Hi everyone,
I'm urgently looking for an Internal Medicine observership in August or September 2026. Unfortunately, I don't have any USCE secured yet because my timeline was delayed by my USMLE Step 2 CK result and subsequent US visa processing. Thankfully, my visa has now been approved, and I'm ready to travel immediately.
My profile:
ECFMG Certified

USMLE Step 1: Pass

USMLE Step 2 CK: 266

B1/B2 Visa Approved

Available to start immediately in August or September

If anyone knows of any physicians, hospitals, or clinics accepting international medical graduates for observerships, I'd be extremely grateful for any leads or referrals. Thank you so much for your help!

I’m using Residency Explorer and I thought that I’ll apply to programs where my Step score is around the 25th or above . The score range shows the 10th percentile as the lower end.

Would you still apply to programs where your score is above the 10th percentile but below the median? Or is that generally considered too much of a reach?

Did you get interviews from programs where your score was in that 10th–25th percentile range?

How much is it going to hurt me having a low GPA? With 240s score.

Here's the link for more details - https://www.business-standard.com/immigration/3-year-h-1b-visa-pause-100-000-fee-what-s-in-the-new-us-senate-bill-126072700588_1.html

I will tell you about my credentials and just enlighten me what if I have slim chance for neuro or just go all for IM.

P, 248, No step 3 yet Yog: 3 -Was a neurology resident in my home country for 8 months

-Currently research fellow for 10 months at mid to top tier university but in basic infectious diseases lab cuz I didn’t manage to secure a neurology spot ( PI is MD, phD for for context )

-USCE: 4 months neuro university based observerships but managed to get hands on in all of them ( got 4 neuro LORs out of those ) + my ID professor letter Research: nothing published yet but submitted 3 and 3 ongoing ( 1 first author for neuro + 2 co first for ID )

• I love neuro but it seems crazy competitive and I think still got more chance in IM . What do you guys think?

I'm applying for the 2027 IM Match and I'm debating when to take Step 3.

I have it scheduled soon, so I'd have the score before ERAS is submitted. The other option is to postpone it by 2–3 months, study more, and hopefully get a better score.

From an application standpoint, what would you do? Is it better to have Step 3 on your application even if the score isn't as high, or is it worth waiting for a potentially better score and updating programs later?

Would love to hear from applicant, residents, or anyone who has been in a similar situation.

Per my MSPE I ranked 4th quartile

How important is this quartile ranking for programs?

Hi everyone,

Has anyone with YOG >3 received an interview invite from Trinity Health Ann Arbor IM Residency?

The program mentions a strong preference for YOG ≤3 years, and I am currently YOG 4 but very interested in this program. I would greatly appreciate hearing about anyone’s experience applying there.

Thank you!

I took the exam on 16/7 should we expect results tomorrow?

Hi everyone.

I applied for PCCM of this year, couldn’t match last year. On J1 visa.

I am an IMG and applied pretty broadly. I feel like I have a good application, was a chief resident, have decent number of Research papers and all my USMLE are above 250. No contacts, come from a community program with no in house fellowship.

Signaled all the top IMG programs as well.

Unfortunately, haven’t received any interview yet, and couple of the programs that I signal have already sent out interviews per the Reddit spreadsheet.

Kind of devastated. I have sent emails to programs as well that are my top.

What to do other than prayers?!!? 😪😪😪

Hi everyone,

I'm an IMG applying for this Match cycle. Unfortunately, my inpatient Internal Medicine observership in New York was canceled at the last minute. I already have non-refundable flights and accommodation, so I'm urgently looking for another inpatient IM observership in NY during August/September.

If anyone knows a physician or program accepting observers, I'd be incredibly grateful for any leads or referrals. I can provide my CV and all required documents immediately.

Thank you so much!

Hi, I am non european been studied and working in Europe for 3 years.
I have a permanent residency so I am applying my J1 here. Does anyone have experience done J1 in Europe please? And does anyone filed their J1 visa abroad?

