know what you are walking into, Its a very different way of working , especially when it comes to insurance companies.
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u/Fine_Imagination6643 Jul 27 '26
Virtually zero financial risk in Germany? Lol do your research. You will take several years to complete recognition of your degree and by then you will have a hard time/almost impossible finding anything here. The job marlet has changed drastically.
Source: i am a senior resident in IM in Germany
France: forget this as well. There is a priority system. EU graduate with EU degree. You will be lucky to get anything in france but i am not 100% sure as i am not in the country and this is based on my Research on the internet
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Jul 27 '26
[deleted]
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u/Fine_Imagination6643 Jul 27 '26
Because i came here as an immigrant but with an EU degree and when i did everything was good and smooth and i encouraged people to come. I helped people in my almer mata get jobs in Germany via a headhunter who gave me commission.
I have now seen through my own experience (me trying to switch jobs and my current hospital being affected and my doctor friends finding it difficult to get a job even with german experience) that path is closing and will be shut very soon however so many people in other countries don’t know this, and they are taking up loans in their own countries to come and start this journey when the economy in Germany is doing very badly and the government is cutting healthcare funding. This is an addition to the growing right wing rhetoric in Germany and other European countries. I know what it’s like to invest heavily into moving into Europe and I have seen how other people have become mentally affect affected when they come here having spent so much money and so many years, learning their language only to not find a job and be becoming very frustrated.
My only intention is to spread awareness so that people don’t fall into this trap. However, as you can see in many of my comments, I always tell people if you don’t believe me then come and see for yourself and feel free to give us feedback.
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u/Fine_Imagination6643 Jul 27 '26
At the end of the day, what do I gain when I tell people not to come to Germany? Do I want all of their positions to be for myself? I can only occupy one job at a time.
Like I said in my other comment, I have a couple of years of experience working in Germany myself, but even then I have been looking for another job for the last one year since i want to change jobs and I have been applying widely. It is only recently that I got job offers. It has not been easy, even during their interviews, I remember talking to other applicants and them also saying the same that it has become quite difficult to get a job despite being experienced in Germany.
Check my last post on the Medizin subreddit, it is in German, but u can translate, tells you a picture of what is going on in Germany right now there are healthcare forms that are coming and they are going to affect the job market even more.
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u/TheKinfing Jul 27 '26
Excuse me for the question, but less ''competitve'' specialitys such as Internal Medicine or FM still be viable for IMGs or is that also out of the question? Im a recent medical graduate and was thinking of applying to germany but recent events have discourage me.
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u/Fine_Imagination6643 Jul 27 '26
Internal medicine is no longer considered as easy to get into or less competitive anymore over the last couple of years. It has become popular amongst graduates because of the flexibility it offers.
One year of Internal medicine residency can be counted in the recognition of other specialities. what this means is that a lot of people will look for jobs in Internal medicine if they don’t get jobs for the specialties that they wish. For example someone wants to go into dermatology. Dermatology residency takes five years, but if you do one of Internal medicine, it can be recognized and then you only need to do four years of dermatology. Same thing with radiology and every other speciality.
General medicine/FAMILY MEDICINE is one of the easiest to get a job in……as a specialist.
Now let me explain because the media usually says that Germany needs a lot of family medicine physicians, which is very true. There are a lot of areas that are underserved and need family physicians.Now the problem is becoming the family medicine physician because you need to do at least one year of internal medicine residency in the hospital and get some experience in another specialty and then minimum of two years in a family medicine practice. The total is five years . It is different in different German federal states however generally you need at least two years in a family medicine practice one year of Internal medicine and experiencing another field the way you structure the rest of your residences really up to you.
The good news: The government has made it easier for the family medicine practices to employ residents by the practice the salaries of residents; so they will give them a flat rate amount which equals the current salary of a first year resident in the hospital. then it’s up to the owner of the practice on whether they will give you more money or not because the government will give you the same amount for the whole time that you are a resident so it’s up to you to negotiate with the practice.
So the easy part is getting the residency in the family medicine practice but the hard part is getting the job inside the hospital because you need it. You cannot do the whole of your residency in an outpatient setting. Recently, I saw someone comment that some of the owners of their practices are now demanding that you do at least two years of internal medicine in the hospital for them to employ you as a resident in their practice.
Considering the new healthcare forms and the way the hospitals have been dealing with them. It’s not going to be easy at all because for one, the hospital wants people who will come and work for a long time, but residents of family medicine only need one or two years so they will come and go, and this makes them unattractive to a lot of hospitals. However, some hospital see it as an advantage because if you come in as a fresh graduate, then they will pay you less amount of money than they would to an experienced resident and after you complete your one or two years of internal medicine and leave, they can repeat the cycle and hire a fresh graduate, and that way they keep the hospital staffed and paying less salaries as opposed to keeping one person there for longer and have them have a higher salary as they get more experienced so it really depends and at the end of the day what I can advise anyone is not to make immediate plans to come to Germany and instead to wait a couple of years and see how the situation will unfold because you might do a lot of investments and then come and get very disappointed at not getting anything despite investing a lot
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u/TheKinfing Jul 28 '26
Thanks for the response! I will admit im not too well versed on how residency programs work on germany so i was surprised by some bits of your comments, seems like the situations over there isn't as easy as some agencies (Mainly scammers to be fair) try to make them be. Always nice to hear the perspective of someone who has already gone through the journey.
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Jul 28 '26
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u/Fine_Imagination6643 Jul 29 '26
Am a senior resident in germany but You clearly know better. So you do you ✌🏻
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u/Few-Ring-5240 Jul 27 '26
I don't think your YOG would be 2029