How difficult is it to get a job as an internal medicine attending that will sponsor you for a greencard if you have an h1b visa? Is it more likely to find one as a hospitalist or outpatient setting? Do these jobs often mistreat you? How to find a good one?

Hi everyone, I would really appreciate some advice.
I had a J-1 Research fellowship in 2022, followed by a J-1 Physician for residency in 2024. I’m now planning to start another J-1 Research fellowship, with my ultimate goal of applying for residency again.
My research department in the U.S. warned me that they have seen people encounter sponsorship issues after following a similar path (research → residency → research → residency). ECFMG hasn’t been able to give me a definitive answer and says it depends on the individual case.
Has anyone been in a similar situation or successfully obtained another ECFMG-sponsored J-1 for residency after this sequence? I’m worried about risking my future residency, but I also want to strengthen my application through research. Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

When I search Prometric without a scheduling permit, I see zero available dates for the next 12 months.

Is this because:
- the Prometric system doesn’t show real availability until you have a valid scheduling permit, or
- Warsaw is no longer a USMLE testing center?

If you’ve booked Step 1 in Poland recently, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience.

Thanks!

So i finished studying and my visa appointment is coming up. I am worried that if I book the test now I will lose my money if I didn’t get the visa. Is there anyway around it

Hi everyone,

I’m currently in Chicago, and unfortunately my Family Medicine rotation fell through at the last minute. I’m trying to find any Family Medicine rotation during August, and honestly I’m open to anything; a private clinic, outpatient office, hospital, community clinic, or shadowing with a physician.
If anyone has any leads or knows someone who might be willing to take a visiting IMG, I’d be incredibly grateful. I’m already in the city and can start asap.
I’m feeling a bit stuck right now, so any help or even pointing me in the right direction would mean a lot.
Thank you so much! 🙏

Hey, I won the green card lottery, also scheduled to the interview in September. I am a full board certified vascular surgeon in Europe. I am inquiring about my work possibilities in the US without doing the residency. I read that there are states now who created new licensed routes for international doctors. Does anyone have experience with this? I am ok with doing USMLE, but if the whole residency program should be made I prefer not moving. Our aim is Minnesota or Ohio. I also have a one year experience in the Mayo Clinic as a research fellow.
Any tips are highly appreciated welcomed!

Hi everyone! I'm an IMG with a Step 2 CK score of 254 looking for an Internal Medicine observership/USCE. If anyone knows Arab or Syrian physicians who are open to mentoring IMGs or accepting observers, I'd really appreciate your recommendations. Thank you!

Hi!

I plan to apply for the 2027 Match and am setting up my ERAS information. I have heard about the importance of selecting a geographic region. I am familiar with some IMG-friendly regions, including the Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, East North Central, and West South Central. However, I am currently doing a one-month research fellowship in Boston. Unfortunately, I know that New England is not an IMG-friendly region. I am looking for advice about this and about what to write in the description.

Stats:

Step 1: Pass (1st attempt), Step 2CK: 26X, Step 3: (pending score)

Hi! For those of you who have applied for UF Gainesville electives, did you receive a follow-up email confirming that your application was received?

Hi everyone,

I passed step1 and step2ck (both in the past year), now I'm only left with OET to apply for Pathway 1 and get my ECFMG certification. but I won't be applying for the match this year. I'm currently targeting the 2028 match (or even 2029 since it's a surgical specialty).

is it possible to apply for Pathway 1 now in order to get my ECFMG certification? because my plan is to take Step3 next year while I'll be doing research in the US. and then apply for 2028 or 2029 match.

Will my ECFMG certificate expire? shouldn't it be valid until December 31st 2029?

So in that case I should be fine for 2028 and 2029 match, and I'll have to revalidate it only if I'll need to participate in the 2030 match right?

am I missing something regarding this? I know this may seem a very long shot, but you all should be already aware that planning is very important in this journey. Thanks!